Category Archives: Biotechnology

The Myriad Case on Gene Patents: 3 Things to Know

Posted on April 15, 2013 by

15 Apr 2013: The Myriad case on “human gene patents” was argued at the Supreme Court this morning and it’s a big day for Intellectual Property. Here are 3 things you should know: 1. It’s not really about human genes. … Continue reading →

Posted in Biotechnology, Intellectual Property | 5 Comments

Bt Cotton is Failing; Blame the Farmers

Posted on February 9, 2013 by

Of all the GMO controversies around the world, the saga of Bt cotton in India continues to be one of the most interesting and important. In the latest chapter, reported by the Business Standard, cotton yields have dropped to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Biotechnology, India | Tagged , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

This is Your Brain on GMO’s

Posted on January 13, 2013 by

Last week British anti-GMO activist Mark Lynas took to the podium at a conference to apologize (or apologise) for having spent years “ripping up GMO’s.” Now he has decided that Genetically Modified Organisms are “an important technological option” and that … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Biotechnology | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

More to the Story — Top 5 GMO Myths

Posted on October 26, 2012 by

When you hear about “Myths About GMO’s” you can usually expect a polemic from an activist.  It may be an anti-GMO activist debunking myths like “GMO’s can help feed the world” or a pro-GMO activist debunking myths like “GMO’s can’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Biotechnology, Food, Industrial Agriculture | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Nuking Gene Patents?

Posted on March 29, 2012 by

The Myriad case – with its embedded nuclear bomb that would abolish most gene patents in the US – has been languishing on the Supreme Court’s desk ever since last year. The Supremes hadn’t accepted the appeal, or rejected the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biotechnology, Intellectual Property | 2 Comments

Decide for Yourself

Posted on February 27, 2012 by

The dust has not settled after India’s decision not to approve its first genetically modified food crop.  In fact it has just been kicked up again today, with the prime minister accusing foreign NGO’s of meddling and activists responding that … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Biotechnology, Food, India | 1 Comment

Bt Cotton, Remarkable Success, and Four Ugly Facts

Posted on February 12, 2012 by

Of all the crops and countries in GMO controversies today, few are as important than Bt cotton in India. GMO debates keep going back to small farmers and developing countries, and India has by far the most small farmers planting … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Biotechnology, India | 18 Comments

A Biotech Page-Turner

Posted on January 6, 2012 by

If you’re floundering around looking for a topic for your masters thesis in literature, allow me to submit for your consideration corporate media for children on GMO’s, a fascinating and understudied emerging genre. I was first introduced to this genre … Continue reading →

Posted in Biotechnology, India | Leave a comment

New GM Grass: Unregulated and Unstudiable

Posted on September 11, 2011 by

The NY Times recently published “Engineering Food for All,” a gushing op-ed by professional GMO proponent Nina Fedoroff that bemoaned the increasingly burdensome regulatory oversight of GM crops.  She went so far as to link world hunger to regulation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Biotechnology, Intellectual Property | 14 Comments

Putting the Germ into Germany

Posted on June 29, 2011 by

A truly frightening outbreak of E. coli food poisoning appeared in Germany in May.  Within a month it had infected more than 2,400 people in 13 countries across Europe, killing 23. The toxic strain of E. coli is being called O104:H4 … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Biotechnology, Food, Industrial Agriculture | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment