Top 6
Will 2020 see the debut of promising gene therapy for hemophilia A? It’s up to the FDA.
Hemophilia A gene therapy has been twenty years in the making ...
Fighting climate change by reprogramming yeast, bacteria to feast on carbon dioxide
An organism easily adapted to different environments and ready to consume any compound would be a valuable tool ...
GMOs, biosensors and biopreservation: Tools that can fight global hunger by reducing food spoilage
We're feeding an ever-increasing number of people. Getting the rest of the way by 2030 will require every innovation we ...
Philippines is first! Long-delayed Vitamin A-enhanced Golden Rice greenlighted, bucking activist opposition
The fortified food addresses vitamin A deficiency, which kills an estimated 670,000 children each year ...
Podcast: Vaccine expert Dr. Paul Offit explains the ‘dos and dont’s’ of battling scientific misinformation
Paul Offit has forged a second career as an influential spokesman for scientific thinking ...
What’s missing from claims that neonicotinoids are killing bees, birds and fish?
Criticism of pesticides is often undeserved -- and sometimes absolutely bizarre ...
‘CRISPR this, CRISPR that’: Is our fascination with the popular gene-editing tool distracting us from the potential of gene-silencing RNAi technology?
I hope the public fascination with CRISPR can also embrace the other biotechnologies providing new therapeutic options ...
‘No one wanted to touch it’: Why a Lyme disease vaccine has been so elusive
The first human Lyme vaccine was pulled off the market nearly twenty years ago. A new effort faces lingering suspicions ...
Viewpoint: How the glyphosate-cancer controversy became a moral crusade—and a threat to scientific progress
Sometimes the clear weight of evidence coupled with a dose of common sense is enough to show what’s right ...
Should parents be allowed to choose a child’s sexual orientation through gene editing?
Where do our sexual preferences come from? Most of us don’t stop to ponder, simply because there’s no need to ...
Retinitis pigmentosa cure breakthrough? Next generation of artificial lenses being developed with flexible silicon-like chips to combat genetic blindness
Organic semiconductors can link up with brain cells to send and receive signals. They may find a use in sight-restoring ...
Viewpoint: With Conservative sweep of the ‘Brexit election’, Boris Johnson poised to steer the UK out of ‘outdated’ EU GMO, CRISPR regulations
If the UK replaces the EU's overly cautious biotech rules with a pro-innovation scheme, it could become a true global ...
‘Natural health’ and conspiracy sites exploit social media to fester opposition to GMO crops. Here’s a study about what can be done to stop it
The unsatisfactory answer to 'How do we control the spread of disinformation?" may be, "We don't know yet." ...
Does the ‘genetics revolution’ unsettle you? Here is a guide, and reasons to be hopeful
I'm thrilled that DNA science has become so much more tangible and practical. Yet we must use the information wisely ...
Billion-year-old microbes could give us new food, fuel sources—if we can figure out how to use them
We can’t afford to let this potential biotech breakthrough go to waste ...
Brave new world? Why the public might be ready for gene-edited babies
Gene-editing tools like CRISPR/Cas9 are rapidly bringing the possibilities forward ...
Viewpoint: How a small group of scientists and pliable media created a ‘catastrophe narrative’ that hurts bees and farmers
The scientists who glommed onto the “bee-pocalypse” narrative never bothered to go back and correct the record ...
Podcast: How activists and politicians derailed South Australia’s attempt to embrace GMO crops
Activists in Australia are manipulating politicians with fear and doubt to restrict farmer choice ...
DNA databases as crime deterrent: As more ‘cold cases’ are solved, are would-be criminals growing wary?
Some research suggests the mere existence of DNA databases may now be helping to prevent crime. But even if that’s ...
Kim Kardashian West’s battle with psoriatic arthritis: Will understanding the genetics of the autoimmune disorder point to a cure?
While there is no cure, appropriate and early treatment can help prevent major damage to affected parts of the body ...
Viewpoint: How international anti-biotech activists manipulate year-old Mexican government to block crop GMO innovations
Mexico's leadership should not restrict crop biotechnology based on personal beliefs or scientific misinformation ...
Religious beliefs shape our thinking on cloning, stem cells and gene editing
Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam react to new technologies in their own ways ...
Is ‘natural’ better than ‘artificial’? Skincare products underscore why that view is wrongheaded
Synthetic and 'chemical-sounding' preservatives in cosmetics are safer than the alternatives that are marketed as 'natural' ...
Pesticides endanger humans, animals, beneficial insects? Rethinking simplistic notions, understanding trade-offs in sustainability and health
As much as pesticides are a threat to certain ecosystems, they’re also responsible for providing the planet with food in ...
Viewpoint: Generation Z to environmentalists: If you care about sustainability, embrace GMOs and gene edited crops
It is important that this new generation follow the facts, not just rigid environmental orthodoxy ...
Treating ‘suicidality’ as its own medical condition could spur research, better treatment options
There is no established method of identifying patients in immediate danger of attempting suicide. Some researchers are trying to change ...
Our brains as hard drives—could we delete, modify or add memories and skills?
Research suggests it might one day be possible to tweak our brains -- eliminating traumatic memories or granting new skills, ...
Podcast: From Jurassic Park to woolly mammoths – is it right to bring back extinct species?
Geneticist Kat Arney takes a look at the science of de-extinction, asking whether it's feasible - or even ethical - ...
