Science Controversies
WHO proposes global registry and whistle-blowing mechanism to curb unethical and unsafe human gene editing abuses
The World Health Organization issued new recommendations [July 12] on human genome editing, calling for a global registry to track ...
Frustrated by flavorless fruits and vegetables? Genetic engineering is poised to change that
You might be surprised that flavour ever went out of fashion. But finding truly tasty fruit and vegetable varieties can ...
Fear of climate change moving UK closer to breaking with EU and embracing gene-edited crops
GMOs account for the vast majority of U.S. soy, corn, canola, cotton, and sugar beet crops—but those same crops are ...
Ease global regulatory burden to support ‘new revolution’ in crop breeding, researchers urge
It’s imperative to ease the regulatory burden on new crop breeding technologies that could feed a warmer, hungrier world, a ...
Viewpoint: ‘We can’t trust the biotechnology industry to act responsibly’ — Why mixing human and primate cells for research purposes needs strict government oversight
Researchers from the United States and China announced in April that they had created the first ever human–primate chimeras. Mixing ...
Should children get a COVID vaccine?
[W]ith COVID cases plummeting in the United States and children historically seeing far less serious cases than adults, a panel ...
Vaccine rejectionism and disinformation spreading as fast in Asia as the virus itself
Microchips. Magnets. “Mark of the beast.” Those are just some of the things that U.S. anti-vaccine warriors have falsely claimed ...
How effective are each of the COVID vaccines against the Delta variant?
A full course of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 64% effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 [from the Delta variant], according to ...
Disruptive innovation in cell-based foods face significant hurdles as regulatory and technological challenges begin to mount
Of the major markets across the world, the US and EU arguably have the most well-defined regulatory pathways [for implementing ...
GMO prohibition: Many farmers want GE crops so badly, they’ll grow them illegally
Countries that ban biotech crops aren't necessarily GMO-free. There's a prohibition-inspired lesson for regulators and activist groups in these nations ...
Edible cholera vaccine made from genetically modified rice may be on the way
A new vaccine to protect against deadly cholera has been made by grinding up genetically modified grains of rice. The ...
Agricultural sustainability means different things from country to country. What role is there for technology and gene editing?
[A] much-anticipated study displays a welcome sense by the [European] Commission of the reality facing the global drive to sustainable ...
In rare cases, teens are developing post-vaccine myocarditis. How big a concern is this?
According to the CDC, after a meeting of expert advisors discussed the data [June 23], more than 300 cases of ...
Why the UK’s announced embrace of CRISPR gene editing food revolution likely won’t go as smoothly as hoped
“Let's start now to liberate the UK's extraordinary bioscience sector from anti-genetic modification rules, and let's develop the blight-resistant crops ...
‘Suicidal negationism’: Vatican launches global campaign to contain ‘myths and disinformation’ ciruclated by vaccine rejectionists
The Vatican’s bioethics academy and the World Medical Association on [July 2] called for an all-out effort to combat vaccine ...
South Africa’s Caster Semenya, beset by testosterone level restrictions and intersex challenges, fails to qualify for Tokyo Olympics
South Africa’s Caster Semenya can run 800 meters faster than any woman on the planet. But the two-time Olympic gold ...
Face mask that not only protects against COVID — but diagnoses it as well? ‘Next-gen wearable biosensors’ are as sensitive as standard lab tests
Engineers at MIT and Harvard University have designed a novel face mask that can diagnose the wearer with Covid-19 within ...
Can advertisers invade your dreams?
[B]rands from Xbox to Coors to Burger King are teaming up with some scientists to attempt [to] “engineer” advertisements into ...
Hopeful vaccine research: Universal vaccine protects against COVID-19 and four other coronaviruses and their variants, mice experiment shows
To prevent a future coronavirus pandemic... UNC-Chapel Hill researchers designed a vaccine to provide protection from the current SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus ...
Viewpoint: Why the FDA’s decision to overrule its evaluatory panel and approve dementia-relief drug Aduhelm was a mistake
Like many people, I was shocked when the Food and Drug Administration ignored the advice of its neurological drugs advisory ...
‘Major milestone in agriculture’: Nigeria’s just launched genetically modified cowpea could double yields and save the country millions
Nigeria has achieved what looks like a major milestone in the history of agricultural research and development with the official ...
Genetic engineering offers hope for effective vaccine against malaria
Scientists have used genetic engineering to develop a vaccine that offers full protection against malaria in animal studies. Researchers and ...
Does your college require a COVID shot to return this fall? It mostly depends if you are in a red or blue state
More than 500 colleges and universities plan to require coronavirus vaccination for at least some of their students and employees, ...
Vaccine two-fer: ‘Synthetic protein’ technology used in Vaxxinity’s COVID shot can treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
US biotech company Vaxxinity is developing a novel coronavirus vaccine using synthetic proteins, which can also help treat neurodegenerative diseases ...
Meet the early twentieth century doctor who changed his gender and saved the lives of countless patients
When [physician Allan Hart, born Alberta] Lucille Hart grew old enough to learn about her father’s death, she would comfort ...
Can you market your genome as a non-fungible token (NFT)?
In the past few months, [a novel cryptocurrency asset called] non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, have become the hot new investment ...
A pill to treat COVID? US pours $3 billion into crash antiviral research targeting year-end treatment
The Biden administration will invest more than $3 billion on developing and manufacturing antiviral pills to treat coronavirus, the Department ...
