Sustainability & Climate Change
Food production needs are expected to roughly double over the next 35 years as the world population grows and people in under developed countries become more affluent and demand more calories. Healthy ecosystems are vital to the survival of all organisms. How can we grow crops without harming the environment? How can we balance technology and global food security? What is the right balance of organic and conventional farming? What role can genetics and biotechnology play without compromising the needs of tomorrow?
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
Simple genetic modification could restore American chestnut to dominance
Scientists have found a simple genetic modification to revitalize the American chestnut, but now the question remains: should they be ...
A world without GMO crops poses greater risks
Despite the endorsements from scientific organizations and the hundreds of studies showing no adverse environmental or human health effects from ...
Unpublished study showing GMOs cause sterility in hamsters touted by anti-GMO acitivists
A Russian study claiming that hamsters who consume genetically modified soybeans give birth to sterile offspring should not be taken ...
With 2000+ global studies affirming safety, GM foods among most analyzed subjects in science
Anti-GMO activists can no longer claim that there is no independent research of GMOs. There are now more than 2,000 ...
A tale of two tomatoes: An exploration into the hostility towards GE foods
In her quest to learn about the fears and opposition that genetically engineered foods face, Amanda Maxham, Ph.D, a writer ...
“There is no bee crisis,” environmentalist Bjorn Lomborg says
Contrary to what you may have heard, there is no “bee-pocalypse.” There is lots of alarmist talk about colony collapse ...
Gaming with genes for the sake of a tree
The public are being asked to help in the fight against ash tree dieback by playing a computer game that ...
Petition: Global scientific community condemns the recent destruction of field trials of Golden Rice in the Philippines
Research on Golden Rice at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is part of their humanitarian work to reduce vitamin ...
African countries slowly warming up to the idea of GM crops
While South Africa has long grown genetically modified (GM) crops, resistance from across most of the continent is set to ...
Scientists’ tortured relationship with Green Movement based in politics, sense of identity
Scientists and environmentalists often agree on topics as significant as climate change and the protection of biodiversity. So why do ...
Fight over labeling delays Uganda GMO bill
Northern Uganda farmers are seeking to petition Parliament over the bill promoting the use of Genetically Modified Organisms. This was ...
Agricultural scientist Steve Savage reflects on the anti-GMO bill in Hawaii
Steve Savage went to Hawaii to try to combat the anti-GMO hysteria surrounding Bill 2491. Farmers who work on the ...
Cloud-based genomics: Will the Internet create GM super-oranges?
Farmers are hacking their operations with robots, sensors, drones, and good-old circuit boards, but that’s merely a first step. Thanks ...
Hawaii science ‘Swat Team’ part 2: Hawaii must resist anti-GMO scare, defend maize nurseries
Hawaii is an important player in global agriculture, and important nursery for the development of maize and other crops due ...
Fate of Florida oranges rests on whether activists succeed in debasing GM debate
In a journalistic tour de force, New York Times reporter Amy Harmon offers a thoughtful deconstruction of how politics and ...
Hawaii science ‘Swat Team’ engages public fears fanned by anti-GMO activists
Hawaii is in the crosshairs of anti-GMO campaigners. Two bills—one on Kauai and another on the Big Island—are being debated ...
Can genome research on the palm tree help save endangered rainforests?
Scientists hope to use genomic knowledge to grow better trees that can yield more oil and reduce pressure on the ...
Grist: Does the “little difference” between GE and traditional breeding matter?
The interpretation of what “a little” means for perception of risk, and for public policy, varies wildly depending on people’s ...
It’s time to play God with our food
There future of food may hold some hybrid of organic and genetically modified techniques, if we're ready for it ...
‘Natural food’ fallacy: “Waiter, there’s a gene in my soup!”
Plant biotechnologist Jimmy Botella busts the naturalistic fallacy and reveals the reality of our "unnatural" natural food supply ...
Biotech ups food production, won’t feed world alone
Biotech's focus on increasing food production ignores the fact that mass hunger exists alongside a huge surplus ...
What’s the value of an “organic” label?
Supermarkets in North America and Europe are overflowing with organic-labelled fruit, vegetables, eggs and meats but consumers willing to pay ...
Biotech innovations rescuing near extinct American chestnut tree
Rival biotechnologists race to use genetic engineering to bring back the American chestnut tree ...
Call to action: Grist reevaluates crop biotechnology; It’s time the rest of journalism does too
Grist is taking a bold step in reevaluating its anti-GE stance. It's the latest in many milestones for reason and ...
The precautionary principle is out-of-step with the modern world
In place of informed, real-world choices that include the potential implications of both doing something and not doing it, the ...
Open-source GM: Separating Monsanto from modification
Open-source GMOs will "help fight climate change and stick one in Monsanto’s eye." ...
Monsanto wants to help honeybees fight mites with biotech
A new weapon in that fight to save honeybees could be RNA molecules that kill a troublesome parasite by disrupting ...
