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First Prev Displaying articles 301 - 82 of 382
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Negative results
For years, it's been the habit of scientific journals to reject papers
offering 'negative results', i.e.,
papers concluding that GM plants do
not cause harm. Perhaps because such findings are
considered too unremarkable. Things may be changing, though, with the
publication of three papers which conclude that plants engineered to
express proteins from Bacillus
thuringiensis are not a problem. More†
Posted: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 8:50 am |
Pusztai unrepentant
It's been a decade since Arpad Pusztai caused an international uproar
over GM crops by claiming his research at the prestigious Rowett
Research Institute had proven they caused organ abnormalities in rats.
His findings were declared useless, and his conclusions unwarranted. He
lost his research position. Now, in a letter to an activist group, he
says, 'not much has changed since 1998.' More†
Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 11:54 am |
Canada-China canola partnership
The first project to be undertaken under this agreement is to complete genomics work on canola to identify genes that affect yield and adaptation to various environmental stresses. More†
Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 11:54 am |
UK, Brussels at odds over pesticides
Britain and the European Commission are trading accusations over plans
to revoke approvals for crop protection products relied upon by
farmers. More†
Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 11:54 am - 1 opinion posted |
Activists target Aussie farmers
They've put up a website which claims to identify the locations of GM
canola, which is now legally being grown for the first time. Farmers
claim the information invades their privacy -- but the accuracy of the information is questionable, and the activist group has two different stories about how it
got the data. More†
Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 11:54 am |
Switchgrass for bioplastics
Metabolix, Inc. has announced it has successfully
engineered switchgrass
plants to produce "significant amounts" of PHA bioplastics in leaf
tissues. This has been a key corporate goal in a project spanning seven
years. More†
Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 11:54 am |
Scientists discover new group of plant hormones
Called strigolactones, they are chemicals known to be involved in the
interaction between plants
and their environment. Acting as hormones, they are also crucial for
the branching of plants. More†
Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 11:54 am |
Scots' MP defies party, government line
Peter Wishart, Scottish National Party MP, has defied the anti-biotechnology stance of his party and his government, by announcing at the UN Year of the Potato conference in Dundee, 'I believe that it is time to look again at our attitude to biotechnology'. He likely has a fight on his hands. More†
Posted: Monday, August 11, 2008 10:37 am |
S. Korea relies on US maize
... which now comprises 93 percent of market share. This is up from an estimated 52 percent share during the same period in 2007. The country requires that processed foods in 27 categories with detectable levels of GM content bear a "GM food" label.
More†
Posted: Monday, August 11, 2008 10:37 am |
India's soy exports to escalate
India is said to be a major source of non-GM soy. Its soy meal exports have more than quadrupled and oil seeds as a whole doubled this year. With 11 percent more acres in soy, the increase in output is forecast to be 20 percent. What could account for the increase in production? More crushing, or more soybeans per acre?
More†
Posted: Monday, August 11, 2008 10:37 am |
Uganda opens research greenhouse
The computerized facility will be used to develop GM bananas, and the government plans to fund additional research.
More†
Posted: Monday, August 11, 2008 10:37 am |
August 8, 2008: Forcing the issues
The issues surrounding the use of biotechnology in agriculture are mainly political creations, and there are various ways to force them. The week's news offer many examples of how such issues can be forced -- and examples of what's being done by people who would rather solve issues than create them.
More†
Andrew Apel - Posted: Friday, August 8, 2008 2:06 pm - 1 opinion posted |
Potato blight could return
Rob Clayton, an agronomist with Britain's Potato Council, is warning that the UK potato crop could fall by 40 percent if Europe bans the main ingredient used in fungicides against blight. If the EP doesn't change course, the choices are stark: blight-resistant GM potatoes, or a potato shortage. More†
Posted: Friday, August 8, 2008 12:54 pm |
Skeptoid: Fear of GMOs
Skeptoid 'is a weekly podcast dedicated to furthering knowledge by blasting away the widespread pseudosciences that infect popular culture.' This week, the topic is GMOs.
More†
Posted: Friday, August 8, 2008 12:54 pm |
Canada compensates potato growers
Bans on Canadian seed potatoes potentially exposed to the potato cyst nematode have cost Canadian seed-potato producers about C$35 million in sales, and the government is paying the price. Not much of it, though. Taxpayers are footing most of the bill, farmers are paying the rest, and it seems likely that biotechnology could have prevented it all.
