PLOS ONE
Survey on consumer acceptance of CRISPR and other plant-breeding biotechnologies: Would consumers pay higher prices for tastier and fresher grapes?
Since genetically engineered crops were first introduced in the mid-1990s, they have faced considerable barriers to market acceptance. In these ...
GMO corn cultivation in Europe has no adverse environmental effects, decade-long study confirms
In European regulations for the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms (GMO), the objective of General Surveillance ...
CRISPR gene-editing can help turn Africa’s low-yielding rice varieties into sustainable staple crops
African Oryza glaberrima and Oryza sativa landraces are considered valuable resources for breeding traits due to their adaptation to local ...
Climate change poses mixed consequences for agriculture: Conservation International study concludes global warming will make farming possible in regions important for biodiversity and carbon storage
Future farming in regions that were previously unsuitable for agriculture could significantly impact biodiversity, water resources, and greenhouse gas emissions ...
Understanding the weird world of genes
Pretty much everyone, at least in societies with access to public education or exposure to media in its various forms, ...
Neonicotinoid insecticide may increase honeybee survival when manure bacteria is present, lab study finds
Recent studies of honeybees and bumblebees have examined combinatory effects of different stressors, as insect pollinators are naturally exposed to ...
No signs of resistance to GMO Bt corn in Europe after 16 years of use
The majority of Bt maize production in the European Union (EU) is concentrated in northeast Spain, which is Europe’s only hotspot where ...
Neonicotinoid insecticides may hurt honey bee colony health by reducing genetic diversity
[Editor's note: The following is from a study published in the open-access mega-journal PLOS ONE.] Neonicotinoid insecticides can cause a ...
GMO foods vs. GM medicine: What’s the difference in public acceptance?
This analysis sought to quantify US residents’ acceptance of [genetic modification (GM)] across five potential uses (grain production, fruit or ...
Inexperienced hobbyist beekeepers ‘major driver’ of honey bee colony losses in Europe
Reports of honey bee population decline has spurred many national efforts to understand the extent of the problem and to ...
Decoding wheat genome enhances production in the face of severe climate disruptions
Editor's note: Wheat rust and spot blotch are two fungal diseases that cause a devastating amount of crop damage around ...
Changing minds on GMOs, global warming: More information may not be enough
Because there is often a gap between science and public opinion, there is a need to better understand what factors ...
GMO meta-study: Pesticide use down 37%, yields up 22%, profits rise 68%
A meta-study published this week in PLOS ONE—A Meta-Analysis of the Impacts of Genetically Modified Crops--crunched data from 147 studies ...
Will pests develop resistance to GMO Bt crops? Not anytime soon, says Cornell study
GM crops modified with the bacterium Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) produce natural proteins that kill pest insects, dramatically reducing the need ...
How to prevent GM corn from ‘contaminating’ (cross pollinating) non GMO fields
Cross-pollination from genetically modified crops is a major concern to farmers who use conventional methods to grow crops--especially corn, which ...
Scanning genomes for recent human evolution
Continuing the unveiling of our top ten papers selected from the papers published in PLOS Biology over the last decade, ...
A host-jumping, genome-splicing, avian virus that humans may have helped along
A paper published in PLOS Biology, “The Extraordinary Evolutionary History of the Reticuloendotheliosis Viruses”, describes a spectacular story of host-jumping, genome splicing ...
Controversy around Havasupai Indian genetic study more myth than fact
The story that researchers were testing a Native American tribe's DNA without consent is too good to ignore. Even if ...
Can crop biotech save the cassava?
Cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) and cassava mosaic disease (CMD) are currently two major viral diseases that severely reduce cassava ...
Teen with an ‘infantile’ version of a neurological genetic disease
The following is an excerpt. This week’s post is about a teen who has an “infantile” variety of a neurological ...
GE cotton improves diet quality for small-scale farmers in India
The following is an edited excerpt. Insect-resistant genetically modified (GM) cotton has significantly improved calorie consumption and dietary quality among ...
Glaucoma risk depends on genetics and race
Research may soon reveal the genetic variation that underlies ethnic disparities in glaucoma risk ...
Bacteria or virus? Your genes can reveal what ails you
What's giving you the sniffles? Is it a virus or bacteria? Your genes may offer an easy way to check: ...
Adam Lanza’s DNA could be compared to forensic databases
Days after the Newtown shootings of December 14, 2012, headlines trumpeted the state medical examiner’s request of University of Connecticut geneticists to ...
Something fishy in the White House?
Emily Anthes, science writer and author of the upcoming book about biotechnology Frankenstein's Cat, responds to Jon Entine's piece about the ...
XYY men and genetic determinism
PLoS Blogs (blog)XYY MenPLoS Blogs (blog)This week's New England Journal of Medicine has four articles about the new precision in ...
Attack of the clone cliches
A story in the New York Post on Sunday warned New Yorkers about a new threat menacing our city: a ...
Direct-to-consumer genetic testing is here to stay
Geneticist Ricki Lewis says direct-to-consumer genetic testing is here to stay, addresses fears and realities around this new development in ...
