A new generation of genetically engineered crops that produce drugs and chemicals is fast approaching the market -- bringing with it a new wave of concerns about the safety of the global food and feed supply. The containment practices used by developers assume an ability to control living and propagating organisms, which scientific evidence does not support.
Genetically modified crops are no more harmful to the environment than conventional plant varieties, a major UK study has found.
Plant-made pharmaceuticals are inherently safer than those from animal cell cultures, which carry a risk of spreading animal pathogens. They also provide a much cheaper means of production. But fears that these "pharma crops" will contaminate the food supply are casting shadows on the promise of the technology.
enetically engineered crops do not pose health risks that cannot also arise from crops created by other techniques, including conventional breeding according to a new report from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
A weed that turns red when it grows near land mines could help clear dangerous fields in war-torn countries such as Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The genetically modified Thales cress is sensitive to nitrogen dioxide, a byproduct of mines, and changes from green to red when the gas is present in soil.
A Danish biotech company has developed a genetically modified flower that could help detect land mines and it hopes to have a prototype ready for use within a few years.
Farmers are leading a revolt against "biopharming" -- growing genetically modified crops solely to produce pharmaceutical drugs -- citing the risks the enhanced crops pose to food crops.
Genetically modified (GM) crops can contribute substantially to improving agriculture in developing countries, an independent scientific think-tank has concluded.
A system that prevents the crossbreeding of genetically modified plants and their nonmodified relatives has been developed and could alleviate concerns about altered genes spreading uncontrollably.
A genetic trick known as gene silencing could help wipe out serious farm pests such as the Mediterranean fruit fly but also has applications for controlling the breeding of genetically modified organisms such as "super salmon".