Do you know that you are unwittingly consuming GMO?
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Ban on GM crops hurting productivity, says retired don
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA BAN on genetically modified (GM) crops in the European Union hurts productivity, according to retired Montana State University Economics Prof Gary Brester (pix). At the Montana Farm Bureau Annual Convention in Billings, Professor Brester explained that claims that European yields without GM crops match those in the US the debate is not taking into […]
GM tomato gives added value
Reading Time: 2 minutesHong Kong researchers produce tomatoes with extra vitamins, antioxidants THE School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, the University of Hong Kong (HKU), in collaboration with the Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes (CNRS, Strasbourg, France), has identified a new strategy to simultaneously enhance health-promoting vitamin E by ~6-fold and double both provitamin A and […]
US consumers confused with ‘organic’ and ‘non-gm’ food labels, survey shows
Reading Time: < 1 minuteMANY consumers are getting confused with the “organic” and “non-GMO” labels, according to a national survey conducted by scientists at the University of Florida and Purdue University. In June 2016, the Congress approved the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard which allows companies to label GM foods by text, symbol, or QR codes. Economics experts, Brandon […]
ISAAA presents Pocket K 55
Reading Time: 4 minutesProject features biotech-improved animals OVER twenty years ago, the first biotech crop was placed in the market to benefit farmers and the consumers. Varieties of high yielding important crops were improved to contain traits such as insect resistance, herbicide tolerance, and drought tolerance among others. In 2016, 185.1 million hectares of biotech crops were planted […]
Uganda parliament passes biotech law
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE long-awaited National Biosafety Act of 2017 has been an voted into law by the Parliament of Uganda recently. Biosafety Bill 2017, previously known as the Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill 2012, was passed into law on Wednesday, bringing an end to years of campaign and counter campaigns by supporters and opponents of biotechnology. The process […]
Gluten-free GM wheat for coeliac patients
Reading Time: 2 minutesSCIENTISTS have engineered a new strain of wheat that produces forms of gluten that decrease triggering of a dangerous immune reaction in as many as one in 100 people. All gluten is not created equal. Most immune reaction to gluten is caused by a component in gluten called gliadins. Scientists at the Institute for Sustainable […]
Chicken eggs with interferon beta whites will drive down costs
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY SETH AUGENSTEIN GENETICALLY modified chickens are laying eggs with interferon beta in their whites, a team of Japanese scientists reports. The three female chickens are producing enough of interferon beta – used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and hepatitis, and virus research – to drive down normally-high costs of making the precious and expensive […]
GM moths come to New York
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDiamondback moths have inflicted billions of dollars of crop damage every year in the US. Their appetite for Brussels sprouts, kale and cauliflower make them a major pain for farmers. The US Department of Agriculture recently approved a potential solution: The release of genetically engineered diamondback moths for a field trial in an area of […]
Iran – The Muslim world’s crown jewel for scientific advancement
Reading Time: 5 minutesWHAT would you do if you are invited to Iran for a scientific conference? Succumb to the bad press and negative media propaganda that the country has been plastered with and reject the invitation? Not to mention the rumours that your USA visa will become null and void after visiting Iran? I am not one […]