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10 ways CRISPR will revolutionize environmental science
The hot new gene editing technique CRISPR has been making headlines for its potential to treat or prevent diseases. But medicine isn’t the only science where CRISPR is opening doors. This powerful genetic engineering tool is already helping scientists develop technologies to protect or repair the environment from human…
CRISPR-edited rice plants produce major boost in grain yield
A team of scientists from Purdue University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has used CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology to develop a variety of rice that produces 25-31 percent more grain and would have been virtually impossible to create through traditional breeding methods. The team, led by Jian-Kang Zhu,…
CRISPR could bring science closer to the consumer
Gene editing opens up a whole world of possibilities, from eliminating malaria to combating chronic disease. But for Francisco Barro Losada, a Spanish plant scientist working on developing gluten-free wheat, the potential benefits of gene editing are much more down to earth. “Everyone knows celiac people, and celiacs know…
Using CRISPR to design superior foods
Photo: Ashley Katz Scientists are now using a pioneering technology called CRISPR to edit a plant’s own genes, ushering in a host of new crop traits that directly benefit consumers. Produce that doesn’t bruise or brown In 2015, scientists at Pennsylvania State University described the first CRISPR-edited food: a…
CRISPR poised to transform livestock breeding in Africa
Gene editing will dramatically transform livestock breeding in Africa for the better in the next few years, predicted Dr. Andrew Kiggundu, a Ugandan agricultural scientist. CRISPR and other gene editing technology will have a much greater impact on animal production than crops due to the nature of livestock disease in…
CRISPR technology could bring the Green Revolution to Africa
At a panel discussion on CRISPR-Cas9 technology at the World Food Prize events in Iowa, researchers pointed to the massive potential of the gene-editing tool to improve crops like cassava, millet, sorghum and teff.
Five reasons why the anti-biotech movement is in retreat
The pro-science community has recently chalked up several important wins in Europe. First, on January 24, the powerful environment committee of the European Parliament backed the reform of the cumbersome regulatory system to allow ‘new genomic techniques’ (NGTs) to be used in crop breeding. (NGTs include gene editing tools…
Alliance for Science partners with AfPBA to train scientists on gene editing communication
The Alliance for Science collaborated with the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), the Africa Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCCC), and the World Agroforestry Center to hold a training session on science communication to help amplify the voices of researchers and PhD students working in the…