When discussing and writing about GMOs, many arguments are put forth on why they are “bad” and should be avoided. However, many of these are not about GMOs, but rather, are issues that we’re facing in modern agriculture and in our economy. In this
When I was younger, I used to think the Seralini study had something worth saying. The fact that he didn’t actually release the raw data at the beginning seemed unimportant, and I saw reason to at least consider what he found. After reading more
We can basically all agree that the best way to feed the world would involve as little spraying as possible, as few added chemicals as possible, have plants defend themselves against pests or diseases, and then have them carry as many nutrients as possible to our
So, I think we’ve all seen this type of image from anti-GMO activists: The irony is that this is so completely divorced from what one actually does to modify a tomato, or indeed any plant, that it only serves to polarize. Also, it allows
Yes, you read that right: the newest form of pest control relies on no chemicals, no spraying, no inserted proteins, and no risk for species we aren’t trying to target. This new method uses what’s called “RNA interference,” which is when double-stranded RNA is
A site run by a friendly and reasonably honest woman I know recently reposted a text titled “The Man Who Created AIDS: Robert Gallo.” The text went super-viral, over 80,000 shares on Facebook alone. Once I read it, I was aghast at how much misinformation and
A new study published in Biological Bulletin by Julie A. Schwartz, Nicholas E. Curtis, and Sidney K. Pierce found something otherwise thought impossible within the animal kingdom: genes important to photosynthesis were found on the chromosomes of an animal, the green sea slug (Elysia chlorotica). These sea
The roots of the organic movement lay in the hope of using fewer pesticides and reducing ecological impacts. When this movement decided to hide the pesticides that they use, and when it became an enemy of far more targeted techniques than the radiation (mutation
If I hear someone say “GMO ingredient” one more time, my head will probably explode in cloud of neural fireworks. When someone thinks that sugar or insulin from a genetically modified organism is somehow different from sugar or insulin from another source, I am
As a student of molecular biology, I am frequently confused as to why people seem intent to either completely ignore all scientific evidence and claim that GMOs are “bad for humans and the environment,” or at the other extreme: determined to protect every single
