Science Controversies
Not just GM seeds: Monsanto innovates in traditional plant breeding
After a decade concentrating on seeds and genetically engineered “traited” crops, Monsanto is broadening its focus into traditional plant breeding, ...
Amish farmers embrace biotechnology, plant GE corn and tobacco
It seems the Amish have turned the tables on conventional wisdom. Most consumers are very pro-technology and innovation when it ...
What causes diabetes? Genes and viruses likely culprits
Scientists know there is a genetic component to diabetes, but the origins of the disease remain elusive, with genetics and ...
Cells’ defense systems may play role in causing autism
What causes autism is a mystery. One theory is that a phenomenon called the cellular-danger response lies at the root ...
Massachusetts biotech incentives eclipsed by competitive states
Massachusetts has made its way over the past half-dozen years to being an undisputed leader in biotechnology and life sciences ...
Stem cell creation technique changes their usability
In the process of converting a somatic cell to a stem cell, researchers have questioned whether the resulting cells retain ...
Using genetic risk and math, scientists predict which teen drinkers will develop problem
Scientists have pinpointed lots of factors that increase the risk of alcohol misuse — a bit. Adolescents who are anxious ...
U.S. EPA expands definition of biofuel to include gas from landfills, manure and sewage
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday expanded the types of fuel that can be used to satisfy the federal ...
Seralini study data ‘mess’, even shows GMO and glyphosate diet increased male rat lifespans
According to Andrew Kniss, a weed expert at the University of Wyoming, who reviewed the limited data released in the ...
Will anti-GM Europe change its mind about GM foods?
While the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and China and many other countries have warmly embraced genetically modified crops, Europe ...
Mexican scientific community split by legal battle over GM corn
The Mexican scientific community has been torn apart by a legal battle over transgenic maize (corn). Almost a year after ...
Genetically engineered red blood cells could be drug delivery drones
Red blood cells may one day do more than carry oxygen around the body – they have been genetically engineered ...
Quick and dirty gene exchanges not just for bacteria
A single gene from bacteria has been donated to fungi on at least 15 occasions. The discovery shows that an ...
Controversial stem cell papers finally, officially retracted
Following months of controversy, editors at the scientific journal Nature have retracted two high-profile studies that purported to demonstrate a ...
Dietician’s concerns over GMOs prompt embrace of organic foods
As a dietitian, I rarely recommend anything to a client that I wouldn't do myself. So when it came to ...
Indian ag scientist: Blaming GM crops entirely for farm problems an ‘oversimplification’
Eminent agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan has said it is not right to put the entire blame on the GM (genetically ...
Transparency and dialogue needed to figure out solutions in GMO labeling debates
In all countries in which genetically modified (GM) food is sold, such as Australia and the US, the issue of food ...
Second Chinese citizen connected to alleged 5-year GM seed theft scheme arrested
U.S. authorities arrested a second Chinese citizen in connection with an alleged conspiracy to steal high-tech corn seed developed by ...
Hawaii legislators’ anti-GMO campaigns support ‘trendy activism’ while creating more problems
Dear Senator Brian Schatz and Representative Tulsi Gabbard, This week has definitely been a bomb of a week with the ...
EPA official to Maui GM ban committee: GE papaya safe to eat
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials told a Maui County Council committee they haven't heard of any health issues related to eating ...
Crimean Karaites hybrid population comprised of ancient Israelite and non-Israelite ancestries
The ancestral origins of the Turkic speaking Crimean Karaites have at times been contentious with several competing theories. This study ...
Viewpoint: Another Obama cabinet member falls short
This article originally ran at Forbes and has been republished here with permission of the author. Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack’s ...
Univ of Florida scientists say anti-GMO public sentiment having ‘detrimental’ effect on crop research
University of Florida researchers are making significant advances in genetic engineering — breeding strawberries, papayas and tomatoes that are disease-resistant ...
How private, profit-driven investment shapes GM industry
Research into GM crops has always been largely driven by the private sector, even though a 2000 report from the Commonwealth Biotechnology ...
GMO ‘super banana’ aims to tackle food security by addressing malnutrition
Scientists are hoping to improve food security through greater yields and less waste, particularly in the face of climate change, ...
UV light absorbtion drove benefit of light skin mutations in human evolution
The popular idea that Northern Europeans developed light skin to absorb more UV light so they could make more vitamin ...
Gene modification of adult cells offers more hope for Type 1 diabetes than stem cells
By deleting a single gene in human gut endocrine progenitor and serotonin-producing cells, researchers reported that they were able convert ...
