Science Literacy Project Daily Digest
Here is a primer as the European Union edges closer to loosening regulations on gene editing
For more than 20 years, the use of genetic engineering in agriculture has been regulated uniformly across the EU. Current ...
Viewpoint: Who are the moms falling for the Donald Trump — RFK, Jr. conspiratorial Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) anti-vaccine partnership
When I first started writing, pre-Covid, about the anti-vaccine crowd I didn’t find them to be especially associated with either ...
Loneliness epidemic: As we become more and more isolated, tech companies search for solutions
Despite being more connected than ever, we're pretty lonely right now. So lonely, in fact, that the World Health Organization ...
Consciousness: More than nothing is going on in the mind of a bees and other animals
In 2022, researchers at the Bee Sensory and Behavioral Ecology Lab at Queen Mary University of London observed bumblebees doing ...
The world’s wine production has dropped 10% mostly because of droughts, fire and ‘extreme environmental conditions’. China turns to AI for a solution
At a laboratory in Beijing, purple and green hybrid-species grapes are laid out on a board for testing, part of ...
Plastic for dinner? Newly discovered microbes may soon be a lunch treat
There are microbes that look at a plastic bottle and go, “Yum”. Do you think you’d ever look at a ...
Three technological advances that will power a food and farming revolutions
“Genetic editing for climate and disease resistance will protect growers in the developing world.” "[G]ene editing is not the same ...
How blockchain, AI and drones are reshaping farming
The future of farming technology is inextricably linked to the development and adoption of cutting-edge technologies. These innovations have the ...
Scottish farmers urge its government to follow the path of England in relaxing regulations on gene-edited crops and animals
A letter from industry stakeholders NFU Scotland, Agricultural Industries Confederation, and GB Potatoes to the Scottish Government. It reads: Precision ...
More than a dozen federal agencies oversee America’s food system. What can be done to clean up this regulatory mess
Complex and disparately funded regulatory oversight for food and beverage products, spread out among many federal agencies, has created a ...
Why are kindergarten vaccination rates falling?
U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates dipped [in 2023] and the proportion of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according ...
Photoacoustic imaging: Newly-developed scanner that produces 3-D images that show our blood vessels
It’s not the famous Star Trek tricorder but it’s close: researchers have developed a hand-held scanner that can generate highly ...
Supercentenarians: What are the limits of human life expectancy?
Life expectancy saw dramatic increases throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, driven by healthier diets, medical advances, and numerous other ...
Perhaps carbohydrates, not meat, provided early humans the energy needed to evolve bigger brains
From crispy French fries to crusty sourdough loaves, carbs are an integral (and delicious) part of the human diet. But why ...
Rwanda launches Gates-funded project to develop drought, virus and blight resistant crops
Farmers and agriculture sector leaders have said they expect a new five-year scheme called Rwanda Agricultural Biotechnology Program, to support improvement ...
This AI-powered ‘electronic tongue’ in development can detect if your food is spoiled or rotten
Ever wondered if that old carton of fruit juice in the back of your fridge is still safe to drink? ...
California’s first plastic bag ban made things worse. Now it’s trying again
Ten years after California approved a plastic bag ban that’s been blamed for making its plastic bag problem worse, the ...
Want to increase the odds of having a boy or a girl? Looking for the genetic underpinnings of sex
Each year, roughly the same numbers of boys and girls are born. But in individual families, some couples have four ...
‘It looks to me like what we would call bullshitting: The ‘smarter’ the AI, the more it cleverly lies
Beware the smart ones: they seem to have all the answers, but can also weave the most convincing lies. It ...
America has fallen behind in biomanufacturing. Is there a way to solve this issue?
As the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated, the United States has fallen behind when it comes to biomanufacturing. Our nation's supply chains ...
A new startup has joined the effort to genetically upgrade forests. The chestnut tree is first on their list
Under a slice-of-heaven sky, 150 acres of rolling green hills stretch off into the distance. About a dozen people—tree enthusiasts, ...
Food is medicine? 4 reasons why we need to be cautious about jumping aboard the FIM movement
Food is Medicine (FIM) programs are gaining national attention and funding as a method to treat chronic food-related diseases by ...
Another step ahead in AI advancement leaves scientists ‘in awe’ by latest ChatGPT model o1
Researchers who helped to test OpenAI’s new large language model, OpenAI o1, say it represents a big step up in ...
Transcranial direct current stimulation — At-home headset that stimulates the brain to alleviate depression is in the works
A headset that can be worn at home to stimulate the brain and treat depression has passed an important research milestone. The tiny ...
Viewpoint: The U.S. Dietary Guidelines are broken. Here’s what needs to be done to fix it.
To address this [chronic disease] crisis, for children and adults alike, our response should be bipartisan. As former members [Janet ...
Why tuition-free medical schools are failing their lofty commitments — and exacerbating health-care disparities
[In 2018], the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, in Manhattan, announced that it would become tuition-free for all ...
Glyphosate free farming is not in any country’s near future
Glyphosate, the world’s most widely used herbicide, is the subject of widespread controversy in scientific literature, media, policy, and society ...
