Changing my community through science communication
Reading Time: 3 minutesBY HABIMANA JEAN CLAUDE IT IS Saturday morning in southern Rwanda. Nyiramana’s face is drenched in sweat as she plants maize in her two-acre family farm. She expects to make a decent profit this season given she got the seed at a bargain. A couple of weeks later, Nyiramana’s hope begins to dwindle. The rains […]
Would you eat GM food if you understood the science behind it?
Reading Time: 2 minutesJONATHAN MCPHETRES, a newly minted PhD in psychology from the University of Rochester, admits he’s “personally amazed” what we can do with genes, specifically genetically modified food — such as saving papayas from extinction. “We can makes crops better, more resilient, and more profitable and easier for farmers to grow, so that we can provide […]
Would you eat GM food if you understood the science behind it?
Reading Time: 2 minutesJONATHAN MCPHETRES, a newly minted PhD in psychology from the University of Rochester, admits he’s “personally amazed” what we can do with genes, specifically genetically modified food — such as saving papayas from extinction. “We can makes crops better, more resilient, and more profitable and easier for farmers to grow, so that we can provide […]
Nigeria approves Bt cowpea commercialisation
Reading Time: < 1 minuteCOWPEA, also known as kacang tunggak in Malay may not be a key crop in Malaysia, but the Indians have long been using it in curry and vadai, the Malays add it in ketupat palas, while the Chinese mix it in stew. Like so many other crops, the cowpea faces threats from insects, fungi, bacteria and viruses. In Nigeria, [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ] Maruca pod-borer infestation […]
Genetically modified hens ‘lay drugs’
Reading Time: 2 minutesSCIENTISTS at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute have produced GM chickens that make human proteins in their eggs, offering a more cost-effective method of producing certain types of drugs. The study published in BMC Biotechnology initially focused on producing high quality proteins for use in scientific research and later found the drugs work at […]
GM houseplant to keep home’s air clean
Reading Time: 2 minutesWE like to keep the air in our homes as clean as possible, and sometimes we use HEPA air filters to keep offending allergens and dust particles at bay. But some hazardous compounds are too small to be trapped in these filters. Small molecules like chloroform, which is present in small amounts in chlorinated water, or benzene, which is a component of gasoline, build up in […]
Report: GMOs, gene editing can help feed the world
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA NEW REPORT, Creating a Sustainable Food Future, published by the World Resources Institute (WRI) suggests ways of feeding the planet’s almost 10 billion people by 2050 when food demand is set to rise by over 50 per cent, and demand for animal-based food products (meat, dairy, and eggs) likely to grow by almost 70 per cent. The report states that the world must boost food production […]
‘Gene edited tilapia is not GMO’
Reading Time: 2 minutesA line of tilapia that has been gene edited will not be classified as a genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Argentina according to a government advisory commission. THE line, known as FLT 01, has been developed by Intrexon and its subsidiary AquaBounty Technologies., the biotechnology company best known for its AquaAdvantage salmon strain. The tilapia […]
Indonesia’s Bt sugarcane sees the light of day
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe Petri Dish editor-in-chief Dr Mahaletchumy Arujanan hosted an email Q&A with Prof Bambang Sugiharto (BS) and Dr Agus Pakpahan (AP) who were both involved in the development of the country’s first biotech crop. Bambang is from the Center for Development of Advanced Science and Technology (CDAST) and Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and […]
Indonesia’s first GM crop to hit the market
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE government of Indonesia has approved the first locally developed genetically modified crop which will soon be commercialised in the country. The biotech sugarcane event NXI-4T which contains the betaine gene was developed by the state-owned sugar company, PT Perkebunan Nusantara XI (PTPN XI). The gene expressed osmoprotectant compound which was introduced using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated […]