Ag Gene Editing
Society of Toxicology: Science has ‘overwhelmingly demonstrated’ GMO crop safety
[Editor's note: The following is part of a Society of Toxicology (SOT) issue statement approved the SOT Council November 2017.] ...
Viewpoint: If your interest is sustainability, organic and GMO labels won’t inform you
Focusing on tools and technologies—such as genetic engineering—can reduce agriculture's environmental footprint and promote sustainability, writes geneticist Maria Trainer ...
Viewpoint: ‘Radical change’ needed to make global food system sustainable
The Green Revolution of the post-World War II era has rightly been hailed as a huge achievement for humankind. Transformation ...
Chasing a cure for narcolepsy—and why it should be a priority
For the first 20 years of his life, Henry Nicholls had a healthy relationship with sleep. Shortly after his 21st ...
CRISPR gene-editing technology expected to accelerate crop development
Genetically modified crops are continuing to spread across the world’s agricultural land. Last year they covered a record 185m hectares, ...
‘Big Ag’ may resonate with activists, but what does it really mean?
For some, GMOs are synonymous with 'Big Ag'? For others, 'Big Ag' means something entirely different. Does 'Big Ag' even ...
Should organic farming embrace new plant breeding techniques like CRISPR?
Over the last few years, new tools have rapidly created possibilities in plant breeding. These New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPBTs) ...
‘To lose them would be a disaster’: More than 20 wild relatives of modern crops added to ‘threatened’ list
Wild relatives of modern crops deemed crucial for food security are being pushed to the brink of extinction, according to ...
Climate change fighting plants: Genetically modified crops could trap half of human CO2 emissions in soil
The Salk Institute has enlisted a new ally in the effort to address the anticipated dangers of climate change — plants. Scientists ...
Viewpoint: 12 ways organic activists mislead consumers
Does the organic food industry use deceptive marketing practices to scare wealthy customers away from conventional agriculture and GMOs? The ...
Should we ‘genetically modify’ humans to fit the demands of space travel?
It takes something special to be an astronaut – an extraordinary combination of bravery, fitness, intelligence, lightning-fast decision-making and calmness ...
Long neglected by breeders, Africa’s staple ‘orphan crops’ undergoing a genetic revolution
Cassava and sweet potatoes. Lablab beans and water berries. Bitter gourds and sickle sennas. Elephant ears and African locusts. ... All ...
Gene could unlock high yield soybeans with increased protein for animal feed
Leftovers can be quite valuable. For instance, when soybean seed is crushed and the oil extracted, what’s left is called ...
Challenging Mendel: Does the female egg woo sperm with specific genes?
[Researcher Jon Nadeau’s] hypothesis—that the egg could woo sperm with specific genes and vice versa—is part of a growing realization ...
Indian scientist: For some crops, genetic engineering ‘only option’ to improve food security
[Editor's note: Rajeev Varshney is Research Program Director for Genetic Gains, at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics ...
Food, vaccines and medicine: How plant scientists are changing the world
[Editor's note: Erica Hawkins is a PhD student at the John Innes Centre and the University of East Anglia studying medicinal plant ...
Myth busting: Are natural pesticides really safer than synthetic ones?
Both organic and conventional farmers use pesticides, but these chemicals are rampant in nature and many natural ones are more ...
GMO supporters and critics weigh in on FDA’s biotech education initiative
[Editor's note: Karl Haro von Mogel is a geneticist with a PhD in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics from UW-Madison with ...
Viewpoint: FDA regulations ‘a disaster’ for genetically modified animal research
The Trump Administration and Congress should rein in the FDA's regulatory overreach on genetically engineered animals, which is stifling important ...
How the tomato lost its flavor––and the way biotech could bring it back
Supermarket tomatoes have a sorry reputation for looking great but tasting like cardboard. Short of growing only heirloom tomatoes, the ...
Measuring intelligence and IQ, and the problems that presents
For more than a century, IQ tests have been used to measure IQ. But their use is hotly debated by ...
What’s a ‘GMO’ food?
[W]hat exactly is a GMO? The initialism stands for "genetically modified organism," but it's a term lacking scientific precision. Moreover, ...
Genes associated with improved photosynthesis could double crop yields, suck more CO2 out of atmosphere
Scientists from Wageningen University & Research have found natural genetic variation for photosynthesis in plants and are unravelling it to ...
Dog genome project: How your breed originated
From the 80-kilogram Great Dane to the 1-kilogram tiny teacup poodle, there seems to be a dog for everyone. Now, ...
Artificial selection: 10 non-GMO crops that don’t look anything like their wild counterpart
Genetically modified foods are a big source of debate these days. Some don’t want anything to do with modern GMOs, ...
Viewpoint: ‘Gattaca’ reminds us that gene editing has dark possibilities
[Editor's note: Osagie Obasogie is a professor of bioethics at the University of California-Berkeley.] Set in the not-too-distant future, the ...
Sequenced potato genomes could speed development of disease-resistant varieties
Examining the ancestors of the modern, North American cultivated potato has revealed a set of common genes and important genetic ...
