Science Literacy Project Daily Digest
CRISPR pig joins a shortlist of genetically modified animals approved by the FDA for human consumption
Most pigs in the US are confined to factory farms where they can be afflicted by a nasty respiratory virus ...
Bizarre but typical: RFK, Jr. takes his grandchildren swimming in sewage and feces filled creek—and brags about it
The US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has revealed that he went swimming with his children in a Washington ...
‘It’s harder to get off antidepressants than heroin’: RFK. Jr.’s exaggerates but SSRI’s are not risk free
The medical community has reacted with alarm to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s claim that his family members have had ...
Del Monte threatens suit against Nicaraguan farmer growing its patented genetically engineered Pinkglow pineapple
In the middle of last year [2024], Fresh Del Monte indicated that it would take legal action if it was ...
Fruits and vegetables that stay fresh for weeks? Gene edited ‘super foods’ could be on British supermarket shelves soon
Bananas that don’t go brown, strawberries that last for weeks, tomatoes boosted with vitamin D: gene-edited foods could be on ...
Britain’s Supreme Court ruled that only people born female are female. Now there’s relief, anger, confusion, and lawsuits
When Britain’s Supreme Court made its landmark ruling last month that only biological women are women, some people said it helped ...
Unlocking the mystery of how plants communicate
Researchers at the Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems (CROPPS) at Cornell University have taken a huge step toward making plant ...
Viewpoint: RFK, Jr. promises to ban comparatively safe dyes while the administration cuts programs that actually do protect public health
While the decision to remove artificial food dyes is typically something people across the political spectrum can get on board ...
FDA regulatory maze: China has replaced the U.S. as the global hub for biotech drug development
Five years ago, U.S. pharmaceutical companies didn’t license any new drugs from China. By 2024, one-third of their new compounds were coming ...
AI tool can assess a person’s health by analyzing a photograph
Scientists have developed an A.I. tool that they say can help assess a patient’s health — and potentially guide their ...
Treating genetic disorders before birth: Prenatal and newborn genetic screening is surging
Advances in modern medicine allow us to treat fetuses and newborn babies for genetic or inherited diseases. Recent studies have ...
Should the EU grant patent protection to the coming generation of gene edited crops
Some stakeholders are worried that there will be a huge wave of [plant] patents rolling over the European market with ...
Nuclear energy renaissance: China leapfrogs the U.S. and other reticent western countries
China has once again beat everyone else to a clean energy milestone—its new nuclear reactor is reportedly one of the ...
Revolutionizing, disrupting or subverting? 100 days in, Trump is upending food, health, and climate policy
The First 100 Days: How Trump and Vance Have Changed Food, Agriculture, Health, and Climate. January 20, 2025: President Donald ...
Viewpoint: ‘Manufacturing in region for region”—How raising tariffs could help reduce climate instability
[P]resident Trump’s trade war might accelerate environmental progress. That may sound counterintuitive. The Trump administration is no champion of green ...
“Total crackpot” and “talks to trees”: Trump picks ‘functional medicine’ advocate for Surgeon General
President Trump’s selection of Dr. Casey Means, a Stanford-educated wellness specialist and book author, as his next surgeon general [has] ...
Viewpoint: Aborted fetus debris in malaria vaccines? RFK, Jr.’s latest fabrication
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a bizarre new “explanation” for the deadly measles outbreak sweeping western Texas. According to public health experts, the ...
In a courtroom first, AI brings a road rage victim back to life to confront his murderer. What happened?
For two years, Stacey Wales kept a running list of everything she would say at the sentencing hearing for the ...
Are biological chemicals a promising possible alternative to some crop chemicals?
[A]s consumers grow increasingly concerned about the environmental and health impacts from the chemicals, there’s a pivot toward what the ...
Should the EU ease restrictions on CRISPR and other gene edited crops: ‘Yes’, says a plant researcher vs. No, from a anti-GMO activist scientist
Few topics are as divisive and controversial as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The same level of contention also characterises new ...
How might humans evolve if we colonized Mars
[H]ow will our fragile Earth-borne bodies react if we were to live on another planet like Mars? ... Even if ...
Viewpoint: Sociogenomics—Challenging the ethics of IQ-based gene selection
[A] US start-up that offers eugenic embryo selection. Heliospect Genomics aims to enable wealthy couples to select the “most intelligent” ...
Climate-ready canola: USDA clears two Cibus pest resistant gene-edited seed oil crop for growing
For Cibus, regulatory clarity isn’t just a box to check—it’s a turning point. The San Diego–based agricultural technology company with ...
‘Massive breakthrough’: In breakthrough microsurgery, surgeons use an abdomen blood vessel to reconstruct breasts
A patient who had pioneering breast reconstruction surgery said she took part ‘for all the women who will come after ...
Florida becomes 2nd state to ban fluoride in drinking water with 4 other states mulling legislation
Florida has become the latest state to restrict fluoride additives in public drinking water, after Governor Ron DeSantis signed the ...
Viewpoint: Scientist defends the safety of glyphosate—and explains why that matters
Glyphosate is not risk-free — no chemical is. But compared to alternatives (even “natural” ones), it remains one of the ...
RFK, Jr.’s MAHA ‘chronic disease epidemic’ tsunami sweeps across America
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again movement, which focuses on ending what President Donald Trump's health secretary calls the “chronic disease epidemic,” ...