More†
Posted: Thursday, August 7, 2008 3:44 pm - 1 opinion posted |
Relief from striga
Using marker-assisted selection, scientists have successfully identified and transferred sorghum genes that confer resistance to striga, Africa’s most deadly weed. A plant gene conferring weed resistance? Yes, striga really is that bad.
More†
Posted: Thursday, August 7, 2008 12:00 pm |
Vip3Aa exempted from tolerance
The US Environmental Protection Agency has passed a final rule exempting Bacillus thuringiensis Vip3Aa proteins in maize and cotton from the requirement of a tolerance in food and feed.
More†
Posted: Thursday, August 7, 2008 12:00 pm |
Monsanto's Posilac for sale
Monsanto has been selling Posilac, or recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), since 1994. Now, Monsanto is divesting it.
More†
Posted: Thursday, August 7, 2008 12:00 pm |
Partnership to fight fungus in maize
DuPont and Hexima, Ltd. have formed a partnership to develop and commercialize fungal disease resistance technology in maize. The companies envision similar work with soybeans and other crops. More†
Posted: Thursday, August 7, 2008 12:00 pm |
FSANZ invites comments on food standards
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has invited the public to comment on proposed changes to the food code. The proposals include food-use approval of two GM crops. More†
Posted: Thursday, August 7, 2008 12:00 pm |
Peer review: a recipe for conflict
Peer review of scientific papers is supposed to maintain high standards in scientific publishing. In a commentary published in Current Science, three authors contend that peer review has actually become 'a tool for political activism' in the field of agricultural biotechnology. More†
Posted: Thursday, August 7, 2008 12:00 pm |
Agresearch seeks GM livestock approval
Agresearch, the largest science company of the New Zealand government, is asking regulators to grant broad approvals to genetically engineer 18 different animals for commercial production of pharmaceuticals. More†
Posted: Thursday, August 7, 2008 12:00 pm |
Crop attack in Germany
Another field of GM maize has been attacked and partially destroyed in Germany, in spite of the farmer's rather remarkable measures to safeguard his crop.
More†
Posted: Thursday, August 7, 2008 12:00 pm |
Vitis proceeds to field trials
Vitis Biosciences Inc., based at Cornell University's state Agricultural Experiment Station, is making progress with GM grapes. One hoped-for result, resistance to the grapevine fanleaf virus, 'theoretically shouldn't' occur. More†
Posted: Wednesday, August 6, 2008 2:08 pm |
Japanese trader purchases US facilities
Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp. has acquired storage facilities in the US, as part of a plan to buy maize and soybeans directly from local farmers. Direct transactions with those farmers will allow Marubeni to request crops tailored to the Japanese market, such as non-GM soy. More†
Posted: Wednesday, August 6, 2008 2:08 pm |
UK Launches national food policy
The USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service is hailing the UK's new national food policy as 'forward-thinking in direction, global in context, and champions trade over national protectionism.' The policy addresses agricultural biotechnology, which UK government departments will report upon by the end of the year.
More†
Posted: Wednesday, August 6, 2008 2:08 pm |
Seeds in space
Australia has sent a batch of 2,500 Golden Wattle, NSW Waratah, Flannel Flower and Wollemi Pine seeds to the International Space Station. It's an experiment, designed to study the effects of radiation and changed gravity on the seeds -- and could lead to the future storage of seeds in space. The project comes on the heels of completion of 'The Doomsday Vault' in Svalbard, Norway (and almost got filed under 'Potpourri', below). More†
Posted: Wednesday, August 6, 2008 2:08 pm - 1 opinion posted |
Farmers stand firm on GM
At its annual meeting, a farmers association in New South Wales, Australia has rejected a bid to stop the cultivation of GM canola. However, the farmers asked for other forms of government intervention -- regarding coexistence.
More†
Posted: Wednesday, August 6, 2008 2:08 pm |
Jinro to stop using GM maize
South Korea's largest maker of soju, a popular liquor, says it will stop using GM maize in all its alcoholic beverages. According to Asia In Focus via COMTEX, the company cited "growing public concern over the safety of genetically modified organisms". That isn't the whole story on what may be a very risky move for the company.
More†
Posted: Tuesday, August 5, 2008 11:30 am |
Who is the biopirate?
It could be Chile, or it could be Peru. It could certainly include nearly everyone else. At the center of the controversy lies the humble potato, a staple of billions around the world. Genetic testing may settle at least some of the issues involved. More†
Posted: Tuesday, August 5, 2008 11:30 am |
Work on drought-resistant potato, soy
At Idaho State University, Dring Crowell estimates a transgenic drought-resistant potato will be ready for greenhouse trials within a year.
