Science Controversies
Young plant scientists eager to develop climate resilient and more nutritious crops see CRISPR gene editing as key
In the summer of 2018, the European Court of Justice (that’s Europe’s highest court) reviewed a case and concluded that gene-edited crops ...
When will the pandemic be over? Not when the CDC or WHO decides
All pandemics end eventually. But how, exactly, will we know when the COVID-19 pandemic is really “over”? It turns out ...
With Russian invasion of Ukraine disrupting food supplies, European Union open to importing GMO feed grain to support meat industry
The European Parliament has moved in the face of the shortage of cereals that European countries are beginning to suffer, ...
What’s the likelihood of developing universal broad spectrum coronavirus vaccine?
Individual researchers from eclectic fields are finding new ways to prevent future pandemics. Artem Babaian, PhD, a computational biologist at ...
Texas judge blocks Governor’s order authorizing investigations into parents who provide gender-affirming care to children
A state judge ruled [March 11] that providing gender-affirming care is not a reason for the state to investigate a ...
Genetic data used to screen for diseases are disproportionately white. That imbalance needs fixing
Would you like to benefit from the massive, game-changing, groundbreaking genomic revolution, already well underway? If you’re white, you’re in ...
Future of Farm to Fork strategy under scrutiny as Europe confronts food security threats sparked by invasion of Ukraine
The European Commission stood firm in its resolve to forge ahead with the EU’s sustainable food goals in the first ...
Social reckoning? Do we need cathartic nationwide acknowledgement of COVID’s horrific death and injury toll?
On May 24, 2020, as the United States passed 100,000 recorded deaths, The New York Times filled its front page ...
What will happen next in long-running dispute over CRISPR patent rights?
A long-running dispute between two groups that claim to have invented the revolutionary CRISPR–Cas9 gene-editing tool is likely to remain ...
‘Deltacron’: New COVID variant arrives in US after showing up in Europe. What are the risks?
A potential new COVID-19 variant, a combination of the delta and omicron variants – you can call it "deltacron" – ...
Here’s how COVID attacks your ability to smell
Few of Covid-19’s peculiarities have piqued as much interest as anosmia, the abrupt loss of smell that has become a ...
CRISPR beef approved for sale after FDA finds no safety concerns
U.S. regulators on [March 7] cleared the way for the sale of beef from gene-edited cattle in coming years after ...
The COVID myth that refuses to die — No, none of the coronavirus vaccines alters your brain DNA
As repetitive as I have been with respect to this, there is nothing new under the sun when it comes ...
US lags behind in providing COVID vaccine support to COVAX initiative
As Congress and the administration debate future funding for the global COVID-19 response, including for vaccines, we looked at how the ...
Man who received genetically modified pig heart in first-ever surgery dies
A 57-year-old Maryland man who had received a genetically modified pig heart in a first-of-its-kind transplant surgery has died, the ...
Why genetic testing might help determine your risk of a heart attack
The most critical genes that cause coronary heart disease and trigger heart attacks have been identified in a major new ...
Rethinking anti-GMO sentiment: Antioxidant-filled ‘super tomatoes’ could reset public hesitation
Any tomato breed can be transformed into a purple tomato. And purple tomatoes taste exactly the same as their source ...
COVID virus variants may be ‘hiding’ and evolving in your organs
It looks like coronavirus variants can hide out in the human body much like some of their viral cousins do, ...
Reassessing what the US did right and wrong in managing the pandemic
As the nation exhales at the sight of descending curves of Covid-19 infections and deaths, top global health experts assessed ...
Government regulations block biotechnology solutions to mitigate Florida citrus crop frost damage
To counter a rare freeze, Florida’s farmers have to reach deep into archaic solutions – tarps, smudge pots, irrigation, bonfires ...
Even mild COVID can cause visible changes in the brain
Catching Covid may cause changes to the brain, a study suggests. Scientists found significant differences in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) ...
What has COVID taught us about shaping ideal vaccine policy going forward?
Employers, the federal government, the military, schools, and colleges have a vested interest in keeping their personnel healthy, reducing absenteeism, ...
Why is eugenics back in public conversation?
A century ago, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision that legal scholars generally consider to be among the ...
Viewpoint: When politics eclipses science — India has botched its regulation of crop biotechnology innovation
Is a government within its rights to squat on an approval for 12 years without valid scientific reasons? Is such ...
CRISPR gene edited foods are being embraced globally. Here are the pros and cons
With the dual challenges of climate change and a global population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, it can ...
A chewing gum to reduce the effects of COVID? Scientists say it’s a real possibility
A type of chewing gum mixed with a protein that is a gateway for infections with the novel coronavirus, or ...
Viewpoint: Why the FDA should ban laser-based ‘vaginal rejuvenation’
Laser procedures promising “vaginal rejuvenation” are being promoted to women in advertisements online, in spa windows, and even in some ...
