Science Controversies
Viewpoint: Europe’s trade and agricultural biotech policy is held hostage by environmental activists, hurting farmers and consumers
Recently, two more shiny new regulatory appliances started to roll off the EU’s legislative assembly line: a due diligence law ...
‘Diet weed’: More than 10% of high school seniors take ‘loophole’ legal drug delta-8 THC. What are the consequences?
Delta-8 THC, sometimes referred as "diet weed" or "weed lite," is unregulated in many states thanks to a loophole in ...
Ancient African shrub ibogaine causes psychedelic hallucinations — and can reduce anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Why is it restricted in the US?
Stephen Jones suffers from a traumatic brain injury, but a psychedelic called ibogaine eased his suffering ...
Belgium Public Health Council endorses safety and efficacy of gene edited crops, urges EU approval
A European legislative proposal is being studied to authorize the cultivation of NGT plants. These are plants created by the targeted ...
How CRISPR gene drives could help eliminate pesticide-resistant ‘superweeds’
A gene drive – a bit of DNA that cheats evolution and can spread even if harmful – has been ...
Viewpoint: South Africa lags much of world in regulating gene-edited seeds as GMOs
Automatically regulating all gene-editing products as GMOs as opposed to the product-by-product approach adopted by most other countries is going ...
In its quest for food security, China scales up GMO and gene edited crop approvals
In a significant leap towards self-reliance in food security, China celebrates the success of a three-year trial planting homegrown genetically ...
Viewpoint: Why the European Union Commission’s proposal to limit patents on gene-edited crops would rewrite global intellectual property rights
On February 7, 2024, the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) adopted, by way of plenary vote, a position supporting ...
Insect Allies: Why the Pentagon’s plan to transmit plant viruses with gene edited insects to increase climate resilience is stirring such controversy
Recent investigations have illuminated controversial projects by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), specifically the "Insect Allies" program, ...
New Zealand considers deregulating crop gene editing, but public resistance and limited understanding of CRISPR limits acceptance
The potential use of genetic technologies in New Zealand’s agriculture has been a political hot potato for 25 years. But ...
Switzerland green lights field tests on CRISPR yield-enhanced barley
Agroscope has been granted approval by the Federal Office for the Environment for a field trial with spring barley. The ...
Viewpoint: ‘There are still some people out there screaming about gene edited crops, but that opposition is getting weaker’
The amount of money and human resources directed at gene edited crops is staggering, says Kevin Folta, a University of ...
Ozempic for life? Weight loss drugs are meant to be used long term. What happens if you stop taking them?
Those who have used new obesity drugs like Wegovy to lose weight and improve health are wondering what happens if ...
Viewpoint — Part V: ‘Ignominious’, fabricated attacks on GM crops jeopardize Africa’s food security and seed sovereignty
For two years, groups of farmers have been testing the PBR [pod borer resistant]-cowpea; they are thrilled with the product ...
What do Muslim leaders have to say about ethics of germline editing to prevent diseases?
Dr Sayyed Mohamed Muhsin and Dr Alexis Heng Boon Chin give ethical analysis of germline genome editing based on Islamic ...
‘People are going to be better-looking, healthier and smarter – what’s not to like?’ What are the pitfalls of selecting embryos for intelligence?
The second age of eugenics: Would you select an embryo according to its chances of higher intelligence? And is that ...
Viewpoint — Part IV: Anti-GM protests spread fear and ultimately protect pet industries while denying Africa opportunities to advance
The European Union countries are the biggest importer of GM-maize and GM-soybean feed (more than 30 million tons per year); ...
East Africa is taking a jumbled approach to approving GMO innovations in crops and pest protection
While East Africa's approach to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) remains varied, Rwanda's recent biosafety law highlights the region's complex stance ...
Should the US ban Chinese genomics companies? Fears rise about genetically-targeted ‘ethnic’ bioweapons
Intel officials have warned China is grabbing U.S. genetic info that could be used to create targeted bioweapons ...
The Olympics of the future: Transhumanist-supported Enhanced Games recognizes world records achieved with drug use, steroids and stimulants
Peter Thiel and two other venture capitalists, Christian Angermayer and Balaji Srinivasan, are now funding “the Olympics of the future.” ...
Viewpoint: Revising ‘Right to Try’ laws could save children with rare diseases
A toddler is thriving after doctors in the US and Canada used a novel technique to treat her before she ...
Disease is poised to wipe out much of Africa’s rice crop. Still-unapproved gene edited varietals may be the only hope
A new study has found that CRISPR technology can be used to edit genes in some strains of rice, developing ...
Genetically modified pigs livers could save human lives. Here’s how
Organ transplants save lives, but specimens from the right donors are in short supply, and scientists are searching for more ...
Patenting plants: Here’s why the oft-criticized system enables innovation
Intellectual property rights can be classified as copyrights and industrial property rights. Copyrights cover intellectual and artistic works. Industrial property ...
How China’s decision to aggressively expand GMO soybean planting and imports is reshaping geopolitical trade and food wars
China’s recent decision to expand the pilot planting of genetically modified soybeans has the potential to reshape the global soybean ...
Swiss consumers are more resistant to gene-edited crops than Americans. What could change the status quo?
This study investigated what consumers from the United States of America (i.e., a country where gene technology is legal and ...
UK scientists support loosening restrictions limiting embryo research
Scientists are calling for a review of the UK's 14-day rule on embryo research, saying that extending the limit could help ...
