Kenrick Vezina
De-Extinction: If we’re being honest, it is a bit like Jurassic Park
Dinosaurs are not on the de-extinction agenda, but that doesn't mean that the philosophical questions raised by Jurassic Park are ...
Can farmers reduce toxic agricultural chemicals by tricking pests with pheromone-producing biotech plants?
Pesticides are necessary evil in farming, and are likely to remain so. But what if we could replace some of ...
A forensic approach to canine waste management
If you want to get an idea of how advanced a technology has become, you could look at the most ...
Promise of “easy” stem cells comes under investigation
Two breakthrough papers in Nature highlight a remarkable new technique for creating totipotent stem cells via a simple acid bath ...
Ancient genetics may lead to future treatment for gout
We're susceptible to gout because of a mutated gene in humans and other primates that prevents us from producing uricase, ...
Genetics gives hope of species-specific pesticides, minimal collateral damage
Imagine a future in which we no longer use pesticides. Instead, we use weevilicides or rootwormicides, targeted with exquisite precision ...
Why does the debate on GMOs matter?
Nathanael Johnson's six-month "Panic-Free GMOs" series at Grist recently ended with a whimper -- claiming "none of it matters" -- ...
Philpott faux pas: Shills, semantics, and a defense of the science writing community
Stop using “industry defenders” and other dismissive catch-alls to frame genetic modification as us-versus-them ...
Transgenic salmon hybridize with trout, produce sterile offspring
A recent "worst case scenario" breeding experiment has opponents of the AquAdvantage salmon unduly scared ...
Pesticide use is up — have biotech crops backfired?
What does increased pesticide use really say about the success or failure of pest-resistant biotech crops? ...
Confusion – scientific and ethical – reigns in the wake of stem cell cloning landmark
Scientists have finally succeeded in harvesting embryonic stem cells from human embryos cloned using the same technique that gave birth ...
Genetics continues to garner attention as conservation tool
Genetics continues to make headlines in conservation efforts, even if it's not the species-saving panacea some hope for ...
Voices come out in defense of Monsanto
Everyone's least favorite company has seen stories this week highlight its good side ...
Peru crop biotech ban highlights botched debate over biodiversity
Global demand for food is expected to increase by 70 percent in the next 40 years. What role could or ...
What role will genetics play in a biology-based approach to psychiatry?
Calls for a biology-based psychiatry are growing louder, but how will genetics fit into this puzzle? ...
Navigating the agricultural biotech minefield: When an MIT study is not an MIT study
Thanks to a credulous Reuters report, a shoddy piece of pseudoscience is making the rounds as “an MIT study” linking ...
Genetics versus new bird flu: The race is on
Scientists and researchers around the world are turning to new genetic techniques to race the outbreak of the new H5N7 ...
Has the pace of genetics research rendered the Myriad case obsolete?
Both sides in the Myriad genetics case seem to think the future of innovation is at stake, but a few ...
Lab-grown kidneys work in rats, offer hope for human transplants
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital report a medical first: lab-grown kidneys successfully transplanted into rats, where they functioned properly -- ...
Are we on the cusp of a bio-industrial revolution?
Imagine a biosynthetic hardware store, where researchers can cherry-pick exactly the correct parts to build whatever they’d like. Just as ...
De-extinction: Looking past the awe
De-extinction -- the revival of extinct species through biotechnology -- is an intoxicating idea. Who doesn't want the chance to ...
Nitrogen-efficient crops: The holy grail of agricultural biotech?
Nitrogen fertilizers cost a tremendous amount of money, damage the environment, and drain the planet's resources -- and only about ...
Twenty-year review: GM crops are safe
A review of two decades of research on transgenic crops has found transgenic crops no less safe than their traditional ...
The genetics of mental illness and the allure of gene-ism
The current reality of mental illness is one of blurred boundaries; new genetic results showing coming ground among several disorders ...
Scientists look to burrowing mice to understand genetics of instinct
A recent study in Nature reveals that the complex burrowing behavior of two sister species of mice is controlled by ...
GMOs and The Mark Lynas Conversion: Round Two Roundup
The GLP digs through the fallout from Mark Lynas's public "conversion" from anti-GMO to pro-science activist ...
New Mexico considers GMO labeling amendment
“The premise of this amendment is simple – New Mexicans deserve the right to know what's in the food they ...
Can genetic testing help prevent the next mass murder?
PolicyMicJames Holmes and Adam Lanza: Their DNA May Hold Clues On What Makes a ...PolicyMicNot only would Adam Lanza's genetic ...