Science Controversies
Future of biofuels: Are alternative, sustainable, GMO bacteria-based fuels a pipe dream?
[Joule Unlimited] was designing a system that would produce diesel fuel or gasoline using nothing more than the sun, carbon ...
‘Breakthrough’ treatment for PTSD? FDA approves ecstasy drug trial
One of the main targets in the war on drugs could well become a drug to treat the scars of ...
‘Unscrupulous’ stem cell clinics targeted in FDA crackdown
The Food and Drug Administration announced a crackdown on dangerous stem cell clinics...while at the same time pledging to ease the path to approval ...
Life 3.0: What happens when AI becomes ‘master of its own destiny’?
[Editor's note: Max Tegmark is a physicist at MIT. The following is part of an excerpt from his new book, Life 3.0: ...
Older mini-brains could boost study of autism, schizophrenia
[Sergiu Paşca, a neuroscientist at Stanford University] has joined other researchers in growing little balls of human brain tissue, about ...
Could Bt African bollworm-resistant GMO cotton revive Kenya’s flagging industry?
Kenya National Society for Biotech Farming (KNSBF) chairman Daniel Mugo Magondu said farmers have abandoned the cash crop in droves ...
Kevin Folta sues NY Times, reporter Lipton for ‘malicious’ 2015 profile labeling scientist Monsanto ‘lackey’
In a complaint filed [September 1st, 2017] in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, [University of ...
‘No GMOs, No Worries’? Milk producers ‘Peel back the label’ campaign challenges anti-science marketing
"Rampant fear-based food marketing" – most notably from brands touting their non-GMO credentials - is damaging consumer trust and “jeopardizing the ...
Preventing preterm birth: Preemie genes identified
A global team of researchers has zeroed in on genes that affect the length of pregnancy and may foretell elevated ...
Oldest known North American human remains–13,000 years old–found in underwater cave
An ice-free corridor between the Americas and Asia opened up about 12,500 years ago, allowing humans to cross over the ...
Europe approves freeze-dried GMO E. coli bacteria as livestock feed supplement
French Ajinomoto Eurolysine SAS, part of the world leading producer of amino acids by fermentation, has received a positive safety ...
Ovarian cancer survivors with BRCA gene don’t benefit from prophylactic mastectomies
Patients with BRCA gene mutations have a significantly higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. As a preventive measure, ...
Did life originate ‘naturally’ or are we a cosmic mistake?
Understanding the origin of life is arguably one of the most compelling quests for humanity. This quest has inevitably moved ...
Even ‘good’ HDL cholesterol can be dangerous at high concentrations
So-called "good" cholesterol, the HDL, anything above 60 mg/dl is considered protective against heart disease. That's because HDL facilitates removing ...
Are women more emotional than men?
Are women in fact more emotionally expressive than men? New research by McDuff, Kodra, Kaliouby, & LaFrance suggests they are. And they aren’t. Women ...
Genetically engineered crops could protect themselves by sterilizing pests
Plants are among many eukaryotes that can 'turn off' one or more of their genes by using a process called ...
GMO moths may be only way to control pesticide-immune cabbage-killing diamondbacks
NPR reports that as of now, the [diamondback moth], which cause billions of dollars in damage to [cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli ...
Does Uganda need GMOs? Scientists look to gene editing to spur innovation
Even as scientists in Uganda and other African countries aggressively push for approvals of new disease-fighting GMO crops, the focus ...
Peter Thiel’s quest for immortality: Escaping death would create the highest form of inequality
Peter Thiel, tech-philanthropist and billionaire, surmised that “probably the most extreme form of inequality is between people who are alive ...
Fall armyworm threatens Nigerian crops; genetic engineering offers only long-term solution
Nigeria remains Africa’s largest [corn] producer, growing nearly 8 million tons annually. It is closely followed by South Africa, Tanzania, ...
Genetic Literacy Project’s Top 6 Stories for the Week – Sept. 4, 2017
‘Genome cloaking’ and the quest to keep DNA test results private | Ricki Lewis The story behind the well-funded opposition to ...
Center for Food Safety sues USDA to spur release of GMO QR code labeling study
One of the most controversial aspects of the mandatory GMO labeling law signed by President Obama last summer is the ...
Open-source genomic platform could aid plant breeding in developing nations
The Genomic Open-source Breeding Informatics Initiative (GOBII), a global project funded by an $18.5 million grant from the Bill and ...
Public weighs in on GMO labeling standard
To help determine how to implement the GMO labeling law signed into law last year, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service asked ...
Blood test cancer diagnosis could be as easy as checking cholesterol
Imagine a world where it is as easy to check for cancer as it is high cholesterol. New research out of ...
Judge tosses suit claiming Quaker Oats misled customers because its 100% natural cereals contain glyphosate
A federal judge has tossed a high-profile lawsuit accusing Quaker Oats of misleading shoppers with 100% natural claims on products ...
Debate rages over whether your DNA can help create a personalized diet
Companies now want to take the buzz over DNA testing one step further and market the tests as a way ...
