Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a new way to track the insect pollinators essential to farming. In a new study, we installed miniature digital cameras and computers inside a greenhouse at a strawberry farm…
Category: Genetics
Viewpoint: ‘Imposing impoverishment’ — How European leadership has failed by promoting ideological solutions to sustainability challenges in farming
It is hard to find anyone with anything positive to say about 2022: economic, social, ethical, political, geopolitical success stories were rare; suffering and setbacks commonplace. Where was the leadership…
Shared Genetics for Cannabis Use and Psychiatric Disorders
Summary: Researchers discovered shared genetic underpinnings for cannabis use and psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Employing advanced statistical modeling, the study revealed a complex interplay of genetic variants…
How can we decrease risks of getting genetic-based diseases even if we carry potentially harmful genes?
The study of genetics has always been an attempt to understand our biologically determined fate. Many of us know of families with a predisposition to maladies like heart disease or…
Cracks appear in Europe’s opposition to CRISPR gene editing and other New Breeding Technologies
Despite what the anti-genetic engineering forces want you to believe, there is growing political, scientific and agricultural support across Europe for food grown from genetically engineered (GE) seeds. But is…
Schizophrenia Risk Genes: Placenta’s Role May Outweigh Brain’s
Summary: In a paradigm shift, researchers found over 100 genes associated with schizophrenia risk operate primarily through their role in the placenta, rather than the developing brain. The research emphasizes…
Does GMO corn increase crop yields? More than 20 years of data confirm it does — and provides substantial health and safety benefits
While many studies show that genetically modified crops contribute to yield gains, GMO critics say that they don’t. Such claims, they say, are industry talking points drawn from industry-funded studies.…
Viewpoint: Here’s the wacky formula used by Environmental Working Group to stoke unwarranted fears about safe chemicals
The EWG study, published in Environmental Research, is a model. Rather than actually measure serum levels of PFOs [Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid], the group merely measured the quantity of PFOs in…
Personalized genetic cancer treatments key in increasing longevity and quality of life
Many people think of cancer as a single disease, and for many years the only treatment was to cut out tumor tissue that could be seen. However, the history of…
Viewpoint fact check: Honeybees aren’t disappearing and GMOs do not cause colony collapse disorder
Myth: The honeybees are disappearing Fact: In 2020 the EU had approximately 19 million honeybee hives, managed by 615,000 beekeepers. These hives altogether produced 275,000 tonnes of honey. Beekeeping is practiced…
