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?
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Is global food security a realistic goal? UN FAO report details CRISPR gene editing’s role in building a more promising future
In the decade since CRISPR genome editing emerged, scientists have developed a toolkit to tackle the most pressing issues facing ...
How cultured seafood can transition from ‘technological delicacy’ into a sustainable protein source
Startups like BlueNalu and Wildtype have their sights set on first cracking into the high-end sushi market, with hopes of ...
Viewpoint: Why investing in ‘climate smart’ precision agriculture is critical to promote sustainable farming
More farmers are transitioning to climate-smart practices and the U.S. is recognizing the critical role agriculture plays in driving climate ...
Biotech chestnut tree poised to restore lost ecosystems and biodiversity — But it needs your help
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire kindle iconic imagery of the season. However, the American chestnut (Castenea dentata) that once ...
Is your festive Christmas tree damaging the planet?
Every year, millions of Christmas trees are grown and harvested in the United States and Europe. These are often fir trees cultivated ...
Viewpoint: ‘Unless we want to cut down our forests, we need to improve our crop yields’ — Practical biotech-based sustainable solutions are right in front of us
To feed a hotter and drier planet, Stanford scientists are building a smarter plant. The team has genetically reprogrammed plants, ...
Sustainable metrics: How much carbon, land and energy does your dinner require?
So, what would a protein-rich, low-carbon diet really look like? Just how bad for the climate are meat and dairy? ...
‘Rock star of the eco-movement’: Why does the media love anti-biotech activist Vandana Shiva despite her history of spreading misinformation?
"Rock star of the eco-movement", "Monsanto's nightmare", "Gandhi of the grain": Many media are not lacking in superlatives when they ...
How a genetic tweak boosted ethanol production and serendipitously yielded beef and dairy sustainability benefits
Enogen corn was developed using genetic engineering to add a gene for the enzyme alpha amylase which breaks down starch ...
‘Space seeds’: First rice seeds grown and harvested in orbit return to Earth
With the return of the Shenzhou-14 crew on December 4, the third batch of space science experiment samples that arrived ...
Viewpoint: ‘Less starvation and less malnutrition are a priceless benefit of GM crops’
Over the past 20 years, academics have analyzed the yield effects following the adoption of GM crops in every market ...
GM crops safe and viable option for Africa, say African science academy experts
Agricultural scientists from across Africa have jointly added their voices to the ongoing debate on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) which ...
Precision agriculture, satellites and drones critical to feed 800 million food-insecure people
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the fragilities in our agri-food systems and the inequalities in our societies, driving further increases ...
Addressing the plague of invasive mice: This gene drive solution could totally remove island pests
After five years of research, University of Adelaide scientists have now developed t-CRISPR, a technology that builds on a gene ...
As plants fight each other for access to sunlight, shorter crops with ‘unselfish’ genes could be more productive
Identifying genes that make plants “cooperate” with their neighbours rather than compete with them could enable breeders to develop more ...
Genetically modified crops are key to resisting climate change, US embassy in Pakistan says
The United States is proud of its long and fruitful agricultural trade relationship with Pakistan. This relationship has grown stronger ...
Viewpoint: Philippines’ food security crisis will continue to deepen without disruptive biotechnology innovations
A major yield breakthrough in corn has occurred due to the introduction of hybrid seed which can be further galvanised ...
‘Their joy knows no bounds’: Nigerian farmers welcome first harvest of disease-resistant genetically modified potatoes as a possible end to the ‘nightmare’ of late-blight potato disease
Elder Isaiah Buwah is an aged potato farmer in the Bokos Local Government Area of Plateau State, North Central Nigeria ...
Carbon-neutral farming policies will fail without a science based approach, new report warns
The development and application of agricultural technologies must become a priority for the UK government if the farming sector is ...
‘We’re at war with nature’: Can the UN biodiversity convention make real progress?
Delegates from around the world are gathering in Montreal to address what United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has described ...
COP27 signals growing focus on global food security as agricultural battle against climate change escalates
The COP27 Presidency, together with FAO, launched the Food and Agriculture for a Sustainable Transformation (FAST) Initiative to improve the quantity and ...
‘Nature is just eroding away very slowly’: Reuters visually illustrates sharp decline in global insect populations
As human activities rapidly transform the planet, the global insect population is declining at an unprecedented rate of up to ...
Viewpoint: Pollinator ecotoxicologist on how much danger current pesticides pose to honeybees
Dan Schmehl is a pollinator ecotoxicologist for Bayer, who has done some incredible work testing the effects of potential new ...
Here’s how a treasure trove of plant genetics helped develop drought-tolerant wheat that farmers in arid countries are ‘falling in love with’
A new drought-tolerant variety of durum wheat has been created as part of an international breeding programme to boost climate ...
Viewpoint: Ensuring sustainable agriculture — Should organic and small farms get special federal tax breaks or subsidies?
Growing political pressures for federal subsidies and regulations to shift food-supply incentives toward favored farms and farm practices may divert ...
Philadelphia Cream Cheese launches plant-based version
Philadelphia Cream Cheese is launching a plant-based version of its original-flavored spread. This is the first time a big brand ...
Developing ‘synthetic’ food for a Mars journey could revolutionize food systems on Earth
In Dinner on Mars, Evan Fraser and co-author Lenore Newman — Canada Research Chair in Food Security and the Environment at ...