More†
Posted: Tuesday, August 5, 2008 11:30 am |
Monsanto has plans in Japan
Kim Magin Sutter, Monsanto's Director of Global Oilseed Industry Affairs, sees "real opportunity in GM soybeans for Japanese consumers". There could be a market there for seed, as well. More†
Posted: Tuesday, August 5, 2008 11:30 am |
Family of virulence proteins
In what looks like a triple whammy, researchers from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have (1) identified the region of a large family of virulence proteins in oomycete plant pathogens, (2) established that virulence proteins from oomycetes and the malaria parasite Plasmodium use the same entry mechanism, (3) using a 'double-barreled gene gun' described as 'ingenious'.
More†
Posted: Tuesday, August 5, 2008 11:30 am |
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, 1918-2008
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Prize-winning author who shook the foundations of Soviet rule with his monumental work "The Gulag Archipelago," died late Sunday in his Moscow region home at the age of 89. Though noted for literature, his political insights also inspire. More†
Posted: Tuesday, August 5, 2008 11:30 am |
Activists fear storm damage to field trials
New Zealand activist group GE Free NZ has issued a press release claiming "[t]here are concerns that recent storms have impacted GM crop trials", but this is not an offer of condolence.
More†
Posted: Monday, August 4, 2008 11:11 am |
GMO thriller hits bookshelves
In THRIPZ, "[a] reporter with an extranormal sense for trouble plows headlong into an agricultural disaster on the island of Oahu." More†
Posted: Monday, August 4, 2008 11:11 am |
Poland consults public on proposed legislation
Poland is set to begin public consultations this week on the draft of new legislation governing GMOs. The draft, proposed by the Ministry of the Environment, represents an attempt to reconcile Poland's national laws with European Union requirements. The result could force Europe to decide what the real difference is between a regulation, and a ban.
More†
Posted: Monday, August 4, 2008 11:11 am |
Vietnam announces pro-GM policy
Just a few weeks ago, China announced an aggressive pro-GM policy aimed at rural development and domestic food security. It looks like Vietnam is following suit--though some are skeptical. More†
Posted: Sunday, August 3, 2008 5:35 pm |
Thailand considering new field trial regs
The decision of the Thai Cabinet revoke a ban on biotech field trials in December 2007 led to frustration -- because the ban was replaced with a requirement for public hearings and Cabinet approval on a case-by case basis. This may change as soon as early 2009. Or not.
More†
Posted: Sunday, August 3, 2008 5:35 pm |
Japan detects Chinese rice
Since January, Japan has found three incidents of processed rice product imports from China that were derived from Bt-63, a GM variety that is not approved by government officials.
More†
Posted: Sunday, August 3, 2008 5:35 pm |
Loophole in Japanese seed law
More and more home gardeners are planting the seeds and the government refuses to draft a law banning their possession, the health ministry said. The troublesome seeds are even available for purchase on the internet.
More†
Posted: Sunday, August 3, 2008 5:35 pm |
Rice and biomass
Critics of grain-based ethanol production point to cellulosic biomass as an alternative in the 'fuel vs. food' debate. However, an acre dedicated to growing biomass is not an acre involved in food production. That still won't change, according to the announced purpose of a project at Colorado State University devoted to engineering rice for biomass.
More†
Posted: Sunday, August 3, 2008 5:35 pm |
August 1, 2008: Freedom to operate
In Europe, a farmer, a public research facility and a corporation have filed separate lawsuits over various government restrictions on GM crops and research. In technology, researchers gained open access to kiwifruit genes, plant transformation technology, and a scientific journal. In China and Australia, the commercialization of GM crops is creating difficult, though foreseeable issues. All of these stories highlight, one way or another, the struggle for 'freedom to operate'. More†
Andrew Apel - Posted: Saturday, August 2, 2008 7:08 am |
Open-access genomics journal
The Crop Science Society of America has launched The Plant Genome, an international open-access electronic journal focused on plant genomics research.
