Genetic Literacy Project
Uganda’s scientists strive to use biotechnology to solve agricultural, health and environmental challenges
It is morning time, we are in a hotel based at the center of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, ...
Boosting memory by combining electrical brain stimulation and learning
Low dose transcranial direct current stimulation have been the subject of much debate. Now, the technology is combined with cognitive ...
‘Biofortification’: Super-nutritious crops could help millions of undernourished children
An incredible 155 million children around the world are chronically undernourished, despite dramatic improvements in recent decades. In view of this, the ...
Talking Biotech: Can genetically engineered cassava help African farmers?
Plant scientist Devang Mehta: African farmers lose 24% of their cassava crop each year on average due to the mosaic ...
‘Algorithmic death spiral’: The failing mental health of our machines
Is my car hallucinating? Is the algorithm that runs the police surveillance system in my city paranoid? Marvin the android ...
Organic vs conventional food fight: Focus on pesticides distracts from real environmental problems
Has GMO use really led to a “flood” of pesticide use, as critics contend? That’s not what the data show ...
Antibiotic resistance may be dangerous—but it’s hardly new
Despite media reports, antibiotics always faced microbe resistance. Can studying their genetics show us a path to new drugs ...
Mythbusting gone wrong: How the ‘dangerous’ organic pesticide myth began
One of the things that surprised me in researching this story was that I could not find a single organic-approved ...
Who owns the DNA of ancient humans—and do they have rights?
The remains of a 6-inch long mummy from Chile are not those of a space alien, according to recently reported ...
A behind the scenes look at pesticide use in organic orchards, vineyards and fresh produce
This is part three of a four-part series attempting to separate fact from fiction regarding pesticide use on organic farms ...
Debating the need for genetic engineering of humans—there’s ‘nothing special’ about our DNA
One day in early spring, I received a unique email. Would I accept an invitation from Oxford University’s student debate ...
Talking Biotech: What’s keeping disease-resistant GMO bananas from Ugandan farmers?
Ugandan researcher Nassib Mugwanya: GMO bananas are the best tool we have to save bananas from bacterial wilt, but Uganda's ...
4 things that led to the myth that organic farmers use more pesticides than conventional farmers
This is part two of a four-part series attempting to separate fact from fiction regarding pesticide use on organic farms ...
Do organic farmers really use more pesticides than conventional farmers? Not even close.
This is part one of a four-part series attempting to separate fact from fiction regarding pesticide use on organic farms ...
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome may be linked to genetic mutations
It’s been called a parent’s worst nightmare, and one that very few of us have ever needed words to describe ...
Sex in space? An awkward talk we will need to have
As the prospect of Mars colonization grows on the public radar screen, sex talk is not as much taboo that ...
Viewpoint: Here’s what’s wrong with study suggesting glyphosate damages our gut health
Can glyphosate impact gut health? The Guardian reports on a team of scientists who claim to have demonstrated that it ...
Making sense of crowdfunding for unapproved stem cell treatments
When FDA approval for a technology or treatment lags behind demand, crowdfunding steps in. Desperate patients or their families launch ...
Viewpoint: How the Environmental Working Group and ‘Big Organic’ manipulate pesticide data to scare people
Consumers have a legitimate desire for transparency when it comes to their food - particularly when it comes to the ...
Does ‘brain stress’ play a key role in our obesity epidemic?
Keeping off weight is harder than it seems, but it could be due to how our brains are wired ...
Talking Biotech: Roundup Ready GMO crops made weed management ‘easy’—an agronomist’s view
Kentucky agronomist Chad Lee: Farmers choose herbicide-tolerant GMO crops because they simplify effective weed management and enable no-till farming ...
USDA’s hands-off approach to gene-edited crops could revolutionize research and development
The US Department of Agriculture’s recent decision to stay out of the business of regulating gene-edited crops could be a ...
Gene Drive Files ‘cabal’—and biotech rejectionist efforts to derail research on technology with potential to fight crop pests
The email came from Roylan Saah, coordinator of Genetic Biocontrol of Invasive Rodents at Island Conservation, a non-profit dedicated to ...
Delving into our dreams—and why they evolve as we age
Although radically different in terms of their content and feel, the range of dream states are just as complex as ...
The ‘Big O’: How and why evolution brought us the female orgasm
Female orgasms aren’t necessary for reproduction. A comparative evolution study suggests they once might have been ...
‘Substantial equivalence’: Are GMOs as safe as other conventional and organic foods?
GMO critics claim that US regulations rely too much on the concept of “substantial equivalence” when evaluating if food is ...
Are you responsible for bad behavior caused by a brain implant?
Mr. B loves Johnny Cash, except when he doesn’t. Mr. X has watched his doctors morph into Italian chefs right ...
Viewpoint: European organic industry’s obsession with ‘natural’ threatens CRISPR innovations and hurts the environment
What is nature? What is natural? Philosophers have been arguing about this since antiquity. Supporters of organic farming seem to ...
