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.
Media mangles latest biotech innovation—hornless cows
Despite exaggerated claims from various media outlets over the weekend, the innovations that led to the hornless dairy cow are ...
Peru says no to GMO
The following is an excerpt. Peru was the cradle of the Inca Empire, and today it’s home to many crops indigenous ...
Farmers’ battles with weeds are aided, not hurt, by biotech
The following is an excerpt. When the biotechnology antagonists try to stoke fear by warning about “superweeds,” they make these ...
Wary development NGOs should reconsider biotechnology
The world of science, technology and engineering might seem, for good reason, miles away from the day-to-day work of most ...
Six reasons organic is NOT the most environmentally friendly way to farm
The following is an excerpt. Contrary to widespread consumer belief, organic farming is not the best way to farm from an environmental ...
Greener than green: Biotech and the future of agriculture (Part II)
Has the promise of the agricultural biotech revolution been oversold? Why are so many otherwise progressive thinkers so resistant to ...
Greener than green: Biotech and the future of agriculture (Part I)
Here in the first of a two part series presented exclusively at the Genetic Literacy Project, Ramez Naam -- a ...
‘Gene-editing’ expected to develop disease-resistant breeds
The following is an excerpt. Scientists have developed a method of creating genetically modified animals that addresses one of the ...
Wild parent spawns super salt-tolerant rice
The following is an excerpt. Farmers are set to reclaim salt-ravaged land thanks to a single rice plant born of ...
Chlamydia is killing koalas—will genetics find a cure?
The following is an excerpt. Why do some koalas die from chlamydia and an AIDS-like retrovirus whereas others manage to ...
Middle school experiment suggests health benefits of organic food — for fruit flies, at least
A student's experiment, published in the journal PLOS ONE, found that flies fed on organic fruits and veggies were healthier ...
As final approval of GM salmon nears, debate heats up
In an online debate, AquaBounty president Elliot Entis discusses his company's GM salmon with author Paul Greenberg, a critic of ...
Fears of GMOs based on ‘commercial politics’, says Gates director
The following is an excerpt. European fear of genetically modified organisms has more to do with “commercial politics than it ...
How will synthetic biology shape the future of agriculture?
Synthetic biology may have huge benefits for agriculture, but it will challenge human value systems ...
On GMOs, New York Times foodie Mark Bittman is a dark cloud in the brightening sky of reason
It’s challenging to name a more influential food writer than The New York Times’ Mark Bittman—nor one less informed and ...
Do we need synthetic fertilizers?
The following is an excerpt. According to organic advocates Tom Philpott and Barry Estabrook, we don’t need synthetic fertilizers at all. Both argue ...
Genetic modification: Time for a more nuanced debate
The following is an excerpt. What is a person with a conscience to think about the fraught and complex issue of ...
Why “playing God” could help the human race
The following is an excerpt. Despite the frequently encountered argument that scientists are ‘playing God’ with nature, the pros of ...
Tanzania considers applying biotechnology in cotton farming
The following is an excerpt. The government recognises the potential of modern biotechnology in reviving the country's cotton industry, the ...
Can Syngenta help make open-source GMOs a reality?
In a new initiative, Syngenta will make its genetic engineering tools and GM plant varieties freely available for non-profit researchers ...
Are we on the cusp of a bio-industrial revolution?
Imagine a biosynthetic hardware store, where researchers can cherry-pick exactly the correct parts to build whatever they’d like. Just as ...
Ugandan farmer’s diary: The biotech debate and our challenges
The following is an excerpt. The legalisation of biotechnology is not to outlaw organic farming, which is to sustain soil ...
Anti-GMO attitudes on the left and right
The following is an excerpt. If you follow public debate on genetically modified foods, you know that Monsanto is routinely ...
Eating organic food associated with longer lives (in flies)
The following is an edited excerpt. In a new study at Southern Methodist University, researchers raised fruit flies on extracts of ...
Nigeria: President urged to sign Agricutlural Biotechnology Bill
The following is an excerpt. Senator Bukola Saraki has urged President Goodluck Jonathan, to, as a matter of urgency, give ...
GMO opponents rail against the “Monsanto Protection Act”
A new resolution would seem to place the commercial concerns of Monsanto, the world’s largest producer of GM crops and ...
Who wants to live alongside sabre-toothed tigers?
The following is an excerpt. A few weeks back I chanced across a post by Carla Sinclair at BoingBoing in which she ...
