Genetic Literacy Project
‘Voluntary euthanasia’: Are we ready to harvest organs while donors are still alive?
In the dystopian society of Nobel prizewinner Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, cloned people are raised to provide organs for ...
Talking Biotech: Using psychology to disarm anti-GMO activists
Activists use fear to spread doubt about GMO safety. How can scientists counter this powerful debate tactic? ...
Viewpoint: Coffee cancer warning illustrates failure of California’s Prop 65 law
On August 29, the FDA threw its hat into California’s eternal does-or-doesn’t-coffee-cause-cancer fight. “Requiring a cancer warning on coffee, based ...
Using engineered gut bacteria to fight genetic disease
A Boston-based synthetic biology company is taking a novel approach to treating the rare genetic metabolic disorder Phenylketonuria. Synlogic uses ...
Predictability: Why there’s no reason to be looking for ‘unexpected surprises’ in GMO breeding
There's a big difference between "unintended" and "unexpected" effects from genetics and breeding, and regulators are looking for the wrong ...
Viewpoint: EU’s new gene-editing rules show failure of scientific leadership
On 25 July 2018, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that plants bred via recent mutagenesis techniques would fall ...
Why the promise of personalized medicine could fall short for minorities
African-Americans are underrepresented in large-scale genetic and neuroscience studies ...
Why those sleepless nights could increase your Alzheimer’s risk
New research suggests bad sleep causes a build-up of plaque associated with Alzheimer’s ...
National identity and what the genes of Aboriginal Australians tell us about ‘what it is to be human’
Recent genetic research suggests that Aboriginal Australians have lived on their island continent for at least 50,000 years (with some ...
Roundup in breast milk? Disturbing new details in the plot to discredit nutritionist Shelley McGuire
In July 2015, Michelle (Shelley) McGuire, a nutrition professor and lactation expert then at Washington State University (WSU), was targeted ...
Court blocks Monsanto subpoena of glyphosate documents from activist group Avaaz
On September 6th, a New York judge blocked Monsanto's attempt to subpoena documents from the political activist group Avaaz. The biotech firm requested ...
Can artificial intelligence give us a more efficient health care system?
To understand the benefits that artificial intelligence can bring to the world of human medicine, consider the case of Ayako ...
Talking Biotech: 30-year study confirms environmental benefits of glyphosate use
Anti-GMO activists continue to warn about the dangers of glyphosate, but 30 years of data show the controversial herbicide is ...
Embracing biotech crops and why Nigeria’s GMO fight is far from over
In July, Nigeria took a significant step down the biotech road by approving its first commercially available GMO crop, offering ...
Could a fake surgery really make you feel better?
Did you know placebo surgery occur? Some believe they are the next realm of understanding more about the effect of ...
Here’s what electricity can teach us about pesticide safety
Many people may find it difficult to imagine how a pesticide could ever be safe. To understand how that is ...
Was human brain growth driven by ecological challenges?
Most animals have brains in proportion to their body size – species with larger bodies often have larger brains. But ...
Argentina and GMOs: Exploring the nation’s long relationship with biotech crops
In 2019, Argentina will begin the commercialization of the first genetically modified drought-and salt-tolerant soybean. This will be a particularly ...
Reflex star: How our brain helps us track—and respond to—to balls, cars and other fast moving objects
New research may explain why some people—like sports stars—anticipate and react to fast-moving objects much quicker than others. When Serena ...
Talking Biotech: The Kevin Folta—Biofortified controversy: When transparency and confidentiality conflict
Transparency helps scientists earn public trust. But what happens when their research requires confidentiality? Kevin Folta and Paul Vincelli tackle ...
Delving into our complicated relationship with carbohydrates
The idea of controlling carbohydrate consumption has been bouncing around the world of diets and medicine for nearly 100 years ...
How genetics could help agroecology—the science, not the political movement
Agroecology isn’t rocket science So wrote Daniel Moss, head of the AgroEcology Fund, and Mark Bittman, former food columnist, in ...
Video: Why gene editing could change the path of human evolution
Most people think the genetics revolution is primarily about healthcare. But what's really at play is the evolutionary trajectory of ...
10 tips for better communication about pesticide science, risks
One of the biggest challenges for any risk communications professional today is to deliver positive messages on pesticides. Like any ...
Plants are great at storing CO2. These scientists aim to make them even better.
Researchers around the world are working to improve plants’ ability to combat climate change. Editor's note: This article was originally ...
‘White gold’: GMO cotton renews hope for Nigeria’s troubled textile industry
Nigeria's textile industry was once a thriving part of the nation's economy. The industry was once the country's second-leading employer, ...
Glioblastoma and John McCain: Why this brain cancer remains an ‘insidious enemy’
Sen. John McCain withstood beatings and torture as a prisoner of war, but he was confronted with an enemy in ...
Gene silencing through RNA interference scores first drug approval
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the first drug based on RNA interference (RNAi). Unlike media darlings gene therapy ...
