Science Literacy Project Daily Digest
Stem cells take root in drug development
Stem cells have assumed near-mythical status in the popular imagination as a possible cure for every disease under the sun ...
Researchers use light to switch on gene expression
Imagine being able to control genetic expression by flipping a light switch. Researchers at North Carolina State University are using ...
The Geek Manifesto on GM crops
On Sunday, an anti-GM crop group called Take the Flour Back is planning a “day of mass decontamination” at the ...
An all-out war over lab-food labeling
For more than a decade, almost all processed foods in the U.S. -- cereals, snack foods, salad dressings -- have ...
Gene find suggests hormone-free male birth control possible within 5 years
Scientists have found a gene that plays an integral part in male fertility, giving researchers hope for the future development ...
Two patients get eye stem cells transplanted to restore sight
Two people have had stem cells transplanted into their eyes as part of a clinical trial to restore their sight ...
Biotech a drug discovery engine
We sometimes hear about diminishing returns in cancer research and development in the big pharmaceutical companies. They tell us, traditional ...
The GM scientists’ risky strategy that won public support
The phrase "Frankenfood" entered tabloid English at the turn of the last century when protesters, backed by the green movement, ...
Do obesity genes influence our eating habits?
Is there an obesity gene? Or at least a genetic trigger that drives some people to eat more than others? ...
Researchers find a way to delay aging of stem cells
Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have uncovered a series of biological events that implicate the stem ...
European activists link up against GM wheat
Around 200 protestors from across the UK, Ireland, France and Belgium have been marching against the return of open air ...
Mexican farmers block Monsanto law
Progressive small farmer organizations in Mexico scored a victory over transnational corporations that seek to monopolize seed and food patents ...
Seeds of doubt over GM wheat
The field trial of GM spring wheat has raised questions about the technology and the intentions of the researchers. Research ...
Study finds voter genetics may predict election outcomes
New studies led by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) shows specific genetic traits may predispose people to ...
Squaring the genetically modified crop circle
CONTROVERSY over genetically modified wheat is building to what seems likely to be confrontation in the UK on 27 May ...
Nigeria: Activists flay genetically modified food
Environmental activists under the auspices of the 'Friends of the Earth Nigeria' have condemned the attempt by multinational agricultural companies ...
Genetic marker may predict smoking quantity in African Americans
In a step toward understanding possible genetic differences in smoking behaviors, a team of researchers co-led by SRI International has ...
French ban of Monsanto GM maize rejected by EU
France's attempt to ban the planting of a Monsanto strain of genetically modified maize was rejected by the EU's food ...
How environmental effects regulate genes
Swiss researchers provide evidence that a protein in the cell nucleus responds to environmental stimuli like a kind of sensor, ...
A genetic cure for tomato rot
Gardeners are all too familiar with the experience. You plant a handful of shriveled sand-colored tomato seeds, urge them out ...
From stem cell to brain cell: New technique mimics the brain
A new technique that converts stem cells into brain cells has been developed by researchers at Lund University. The method ...
Stem cells curb chronic pain in mice, will it work for humans?
Replacing dead or dysfunctional nerve cells with new, healthy ones derived from stem cells eases chronic pain in mice, a ...
Asia’s stinkiest fruit gets genetic makeover
Some liken it to heaven. Some liken it to a sack full of spoiled onions and jock straps. But durian, ...
Stem cell function loss can be delayed by finding their niche
Stem cells often lose their effectiveness when removed from their normal microenvironment in the body -- the "niche", as it's ...
Rights group aims to stop killing of Canada GMO pigs
A U.S. animal rights group hopes to save a herd of genetically modified pigs from early deaths after funding dried ...
Size and stickiness predict stem cell future
The size and consistency of fat-derived stem cells can predict what type of cell they will become—findings that could lead ...
FDA okays GMO carrot for rare Gaucher disease
The US Food & Drug Admin. just approved a drug made from genetically modified carrots to treat Gaucher, a rare ...
