Tag Archives: genetically modified

Bt Cotton in Africa: What Happened in Burkina Faso?

Posted on August 6, 2016 by

As stories about GM crops in developing countries unfold, I continue to be struck by how very different each case is.  Despite the desire for simple global narratives of success or failure, the crops differ, the transgenic traits differ, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Agriculture, Biotechnology | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

GM Grass Goes Yard

Posted on February 1, 2014 by

The grass seed company Scotts Miracle-Gro announced at its shareholder meeting this past week that they would be having employees testing genetically modified grass seed in their yards. Is that legal? Yes.  Because it’s been approved as environmentally safe?  Nope; … Continue reading →

Posted in Biotechnology, Regulation | Tagged , , , , | 11 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 , , , , , , , | 53 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 , , | 10 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 , , , , | 9 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

Golden Rice, soon. Or not.

Posted on May 30, 2011 by

We have a new E.T.A. on Golden Rice. Well, sort of: the institutes in the Philippines that have been conducting field tests since 2008 say they may be able to submit the needed data for regulatory approval by 2013 in … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Biotechnology, Food, Intellectual Property | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Do Not Read: GM Cotton and Indian Farmer Suicide

Posted on May 13, 2011 by

More in the news this week about Indian cotton farmers killing themselves. Mainly cotton farmers. Mostly deep in debt. One every 30 minutes. According to some, the underlying cause is the spread of being genetically modified Bt cotton. It has … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Biotechnology, India | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Blood type: Bt

Posted on April 27, 2011 by

A new study by toxicologists and obstetricians looks in the bloodstreams of a sample of Canadians for pesticides associated with genetically modified foods (new acronym alert: PAGMF).  They studied pregnant women, their fetuses (actually umbilical cord blood after delivery), and … Continue reading →

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