Stronger Plants, Stronger Science, and Stronger Communication
In part 1 of this series, I discussed the history of genetic modification in insects as pest control. We’ve been creating insect GMOs for the purposes of controlling pests for awhile. If you bombard insects with radiation, it can kill rapidly reproducing cells. High doses of radiation can also damage the DNA in quickly reproducing…
Read More “Genetic modification of insects as pest control part 2” »
Looking at all of the notes I’ve taken at the First Global Conference on Biofortification hosted by Harvest Plus, I’m a little overwhelmed. There were so many important ideas, from specific details on the ground in Uganda to broad discussions that affect everything we do in communicating risk. The take home message, for me, is…
The maize genetics community needs your help! POPcorn a special resource being developed with the goal of putting all maize-related information in one easy-to-use place. To help make POPcorn the best possible resource, they need feedback on ease of use. Not a maize geneticist or breeder? The resource might still be of use to you…
In a few moments, talks at the First Global Conference on Biofortification will begin. Up first: the keynote address The Future of Food by William J. Garvelink, the US Government Deputy Coordinator for Development Feed the Future: Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative. Then, a panel discussion on the Importance of agriculture for addressing malnutrition. If you…
Some of you may have noticed a little restructuring on Biofortified lately, others may have gone browsing around and found an interesting unexplained page, or might have recalled discussions about a new and fantastic database being planned for Biofortified and what we were thinking about calling it. Well now the wait is over and all…
In Risk assessment and mitigation of AquAdvantage salmon I discussed exactly what Aqua Bounty was asking permission from the FDA to do, as well as the environmental, animal welfare, and human health concerns associated with the AquAvantage fish in comparison to non-transgenic farmed salmon. The Center for Food Safety has a “new” document to bring…
Written by Colby Vorland It would seem illogical that organic compounds are all more sustainable than synthetics, or vice versa. The term “organic” has a health halo, biasing many people toward believing organic growing techniques are best for the environment. I’ve already covered analyses suggesting that there isn’t enough evidence that suggests organic foods are…
Read More “Organic pesticides aren’t necessarily more sustainable than synthetic” »
We often hear that there are only two genetically engineered traits on the market – Roundup Ready and Bt. And, for the most part, that’s correct. There are a few other commercialized traits, such as virus resistant papaya and squash, but why aren’t there more? We see all sorts of papers about awesome genetically engineered…
Read More “The regulatory bottleneck for biotech specialty crops” »
