Top 6 Five
Viewpoint: Seed patent controversy — ‘Does intellectual property in agriculture drive up costs for farmers and restrict access?’ Here are the numbers
Among the many misconceptions about modern agriculture, perhaps one of the most pervasive surrounds the role of intellectual property (IP) ...
How gene editing could rescue virus-devastated global papaya crop
Plant viruses are formidable adversaries when it comes to producing high yielding crops, causing significant harm to global agriculture, and ...
Viewpoint: Environmental Working Group’s manufactured ‘dangerous levels of chlormequat in oat cereals’ study underscores the ‘risk perception gap’
The number of messages I received from people, mostly parents, who said they had been terrified to feed their children ...
Viewpoint: Why proposals to ban all 12,000 PFAS chemicals contradict science
I have previously authored many articles about per- and polyfluroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” and the misinformation ...
Filling the gaps of what we know about the first days and weeks of the developing human embryo
Several recent reports are filling in the gaps of what we know about the earliest days and weeks of human ...
Dissecting claims about Monsanto suing farmers for accidentally planting patented seeds
Much to the dismay of anti-GMO activists, courts around the world including SCOTUS have consistently upheld the rights of companies ...
Can coffee drinking prevent COVID infection?
Coffee has undergone a dramatic rehabilitation since it was designated as a “possible” bladder carcinogen by the International Agency for ...
Newest Alzheimer’s drug slows disease — but costs over $25,000 per year. Who will pay for it?
The first drug purporting to slow the advance of Alzheimer’s disease is likely to cost the U.S. health care system ...
Pathological science: How can we know whether today’s ‘junk science’ will remain ridiculous or someday be vindicated?
Today, there is simply too much known in far too many diverse fields for any person to hold it all ...
Anti-chemical activists up in arms as European Union leans toward reauthorizing use of weedkiller glyphosate. Here’s the science EU should consider
Does the controversial weedkiller Roundup, made by Bayer and marketed in generic form by more than 30 companies as glyphosate, ...
Serotonin-boosting foods and fatty acids that can lift your mood
One in four Americans currently suffers from anxiety or depression, correlating directly to serotonin levels found in the body. Normal serotonin levels ...
Biotechnology timeline: Humans have manipulated genes since the ‘dawn of civilization’
The history of biotechnology shows how humans have been manipulating nature for our benefit for a long time—and how modern ...
Why worthless drugs sometimes seem to work — What we can learn from the FDA’s withdrawal of the decongestant phenylephrine
Last month, some of the most iconic over-the-counter name brand medicines took a hit. The FDA’s Nonprescription Drug Advisory Committee (NDAC) unanimously ...
Are neonicotinoid seed treatments critical for protecting crops—or unnecessary, with potential to harm bees?
Neonicotinoids, the world’s most popular class of insecticides, have been making headlines for the last decade due to concerns that ...
Viewpoint: Behind the curtain at the ‘Institute for Integrative Nutrition’ — Health guidance or quack advice?
Health coaching as a profession is exploding. According to a market research firm, in 2021, the industry was worth about ...
Podcast: The science and history behind the term “placebo effect”
Henry Beecher’s paper paved the way for sounder drug trials and pushed scientists to better understand how we process painSloppy ...
On the edge of life and death: CPR patients report vivid near-death experiences
NYU researchers measured signals of brain activity and collected stories from patients on the edge of death ...
Viewpoint: Many web-surfing gardeners are concerned about the scary claims they read online about the herbicide glyphosate. An independent university weed scientist addresses the controversy
I did a class for the Cypress Landing community a few weeks back and one of the questions was about ...
Genetic doppelgängers? Identical twins separated apart can be very much alike or very different. Here’s why
What do the lives of twins tell us about heritability, selfhood and the age-old debate between nature and nurture? ...
Pesticides and Food: It’s not a black or white issue — How do organic pesticides compare to synthetic pesticides?
Many consumers choose to buy higher-priced organic produce because they believe organic foods are not grown using pesticides and therefore ...
Viewpoint: AI is evolving too fast for existing regulatory frameworks to keep pace. Here’s a possible solution
AI is evolving too fast for existing regulatory frameworks to keep pace. Intellectual property law may hold a solution ...
We could use CRISPR to cure mental illness. Should we?
Would you want to be cured of a disorder that most people consider debilitating if given the opportunity? Cancer? Sure ...
Viewpoint: Scotland’s Green Party leads an “obstinate and visionless” opposition to sustainable gene edited crops while UK and Europe edge towards embracing agricultural science
In recent months, the pace of global policy developments in relation to gene editing has often been hard to keep ...
Viewpoint: EU gene-editing regulations requiring traceability and labeling to ‘protect co-existence’ with organic crops could stop innovation in its tracks
Major new developments in gene editing are now taking place with increasing frequency, as the world looks to harness the ...
Growing more ancient grain millet could help American farmers adapt to climate change
The Midwest is known for its rows and rows of corn and soybeans that uniformly cover the landscape ...
Viewpoint: Simplistic anti-agrobiotech narrative — ‘Companies lie; activists are outraged; regulations are tightened further; companies lie again… Wash, rinse, repeat’
Today’s narrative has a simplistic view: Companies lie; activists are outraged; regulations are tightened further; companies lie again… Wash, rinse, ...
New wave of migration: Transgender care crackdown prompts surge in families fleeing Missouri, Florida, Texas and other states
Hal Dempsey wanted to “escape Missouri.” Arlo Dennis is “fleeing Florida.” The Tillison family “can’t stay in Texas.” ...
