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Mosquito massacre: Can we safely tackle malaria with a CRISPR gene drive?
CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing quickly decimated two caged populations of malaria-bearing mosquitoes (Anopheles gambiae) in a recent study, introducing a new ...

Already blamed for ‘widespread insect declines,’ neonicotinoid insecticides may threaten mammals, too
On an overcast January day in Estelline, South Dakota, Jonathan Lundgren zips his quilted jacket over a fleece, pulls down ...

Viewpoint: Why you shouldn’t be worried about potential reactions to COVID vaccines
Anaphylaxis — a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction — is nothing to be ignored. It’s most commonly associated with allergies to ...

Viewpoint: Pesticides can be harmful—but they’re also ‘vital to human health and global food security’
As much as pesticides are a threat to certain ecosystems, they’re also responsible for providing the planet with food in ...

Gene editing could produce more flavorful decaf coffee — and combat public’s anti-GMO sentiment
Coffee is one of the world’s most popular drinks, but that cup can come with a price of jitters or ...

Beepocalypse Myth Handbook: Assessing claims of pollinator collapse
After a decade of debate, the causes of the mid-2000s spike in bee deaths is coming into focus. Culprits are ...

Viewpoint: UK decision to rescind neonics pesticide restrictions a welcome win for science
Activists like George Monbiot and Dave Goulson are parroting their environmental allies when it comes to neonics, but the science ...

With sugar beet production dropping, UK approves emergency neonicotinoids pesticide use to combat beet yellows virus
In 2018 the [UK] government supported new rules which prohibit the outdoor use of 3 neonicotinoids - clothianidin, imidacloprid and ...

RNA technology gave us a COVID vaccine. It could also help control plant pests without insecticides
With the development of Pfizer’s COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, RNA technology has been dominating the news cycle. … A decade ago, ...

Decoded locust genome could help develop ‘intelligent pesticides’ that only kill crop-ravaging insects
The complete set of genetic information for the desert locust could have major international implications for countries in regions such ...

French Constitutional Council temporarily rescinds neonic pesticide ban, ‘much to the chagrin of environmentalists’
The Constitutional Council on [Dec 10] gave the green light to the law re-authorizing for three years the use of ...

With sugar output down nearly 25%, UK beet farmers pressure government to lift ban on neonic pesticides
Sugar beet processor British Sugar said that just over two months into the beet harvesting campaign, white sugar production is ...

EU Court of Justice tosses Brussels lawsuit seeking to ban glyphosate weedkiller
Europe’s highest court on [Dec. 3] tossed out a challenge from Brussels to the European Commission decision that lets Europeans ...

Bt insect toxin in GM crops ‘has no negative effects on honey bees,’ study confirms
Cry78Ba1 is Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bacillales: Bacillaceae) (Bt) protein found with high insecticidal activity against the piercing–sucking insect Laodelphax striatellus Fallén (Homoptera: ...

Viewpoint: ‘Misguided enthusiasm’ to save honeybees threatens wild pollinators
The rise in hobby beekeeping, now a trendy activity for hundreds of thousands of Americans, followed strong awareness campaigns to “save the bees.” ...

Viewpoint: Swayed by anti-GMO groups, biotech pioneer Mexico lurches toward GM crop ban
“There is currently enough food in the world to feed 10 billion people,” writes the anti-GMO environmental group Green America ...

Viewpoint: Europe’s pro-organic Farm to Fork policy will ‘cripple’ an already inefficient agriculture system
The EU’s “Farm to fork (F2F) strategy” announced in May, is “the heart of the “Green Deal,” a kind of ...

European countries can ban pesticides even if approved by EU, continent’s highest court rules
Europe’s highest court [European Court of Justice, ECJ] has concluded that member states have the right to ban pesticides even ...

France poised to suspend neonics pesticide ban to help farmers, over objections from Greenpeace
French lawmakers on Tuesday (6 October) approved a draft bill allowing sugar beet growers to use pesticides that are banned ...

Neonicotinoids pesticide ban decimates UK canola yields—encouraging imports of neonics-treated canola
UK oilseed rape yields and crop area have declined dramatically after a year of extreme weather and uncontrollable crop decimation ...

‘More harm than good’: How well-meaning urban beekeepers can jeopardize wild colonies
Urban beekeeping has grown so trendy that it may be doing more harm than good — with the practice becoming ...

Dream Bank: Analysis of 38,000 dreams yield fresh insights
In the largest digital dream study so far, researchers at Cambridge University’s Nokia Bell Labs in the U.K. recently created ...

Self-limiting ‘Friendly’ technology offers hope for controlling fall armyworm without pesticides
Oxitec, the Oxford University spinoff company that produces environmentally-friendly insect control solutions, [September 24] announced a collaboration with the life ...

Viewpoint: ‘Toxic-free EU’? Why Europe’s naive Green Deal is scientifically illiterate and could cripple innovation for years to come
July is usually a good month for environmental activism in Europe. Many people are on holiday and nobody feels like ...

Glyphosate-tainted honey? New Zealand honey industry rejects ‘sensationalized’ coverage of pesticide safety report
The New Zealand honey industry has refuted recent claims of its products being unsafe for consumption in the wake of ...

Viewpoint: Mexican government undermining science and agriculture
Over the last two years, the Mexican government led by Andrés Manuel López Obrador (who goes by his initials, AMLO) ...

Bees ‘scent trained’ to effectively pollinate sunflowers boost seed production up to 57%
Scientists in Argentina have trained honeybees to more effectively pollinate sunflowers — a method they believe can also be applied ...

Neonicotinoid insecticide ban, dry weather threaten Europe’s ‘fragile’ sugar industry
The European Union is heading for a significant drop in sugar output this year after fields were devastated by pests ...