More†
Posted: Friday, August 1, 2008 10:22 am |
Plant science 'research hotel' opens
Co-located at CSIRO's Black Mountain site and The Australian National University, the High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre is intended to attract plant scientists from across Australia and the world to Canberra by providing them with access to the next generation of robotic and imaging plant research tools. More†
Posted: Friday, August 1, 2008 10:22 am |
One gene, two benefits
Researchers at Dartmouth College have identified an important gene for a healthy, nutritious plant. Dubbed FRO7, it is required for both efficient photosynthesis and for iron metabolism. More†
Posted: Friday, August 1, 2008 10:22 am |
Australia: 'possible to label all GM foods'
Australia's ABC News reports that "The Food Standards agency says it could soon be possible for all genetically modified food to be labelled." GMObelus is not convinced. More†
Posted: Friday, August 1, 2008 10:22 am |
Thai court tosses Greenpeace lawsuit
The court ruled that Thailand's Department of Agriculture (DOA) followed the necessary legal steps to contain GM papaya, including stopping distributing GM papaya seeds and destroying all papaya trees in affected plantations. More†
Posted: Friday, August 1, 2008 10:22 am |
NZ Greens 'to protect farms'
New Zealand's Green Party claims it has negotiated a political deal with the National and Labour parties, and is predicting new rules will 'protect farms who want to stay GE-free'. Green Party Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says a public consultation process would start immediately and would be only last a few weeks. More†
Posted: Friday, August 1, 2008 10:22 am - 1 opinion posted |
Kiwi genes for color, flavor, shape, nutrition and ripening
Researchers at New Zealand-based fruit science company HortResearch and listed New Zealand biotech company Genesis Research and Development Corporation Limited have publicly released over 130,000 kiwifruit expressed sequence tags (ESTs). More†
Posted: Friday, August 1, 2008 10:22 am |
GMOlympics?
In an article titled 'Genetically Modified Olympians?', The Economist examines the prospect of athletes using gene therapy to enhance their performance - and of catching them if they try. There already exist regulations dealing with GM humans engaged in competitive sports.
More†
Posted: Friday, August 1, 2008 10:22 am |
Alleged anti-GM vandals indicted
Bryan Rivera, Katherine Christianson, and Aaron Ellringer have been indicted in Madison, Wis., for allegedly attacking a US Forest Service facility in Rhinelander, Wis. in 2000. Prosecutors said Rivera, Christianson and two others used saws to cut down trees and spray paint and etching cream to vandalize Forest Service vehicles with references to the Earth Liberation Front. More†
Posted: Friday, August 1, 2008 10:22 am |
Cloning in Europe: Status
Some reports say EC scientists are against cloning food animals, others say they declared the technology safe, while others see the scientists dithering on the issue. The USDA FAS has its own interpretation, as well. The situation is actually fairly clear. More†
Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008 11:33 am |
Deeper roots for thirsty crops
That's the approach of researchers at Tel Aviv University, who cite a growing shortage of water supplies for agriculture and the inefficiency of current irrigation methods. More†
Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008 11:33 am |
Nano-foods: a new target?
"Consumer advocates" at a food safety conference in Orlando, Florida, this week said food "produced by using nanotechnology is quietly coming onto the market", and that they "want U.S. authorities to force manufacturers to identify them." We've heard something like that before. Hint: "Nanotechnology involves the design and manipulation of materials on molecular scales ... invisible to the naked eye. Companies using nanotechnology say it can enhance the flavor or nutritional effectiveness of food." More†
Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008 11:33 am |
New Zealand considers new GM regulations
The Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) says the purpose of the proposed changes "is to provide a greater level of transparency, accountability and public openness in the management of GM crops should they be approved for use in New Zealand." The Ministry for the Environment says the same thing, naturally. The New Zealand Life Sciences Network says the proposals "threaten to emasculate the Environmental Risk Management Authority and stop good science in its tracks". More†
Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008 11:33 am |
Belgium blocks field trial proposal
As a result, Europe is seeing yet another legal challenge to biotechnology regulations. The Flanders Institute for Biotechnology [Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, VIB], has "responded in disbelief" to the rejection by the Belgian government of its request to carry out a field trial with GM poplars.
Saying, "[i]t does not happen often that politicians clearly back biotech", the non-profit scientific research institute has the backing of the Flemish minister for Economy, Science and Innovation, Patricia Ceysens, who is taking the matter to court. More†
Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008 11:33 am |
Monsanto to face competition in India
Monsanto and Mahyco, its partner in India, currently own the Bt technology currently in use to control insect pests in cotton. Public institutions have developed competing Bt seed technology, and will offer it to farmers next year.
