Eliminating malaria may soon be possible, spreading resistance genes among mosquito populations in a chain reaction driven by CRISPR One of the nightmares associated with genetically modified (GM) crops has been the worry that a genetic change engineered in the laboratory might somehow “escape” from a target crop and spread like fire through natural populations,… Read More »
The world leader in applying biotechnology to agriculture, St. Louis’ Monsanto, is in the process of acquiring a little-known cotton seed company, Delta & Pine Land, and with it U.S. patent 5,723,765. This patent covers an ingenious “technology protection system” that can be used to ensure that genetically modified plants produce sterile seeds. The commercial… Read More »
Two weeks ago in the journal Science, Dr. Gerald Schatten and a team of researchers at Oregon Health Sciences University reported the first successful genetic engineering of a primate, a baby rhesus monkey whose name — ANDi — stands for inserted DNA spelled backwards. ANDi received worldwide attention, with stories in all major newspapers. I… Read More »
In the last decade the United States has undergone a revolution in agriculture. Genetically modified crops of corn, cotton, and soybeans are now commonplace — in 1999, over half of the 72 million acres planted with soybeans in the United States were planted with seeds genetically modified to be herbicide resistant, with the result that… Read More »
Hurricane Bill strengthened today as it bore down on Bermuda, the strongest of three tropical storms that formed this week. My wife took advantage of the cash-for-clunkers program last week to buy a Prius that gets 50 miles per gallon. Down the road, I find that my local BP (British Petrolium) gas station has rebranded… Read More »
Early this year the Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug produced by a genetically engineered farm animal. In what I am sure will be followed by many pharmaceuticals produced on the farm (“pharming”… get it?), a human gene was transferred into goats and the drug harvested from the goat milk. As you might… Read More »
The essence of genetic engineering is to transfer a useful gene from one organism to another. But where do they find useful genes? When scientists know what to look for — the identity of the exact gene they need — it doesn’t much matter from what kind of organism they actually extract the desired useful… Read More »
Last week newspapers were abuzz with reports that the worlds first genetically modified human babies had been born. Most accounts gave only a sketchy description of what had occurred, but managed to convey a real sense of alarm. The St. Louis Post Dispatch called for federal guidelines that must have teeth to prevent free-wheeling fertility… Read More »
While the promise of genetic engineering is very much in evidence, this same genetic engineering has this summer been the cause of outright war between researchers and protesters in England. In June, 1999, British protesters attacked an experimental plot of genetically modified (GM) sugar beets; the following August they destroyed a test field of GM… Read More »
Few issues manage to raise the temperature of discussions about plant genetic engineering more than labelling of genetically modified (GM) crops. Agricultural producers have argued that there are no demonstrable risks, so that a GM label can only have the function of scaring off wary consumers. Consumer advocates respond that consumers have every right to… Read More »
Much of my summer revolves around grass. The kind you cut. Each year on a day early in May, the billions of little green monsters that inhabit the surface of my yard explode into growth. Each of these blades of grass is a personal enemy. Over the long summer, I am its servant, providing it… Read More »
Much of the work being presented at the XVI International Botanical Congress, meeting at the convention center this week, involves genetic engineering. Put simply, gene engineering is moving genes from one organism to another. Many scientists think of genetic engineering as a powerful tool with which to mold a better world. Others think transgenic plants… Read More »
More than any other food, rice feeds our world. Fully half the world’s population eats rice as a staple; it makes up fully two-thirds of the diet of subsistence farmers in Bangladesh and India. Most of those reading this column have seen pictures of Asian rice fields typically small level plots terraced up a… Read More »
