Andrew Porterfield
Did you hear the story about the GMO that almost destroyed the world?
An old myth has resurfaced that a GMO almost destroyed all life on Earth — but what's the real story? ...
Agriculture and climate change: Taking the best of all farming systems could tip the carbon scale in the right direction
Agriculture contributes a significant portion of the world's climate-changing greenhouse gases. In turn, changes in climate will reduce agricultural yields ...
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Climate change vs agriculture: Can one farming method—conventional, organic or agroecology—help slow global warming?
Climate change and agriculture appear joined at the hip. Agriculture—through methane, carbon dioxide, and land use—has had an impact on ...
Viewpoint: Challenging organic myths — Big Ag doesn’t ‘control the food supply’ with patented GMO seeds, patented seeds are planted on organic farms, too
GMO critics demonize the concept of seed patents, equating it with 'Big Ag' and what they see as a takeover ...
Viewpoint: Environmental groups attack latest crop gene-editing innovations misusing scientifically outdated 20-year-old anti-GMO arguments
“Gene stacking”—the process of modifying several genes or traits instead of just one—has been around many years. “Golden Rice,” engineered ...
‘Regenerative’ agriculture: Organic farming buzz word, or the path to sustainable food production?
The goal should be sustainability, not trying to advance an ideology ...
Roundup glyphosate weedkiller responsible for the decline in Monarch butterflies? Media and advocacy groups badly misreport study
News reporting at its best should be nuanced. There are rarely 'black hats' and 'white hats' when it comes to ...
Pesticide hypocrisy? EU edges toward banning glyphosate after finding it safe but clears organic copper sulfate after finding it a ‘public health and environment concern’
Of all the elements the EU considers in ag regulations, science gets the shortest shrift ...
Viewpoint: Glyphosate-tainted hummus? Environmental Working Group’s latest pesticide scare short on facts
In the wake of a highly publicized legal settlement between Bayer, owner of former glyphosate-maker Monsanto, and lawyers representing plaintiffs ...
Organic fungicide copper sulfate endangers humans, animals and insects
Organic farming is not chemical free. Copper sulfate is a popular one. How does it work and how does it ...
Viewpoint: Blame the coronavirus on ‘industrial agriculture’? We need more, not less of it to stave off the next viral pandemic
An internet meme is circulating worldwide in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic: “Every disaster starts with a scientist being ...
Assessing coronavirus media coverage: Too late, too alarmist, and too much censorship
Few Western media outlets are getting this one right ...
Gene drives could revolutionize how we deal with pests—if the technology avoids the controversial fate of GMOs
In addition to research and laboratory ethics, gene drive proponents need to focus on public perception ...
Will CRISPR’s promise force the organic industry to reconsider its opposition to gene-edited crops?
In addition to better nutrition, CRISPR can produce foods with fewer 'inputs' than conventional and organic foods ...
Do vaccines contain glyphosate? Anti-GMO claim requires ‘very unlikely scenario’
Many GMO critics believe that vaccines are contaminated with glyphosate. A look at how vaccines are made and how glyphosate ...
Oxitec’s GMO mosquitoes spread their genes in the wild? Separating science from hype after controversial new study
Did the mosquito experiment go wrong? ...
Viewpoint: Public supports CRISPR, gene drives to battle infectious disease, plant pests—despite activist opposition
Consumers are less wary of biotechnology when they know how it's being deployed ...
Education, politics, religion may have no impact on our acceptance of GMOs
A study examining the public's 2006 views on GMOs offers a glimpse into the evolution of the ongoing debate over ...
CRISPR breathing new life into wheat and other crops—can it avoid GMO controversy?
The food industry is hopeful the new gene-editing technology can help create new crop variants without running into the activist ...
Milkweed: Mother’s milk for monarch butterflies, but yield-robbing weed for farmers
Can we encourage a resurgence in butterfly-friendly milkweed populations without making farming even more challenging? ...
Quest to reduce greenhouse gases needs modern farming techniques, including use of GMOs, not organics, research shows
Modern farming has "uncoupled" itself from greenhouse gas output -- using new technologies, including genetic engineering, to boost crop yields ...
Monsanto and ‘Big Ag’ strangle American farming? Sanders, Warren likely to attack conventional agriculture, promote organics at Democratic debates
This week's opening round of debates threatens to fall shockingly short on science ...
Why GMOs aren’t responsible for a spike in food allergies
What's behind the rise in food allergies? There are a lot of possible answers to this, but it's probably not ...
Mad genius and genes: Are highly creative people more likely to suffer mental illness?
The idea of the "creative madman" (or woman) has persisted throughout history with Vincent Van Gogh as Exhibit A. Science ...
Why the ‘chemical free’ organic industry has a ‘pesticide problem’
The organic label is often touted as meaning "pesticide free" and has become a rallying cry for anti-GMO activists. But ...
Does Big Ag control farmers through seeds patents? Farmers don’t think so.
Farmers have a wide range of choices for seeds, including conventional and GMO. And most, for economic and performance rather ...
