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.
Viewpoint: ‘Misguided enthusiasm’ to save honeybees threatens wild pollinators
The rise in hobby beekeeping, now a trendy activity for hundreds of thousands of Americans, followed strong awareness campaigns to “save the bees.” ...
Using GM crops to safely feed more people is a ‘no brainer,’ plant scientist says
Whether drought, disease, or simply increasing the efficiency of crops, [Borglaug Institute director Elsa] Murano and her colleagues work every ...
EU crop gene-editing rules block efforts to fight climate change, 50 science institutions argue
The new ALLEA report “Genome Editing for Crop Improvement” presents the state of the art of scientific evidence in the ...
Viewpoint: We’ve got 10 years to prevent ‘irreversible’ climate change damage. Here’s how CRISPR can help
Ten years – that is the timeline scientists have given us to either address climate change or suffer irreversible damages ...
COVID-19 pandemic may boost public acceptance of Ghana’s GM cowpea
The COVID-19 pandemic is increasing public interest in local food production, which may boost consumer acceptance of the insect-resistant genetically ...
Podcast: Some vaccine skeptics aren’t science deniers; Animal-free ice cream; Plant burgers are ‘meat’?
If you reject vaccines, you're a science denier! Not necessarily. Some people may have legitimate reasons to be skeptical. Scientists ...
Europe’s biodiversity faces grave threats, while pro-organic farm policies offer inadequate solutions
The European Environment Agency (EEA) released its “State of Nature in the EU” report [October 19], revealing that wildlife species and natural ...
Decoded genome of New World screwworm could help prevent billions of dollars in livestock losses
The New World screwworm’s Latin name means “man-eater.” These shiny blue flies with pumpkin-orange eyes lay up to 400 eggs ...
US sugar industry flips the GMO script, hyping eco-benefits of glyphosate-tolerant crops
[The US] sugar beet industry is flipping the narrative, capitalizing on what was once its Achilles heel — its universal ...
‘Hero of progress’: How agronomist Norman Borlaug almost banished famine from Asia
Norman Borlaug’s work undeniably changed the world for the better ...
Thank bugs for red velvet cake? How Cochineal insects became a sustainable source of food dye
A surprising amount of the food we consume contains various compounds to add color. Marshmallows look white, but they contain ...
AquaBounty identifies Kentucky location as possible site for 10,000 metric ton GMO salmon farm
[Aquabounty] announced that it has identified Mayfield, Kentucky as the potential location for its planned large-scale farm for the Company’s ...
GMOs coming to Zimbabwe? Agriculture minister says climate change has made farm technology a necessity
While farmers are gripped with the conservation farming technique that is fronted by [Zimbabwe's] government and other private organizations through ...
Picking up where GMOs left off: CRISPR leads the way to ‘greener’ food production in the 21st century
Genome editing may be one of the solutions to address climate change. A September 2020 report by the Information Technology ...
GM insect-resistant Bt cowpea could add $638 million to Nigeria’s economy over 6 years
The Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), a biotechnology informative platform, says Nigeria could rake in 638 million dollars in ...
GMOs unnatural? So are strawberries, Brussels sprouts and many other popular foods
By definition, a genetically modified organism is an organism produced through the production of heritable improvements in plants or animals ...
Epigenetic breeding could yield enhanced crops—and end run public’s fear of ‘GMOs’
Novel grafted plants — consisting of rootstock epigenetically modified to “believe” it has been under stress — joined to an ...
Gene-edited crops and animals: Best-kept secrets in the fight against climate change
Advances in gene editing over the past decade have given scientists new tools to tailor the biochemistry of nearly any ...
How do you make ice cream without animals? Train fungi to ‘act like cows’
The food company Perfect Day has found a way to replicate whey—a milk protein that’s partially responsible for dairy’s creamy ...
GM Impossible Burger hits 200 grocery stories in Asia, as effort to ‘replace’ meat moves forward
[Impossible Foods'] flagship imitation beef product went on sale in 200 supermarkets across Hong Kong and Singapore on Tuesday. Impossible's ...
Video: GM insect-resistant cotton boosted India’s crop yields 29% and farmer incomes $24.31 billion
Insect-resistant (IR) cotton has impacted the lives of Indian farmers since it was introduced in 2002. This is according to ...
Drought, cropland expansion push Great Plains toward ‘Dust Bowl 2.0,’ climate scientists say
Earlier [in October], a storm front swept across the Great Plains of the United States, plowing up a wall of ...
Plant-based burgers….now milk? Impossible Foods aims to make realistic dairy alternative without cows
.... Impossible Foods, makers of the Impossible Burger and other plant-based meat alternatives, are working on another food replacement that ...
Cowspiracy? GMO OMG? Beware of misleading food ‘documentaries,’ ex-organic farmer warns
Not long ago, I spoke to a teacher who had recently shown Food, Inc. to her class, and she asked me my ...
World Food Day: Post-pandemic food security and resilience in Bangladesh
As the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic lays waste to lives and livelihoods in countries around the globe, [October ...
Genetic engineering reveals how Venus flytrap spots prey, shedding light on plant’s short-term ‘memory’
A Venus flytrap’s short-term “memory” can last about 30 seconds. If an insect taps the plant’s sensitive hairs only once, ...
What I got wrong: GMO skeptic turned crop biotech advocate explains his ‘slow-motion conversion’
A recent open-heart surgery put my mind, as it might, on themes relating to mortality. Which got me thinking about ...