More†
Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008 11:33 am |
Aussie farmers warned about contracts
A guarantee of no GM content may be unreasonable to make, a lawyer says--and he recommends adding a clause regarding tolerance of "contamination". More†
Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008 11:33 am |
World biotech regs updated
The USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) has updated its information on Kenya, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Venezuela. It's quite a mixed bag of news. More†
Posted: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 12:22 pm |
Russia considers grain grab
Russia is looking at the possibility of privatizing an agency within its Ministry of Agriculture. The result would be an open joint stock company (OAO) which would control Russia's grain trade and exports. Similarities to OAO Gazprom should not be overlooked, nor the possible impacts on biotechnology. More†
Posted: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 12:22 pm |
'Negative attitudes' said to hinder China
China recently announced an aggressive program to develop biotechnology for rural development and national food security--a program it claims is hindered by hostility to GM crops. The question is, whose hostility? More†
Posted: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 12:22 pm |
Tobacco for land-mine detection
Lately, news about GM tobacco for detecting land mines is everywhere. How soon will we see this technology implemented? Perhaps never. More†
Posted: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 12:22 pm |
New Zealand chases down Chinese rice
A recall of rice products is under way in New Zealand, after the Food Safety Authority detected trace quantities of the unauthorised GM rice variety, Bt63. The Bt rice escaped from Chinese government research trials (most likely on two legs) and has since been appearing in rice and rice products around the world. More†
Posted: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 12:22 pm |
"Build a Better Being"
That's the tag line for Spore, which offers the Spore Creature Creator. It allows you to develop designer fauna in the confinement of cyberspace. A GM frog is one example. More†
Posted: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 12:22 pm |
BIOBASE enters the agriculture market
BIOBASE has entered the agricultural market with the release of its latest products designed specifically for plant researchers. According to the company, the "green" versions of its BIOBASE Knowledge Library (BKL) and ExPlain Analysis Platform can assist investigators studying crop optimization, disease resistance, stress tolerance and other important areas of plant biotechnology research. More†
Posted: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 12:22 pm |
New Asian Seed Association
The new association groups private and public-sector producers, and covers the 10-nation Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) region of Central Asia. More†
Posted: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 12:22 pm |
The high cost of field trials
In Britain, conducting field trials of GM crops is very expensive. The biggest cost isn't regulatory compliance -- it's security. More†
Posted: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 9:56 am |
New approach to cold tolerance
A group of scientists from Xianjiang University in China developed cold tolerant transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing an antifreeze protein -- from a beetle. More†
Posted: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 9:56 am |
In Europe, BASF isn't the only one suing the government
Farmer Christoph Plass of Liebenwalde, Germany has filed suit against the Germany's Brandenburg District, claiming that regulations regarding separation distances for GM maize interfere with his right to farm. More†
Posted: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 9:56 am |
Carbon credits for milk?
Another study finds that rBST is environmentally friendly. Getting environmentalists to like rBST is another thing entirely. More†
Posted: Monday, July 28, 2008 1:16 pm |
Environmentalism isn't what it used to be
When some people take a closer look at environmentalism, what they see is Socialism. A blogger and a newly-published (on the internet) video explain. More†
Posted: Monday, July 28, 2008 1:16 pm |
American plague strikes European crops
European corn production is at risk from the Western corn rootworm. How will Europe cope? Two multinationals offer two different solutions. More†
Posted: Monday, July 28, 2008 1:16 pm |
More options for US farmers
US farmers will likely have two more options for controlling insect pests by 2010, if other countries approve of them. More†
Posted: Monday, July 28, 2008 1:16 pm |
Export approvals for high-yield soy
Mexico, Australia and New Zealand have given the nod to Roundup Ready 2 Yield, which means US farmers will likely start growing it in 2009. More†
Posted: Monday, July 28, 2008 1:16 pm |
Open-source tech for gene engineering
It's a method for generating synthetic enzymes that can target particular DNA sequences for inactivation or repair, developed by a multi-institutional team led by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators. More†
Posted: Monday, July 28, 2008 1:16 pm |
July 14, 2008
Events in Europe continue to dominate policy and trade as much as rising prices for commodities and agricultural inputs. In the face of higher prices, Europeans have determined to review their policies regarding the approval and cultivation of GM crops. What's being treated as a success with Codex on the adventitious presence of unapproved varieties is likely not to be followed by European policies and politicians, with a resurgence in the Precautionary Principle and a spate of attacks on farmers' crops.
Meanwhile, rising prices for farm inputs threaten to erase the increase in farm income represented by rising food prices. The generous CAP will insulate European farmers to a great degree, promising that input-driven turmoil in markets will generally be found elsewhere. More†
Posted: Thursday, July 17, 2008 1:23 pm - 3 opinions posted |
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