Science Literacy Project Daily Digest
Profiling the people now guiding America’s health policy
When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became health secretary, he didn’t just bring with him an unconventional and controversial approach to ...
Organic farming acreage in the U.S. is in steep decline
[A]merica’s certified organic acreage fell almost 11% between 2019 and 2021. Numerous farmers who implement sustainable practices told The Associated ...
The latest gene edited crop: Oats with higher yields, more fiber and climate change resilient
For the first time, scientists have successfully edited oat DNA, a breakthrough that could accelerate the development of oats with ...
AI activists rethink their strategy, focusing on the future of work
[Recently] the AI Now Institute, a think tank that studies the social implications of artificial intelligence, published a sweeping report ...
Chemicals in food packaging is an increasing health threat
A research study, published in the Nature Medicine journal, explores the health impacts of exposure to synthetic chemicals in food. The scientists identify ...
Viewpoint: Here’s why farmers use pesticides like atrazine and glyphosate—and why they are safe
Corn growers need access to all types of pesticides. [Glyphosate was] developed more than 50 years ago to control a ...
The disabled, the elderly and the poor: Trump administration flirts with eugenics
Trump has deployed in his administration and in his relationships with billionaires a group of the old and new eugenicists ...
Viewpoint: Time to put limits on lawyers targeting corporations for huge legal payouts
In response to several bills introduced in both the US House and Senate seeking to put limits and disclosures on ...
Why the right is rushing to ban lab grown meat that could save tens of billions of animals every year
Unlike plant-based meat substitutes like the Impossible Burger, lab-grown meat consists of actual animal tissue, but made without slaughtering animals ...
Biotech companies are pioneering research to use electricity to cure diseases. Here’s how
Electricity is gaining newfound traction as a potential treatment for diseases, from rheumatoid arthritis to hard-to-treat cancers including glioblastoma and ...
Viewpoint: ‘Kenya must balance GMO adoption against concerns about environmental impact and preserving traditional farming
Officials are urging Kenyans to trust science and embrace GMO benefits, but Kenya must proceed with caution. GMO foods are ...
AI hallucinations: They’re getting worse
More than two years after the arrival of ChatGPT, tech companies, office workers and everyday consumers are using A.I. bots ...
MAHA is anti-corporate and chemophobic; Farming in the U.S. is the opposite. What will give?
Efforts to secure statutory immunity from liability for personal injuries caused by pesticides have converged with massive increases in federal ...
RFK Jr. stacks purged vaccine committee with ‘covid contrarians’
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. named eight people to the influential federal panel that recommends vaccines ...
Sperm donor with cancer-prone mutation conceived at least 67 children across Europe
The sperm of a man carrying a rare cancer-causing mutation was used to conceive at least 67 children, 10 of ...
Viewpoint: Challenging the FDA to closely regulate unreviewed chemicals in our food
Although a comprehensive fix to the “Generally Recognized” standard will require legislation from Congress, there are significant steps the FDA ...
Biology junkie? Here are some great summer reads
One of my favorite summer chores is finding a new book to take from the beach to the pool. ...
Viewpoint: Sustainable agriculture—Why gene editing should be welcomed by organic farmers
Gene editing should be allowed in organic crop cultivation to boost yields and promote more sustainable farming practices, according to ...
Electric respiration: Bacteria that ‘breathe’ electricity could revolutionize wastewater treatment and biomanufacturing
A team led by Rice University bioscientist Caroline Ajo-Franklin has discovered how certain bacteria breathe by generating electricity, using a natural ...
Trump administration’s schizophrenic farm policy
Independent and organic farmers say chaos created by the Trump administration’s cuts has hurt their businesses, even as the US health secretary, Robert F ...
Risk averse, precautionary Europe is missing out on the technology revolution
The world’s technology revolution is leaving Europe behind. Europe lacks any homegrown alternatives to the likes of Google, Amazon or Meta. Apple’s market value is ...
Viewpoint: How media coverage has undermined support for cultivated ‘clean’ meat
Is cultivated meat ‘real meat’? Does it pose any benefits? Is it an inevitable, necessary marker of change to the ...
Gene editing embryos: Crypto billionaire Brian Armstrong funding ethically controversial project
Brian Armstrong, the billionaire CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, says he’s ready to fund a US startup focused on ...
Iran uses nuclear technology to produce drought-resistant rice
This rice variety was obtained through targeted mutagenesis methods and originated from the popular local native variety Tarom. Key features ...
FaceAge AI uses snapshots to predict biological age and help oncologists tailor treatments
A new artificial intelligence tool developed by researchers at Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School uses a snapshot of a patient’s face to ...
Viewpoint: ‘I’m a mom and a farmer. Here’s why it’s safe to use pesticides
In addition to the title of mom, I also have the title of farmer, giving me firsthand experiences and understanding ...
Climate change challenge: How to ‘future proof’ crops
In a review in The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Stephen Long, a professor of crop sciences and of plant biology at ...
