Jon Entine
Walking the ethical edge: ‘Made-to-order’ embryos address genuine needs
Ethical watchdogs are stifling a much-needed discussion of the actual costs and benefits of a for-profit embryo donations. Despite the ...
Media mangles latest biotech innovation—hornless cows
Despite exaggerated claims from various media outlets over the weekend, the innovations that led to the hornless dairy cow are ...
On GMOs, New York Times foodie Mark Bittman is a dark cloud in the brightening sky of reason
It’s challenging to name a more influential food writer than The New York Times’ Mark Bittman—nor one less informed and ...
Your DNA in death: Reflections on the Henrietta Lacks bioethics controversy
We are in the early stages a personalized medicine revolution, but progress comes with growing pains -- in this case, ...
Monsanto Protection Act? Separating the facts from the fury
The so-called "Monsanto Protection Act" is hardly the “most dangerous food act ever” or a “terrifying piece of policy," as ...
Frankenstein’s Cat: How animal biotechnology informs us about our humanity
Science writer Emily Anthes' new book, Frankenstein’s Cat: Cuddling Up to Biotech’s Brave New Beasts provides an animated review of ...
Is there really a science-based GMO controversy? False balance captures Discover magazine
Discover's cover story on the anti-biotech movement gives unwarranted weight to anti-GM activists and in the process raises questions about ...
Should the government loosen ethical oversight of stem cell research?
When it comes to stem cell research, we’ve moved from an era of debating the ethics of a technology in ...
Scientists savage each other over ‘Junk DNA’ study while journalists mis-report the science
The "junk DNA isn't junk!" headline ran rampant earlier this year, in the wake of the ENCODE project publishing reams ...
The “BioPiracy” myth at the heart of the Monsanto case
Anti-GMO campaigners and some farmers claim that Monsanto and other corporations use their deep pockets and unfair patent laws to ...
Bowman v. Monsanto: Supremes unsympathetic to farmer’s deception
In the battle over GM seeds and their progeny, the Supreme Court appears to favor intellectual property rights ...
Bowman v Monsanto: Genetic innovation in the crosshairs?
This week, the Supreme Court will bear witness to a square-off between a 75-year-old soybean farmer and the world's largest ...
Can a rose catch your cold? Threat of ‘killer’ viral plant gene is latest anti-GMO rant
The latest "greatest danger to ever face humanity" has emerged from an obscure, technical study in GM Crops & Foods, ...
Anti-GM activists pounce on viral DNA in transgenic plants
The GLP examines the increasingly desperate efforts of staunch anti-GM activists and journalists to regroup in the face of "defeats" ...
Ron Unz on genius, IQ, race and meritocracy
What is the nature of intelligence and genius? Literally thousands of studies definitively show that DNA plays a dominant role; ...
Opening minds to science, technology and genetic engineering
Genetic modification is neither good nor bad. Like any technology it is a tool. Like nuclear technology, fracking or advanced ...
“The Signal and the Noise” in pharmacogenomics
Nate Silver, author of the 538 blog at the New York Times, has made statistics and quantitative modeling “cool” with ...
White House lifts political block on GE salmon
The Food and Drug Administration today released an electronic version of its Environmental Assessment for a genetically modified (GM) salmon ...
Is the White House interfering with a scientific review?
Leaked documents from the FDA suggest that the first transgenic animal to be considered for federal approval in the U.S ...
Greenpeace’s disinformation campaign against Golden Rice, and science, prevails in China
In late summer, the Asian arm of Greenpeace issued an alarming press release headlined: “24 children used as guinea pigs ...
Genetic pre-natal test opens window to improved diagnoses, stirs concerns
New fetal screening tests using gene chips instead of conventional chromosomal evaluation to identify congenital diseases may ignite a turf ...
Defeated anti-GMO coalition resurrected as GMO Inside
Defeated at the polls in California, anti-GM forces behind Proposition 37 have resurrected their campaign under the moniker GMO Inside ...
Disease tracking direct-to-consumer genome sequencing breaks $1000 barrier ($695)
Whole genome sequencing, (also known as full genome sequencing, complete genome sequencing, or entire genome sequencing), is a laboratory process ...
Gattaca alert: Personal genomics meets neo-eugenics
Eugenics is back into the headlines, thanks to rapid advances in personal genomics. Naturally, not everyone is inclined to greet ...
Can organics and biotech crops coexist peacefully? Organic lobbyists hope not
Big Organics is accelerating its attacks on the just released USDA Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century report, “Enchancing ...
USDA urges consideration of GMO crop insurance; Organic farmers howl
The USDA's new report, “Enchancing Coexistence,” advocates a crop insurance pilot program for farmers harmed by cross-pollination from GM crops ...
Anti-GM corn study reconsidered: Séralini finally responds to torrent of criticism
We are now two months into L'affaire Séralini—the publication of a maize rodent study by French scientist Gilles-Eric Séralini and ...
Is gene therapy finally emerging from the shadows?
The prospect of using gene therapy to treat diseases—particularly inherited diseases, such as sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis that ...