Andrew Porterfield
Articles written for the GLP list the source as Genetic Literacy Project. All other articles were written for the sources noted with excerpts provided by the GLP.
Organic fungicide copper sulfate poses dangers to humans, animals, insects—how does it compare to conventional pesticides?
Organic farming is not chemical free. Copper sulfate is a popular one. How does it work and how does it ...
Let’s say we can force the mosquito into extinction — should we do it?
Not many people like mosquitoes. So why not eliminate them? Newer techniques like CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing may make this possible ...
Are GMO critics more open to gene editing that targets plant and human diseases?
The early generations of transgenic plants focused primarily on increasing productivity, either by reducing pest damage or increasing yields by ...
Using gene editing to control forest fires? It could be a reality if anti-biotechnology activists don’t block it
The American west has experienced devastating wildfires in recent years; while the number of fires has decreased a little over ...
After successful demonization campaign against herbicide glyphosate, anti-GMO activists and environmental groups take aim at atrazine
In July, the US Environmental Protection Agency issued an extensive report that reviewed decades of science and declared that a ...
Costs and benefits need to be assessed in weighing bans on glyphosate and neonicotinoids
The continuing debates over whether the herbicide glyphosate or the insecticide class of neonicotinoids (neonics) could—or should—remain available for farmers ...
‘Chemical free’ organic industry’s unacknowledged ‘pesticide problem’
The organic label is often touted as meaning "pesticide free" and has become a rallying cry for anti-GMO activists. But ...
Sustainability advantage: ‘High-yield’ intensive agriculture outpaces organic farming, large study shows
Opposition to “high-yield” agriculture has taken many forms: Accusations of corporate takeover of the idealized family farm; preference for organic ...
GMO wine: Are we ready for it?
Genetic modification of grapes could help wine growers deal with a range of challenges -- if they can be convinced ...
Viewpoint: No, wild bees haven’t been decimated by neonicotinoids, glyphosate
Bees and pesticides (and not just insecticides) have been the focus of activists and scientists alike, particularly since a 2006-2008 ...
Predictability: Why there’s no reason to be looking for ‘unexpected surprises’ in GMO breeding
There's a big difference between "unintended" and "unexpected" effects from genetics and breeding, and regulators are looking for the wrong ...
How genetics could help agroecology—the science, not the political movement
Agroecology isn’t rocket science So wrote Daniel Moss, head of the AgroEcology Fund, and Mark Bittman, former food columnist, in ...
Can CRISPR help us stop wasting so much food?
CRISPR. It’s not what’s for dinner. Not yet, at least. But the hot genetic editing technology could be instrumental in ...
Celiac disease: What’s behind the surge in diagnoses?
A few years ago, the book “Wheat Belly” became a hit, as it pointed to new “scientifically engineered” strains of ...
European farmers already pondering what life without glyphosate might be like
In the aftermath of the European Parliament’s 355-204 vote opposing the renewal of the popular herbicide glyphosate in 2018 for households ...
Even as managed honeybee colonies hit record numbers, another threat to their health is identified: Mystery viruses
The quest to figure out what's behind honeybee deaths has become as much a political question as a scientific one. Recent ...
Why we don’t all need to be vegans in the pursuit of sustainability
Humans are unique in the degree to which they can manipulate their surroundings. And agriculture is one enormous way to ...
Is the key to treating or preventing autism hiding in the gut microbiome?
Studies have connected the brain and the microbiome through what’s becoming known as the “gut-brain-axis.” The mystery of our microbiota ...
Anti-GMO groups draw FDA rebuke over misrepresentation of Golden Rice nutrition
Finally, the FDA weighed in on Golden Rice, with its May 24 announcement approving it for use in the United ...
Lessons learned from the GMO debate could pave way for public acceptance of gene drives
For people who watched the decades-old opposition to “GMO” unfold, headlines like this one from The Guardian look familiar: US military agency ...
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 ...
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 ...
‘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 ...
Is monoculture a bad thing? It’s time to revise simplistic ideological narrative
Biotech critics frequently claim that conventional agriculture and GMOs promote monoculture farming, which is harmful to biodiversity. A closer look ...
Genetically engineered AquaBounty salmon ready for US market, but caught in Congressional ‘sausage grinder’
“Laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made.” The true version of ...
Strange bedfellows: American Academy of Pediatrics allies with Environmental Working Group, known for anti-science messages
On the subjects of organics and pesticides, the American Academy of Pediatrics finds itself supporting the Environmental Working Group, an ...
Scientists challenge Center for Biological Diversity report claiming monarch butterflies threatened by dicamba herbicide
Dicamba drifts. Apparently, more than expected by a lot of farmers, agriculture officials and manufacturers. But does that mean, as ...
Facing extreme danger, are you ‘wired’ to fight or take flight?
"Fight or flight" reactions are much more complicated than we were taught in school. That fact has implications for reacting ...
