Science Controversies
Why Moderna’s vaccine appears to be significantly superior to the Pfizer-BioNTech shot
Unlike Pfizer’s vaccine, Moderna’s shot can be stored at normal fridge temperatures, which should make it easier to distribute, a ...
Reliable, at-home, 11 minute COVID test green lighted by FDA, available within months
Many tests take days to produce results, require leaving quarantine to visit a medical professional, or — most likely — ...
Vaccine to target COVID-19 strains prevalent in Africa under development in Nigeria, but funding is a challenge
Though researchers in Nigeria have developed a DNA-based vaccine against COVID-19 specifically for Africa, they are struggling to find funding ...
Why is it taking so long to rollout home COVID tests?
Although no single test will end the pandemic in the United States, experts say the ability for people to take ...
CRISPR gene editing to correct harmful mutations could in rare cases wreak havoc on our chromosomes, study claims
[L]arge-scale damage was found in a study that analyzed human embryos that had been edited with CRISPR-Cas9. The study, from ...
Pfizer COVID trial patient calls vaccine ‘miracle from the biotech revolution’
It was early August, and I had enlisted in the clinical trial for the vaccine that has just reported very ...
Competitive surge in nationalism is shaping the race to develop COVID vaccines
From the latex oozing naturally from the rubber trees in places like Vietnam, Malaysia and Liberia to vaccine ingredients made ...
The COVID vaccine race champion appears to be mRNA technology used by Pfizer and Moderna. Here’s a primer
There are about a dozen experimental vaccines in late-stage clinical trials globally, but the ones being tested by Pfizer and Moderna are ...
EU defends pro-organic Farm-to-Fork plan against USDA criticism that it will boost global food prices
The EU Farm to Fork Strategy potentially sets up a long-term battle between the U.S. and Europe over farm practices, ...
Australia green lights Bayer’s herbicide-tolerant GM cotton, finding no risk to human health or the environment
Australia's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has issued a license in response to application DIR 173 from Monsanto ...
Now there are two: Modern’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine 94.5% successful, joins Pfizer-BioNTech collaboration in targeting pandemic
The Moderna vaccine reduced the risk of Covid-19 infection by 94.5%. There were 95 cases of infection among patients who ...
When should politicians take guidance from scientists?
Why should politicians listen to scientists? Are scientists always right? What happens when scientists disagree among themselves? In an ideal ...
Why are Black Americans suspicious of COVID vaccines?
Although the first two large clinical trials of [COVID-19] candidate vaccines have managed to include about 3,000 Black participants each, ...
Genome editing is a transformative but still erratic technology in health and agriculture
Genome editing has a transformative potential in healthcare or to improve crops or livestock. However, the use of Cas9 or ...
With studies showing questionable efficacy, why did Gilead’s remdesivir become the first FDA-approved COVID treatment?
On 8 October, [Gilead] inked an agreement to supply the European Union with its drug remdesivir as a treatment for ...
Kenya distributes 16.3 metric tons of GM BT insect-resistant cotton seed to farmers, despite ‘deliberate campaign’ against biotech crops
The Kenyan government has given 16.3 metric tonnes of genetically modified cotton seeds to farmers in the eastern region. The ...
Can GM corn eliminate insecticide use? For some farmers, the answer is yes, study shows
Maize production is one of the most important activities for the Honduran economy, both in terms of area cultivated and ...
Superdonors: Recovered COVID patients with high antibody levels in demand by blood banks and researchers
There is new determination in the search for high-antibody plasma because under FDA guidelines issued earlier this month, all donated ...
48% of people globally say GM crops ‘unsafe to eat,’ Pew survey shows
A 20-public median of 48% say genetically modified, or GM, foods are unsafe to eat, while a much smaller median ...
On the heels of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine announcement, Russia says their Sputnik V shot is 92% effective
Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine is 92% effective at protecting people from COVID-19 according to interim trial results, the country’s sovereign ...
Why both Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines must be stored at -94°F
The good news shot around the planet within minutes: American pharmaceutical behemoth Pfizer, in collaboration with the German firm BioNTech, ...
From Mike Adams to Alex Jones to Joe Mercola, here are the most notorious COVID hucksters
[H]ere is my growing list of COVID-19 snake oil promoters. You may not know more of Alex Jones than his ...
Sewage tests can predict where the next COVID surge might arise
Across the United States, scientists have been analyzing sewage water to determine how intense [COVID] outbreaks might be, given limits on testing, ...
People’s vaccine? Will the wealthiest countries control coronavirus drugs?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson characterized Britain’s exit from the European Union as “recaptured sovereignty.” These invocations of sovereign power reflect ...
Will cruise ships be found liable for passengers testing COVID positive during or after a cruise?
Dozens of suits have now been brought against cruise lines… The industry is responding by defending their sterilization and cleaning ...
US soybean, cotton farmers sue EPA to relax two ‘extreme’ restrictions on drift-prone dicamba weedkiller
Bill Gordon, who farms in southwest Minnesota, tells Brownfield [that the American Soybean Association] and the Plains Cotton Growers are ...
Can lab-grown brains become conscious?
In August 2019, [biologist Alysson] Muotri’s group published a paper in Cell Stem Cell reporting the creation of human brain ...
