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Invest more in agricultural innovations to tackle food insecurity, experts urge
Governments have been urged to increase investment in research and technological innovations to help deal with food insecurity. Speaking during a dialogue session at the World Food Prize event in Des Moines, Iowa – USA, Samantha Power, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator, said there is evidence…
Climate change: Gene editing can help create resilient crops
Experts say enhanced access to gene editing can help create resilient crops that respond appropriately to climate change. Some agricultural sector experts are advocating for enhanced access to improved technology like gene editing in crop production. They say this can help create resilient crops to respond to the negative impact…
New biotechnologies can help restore extinct species, say conservation scientists.
New biotechnologies such as de-extinction and cloning could help to bring extinct animals back from the dead and revive millions of endangered species, conservation advocates say. Ben Novak, who leads a project to revive passenger pigeons that died out in captivity in the 1900’s at Revive and Restore, says…
Sarah Evanega lauded for public service in science
Sarah Evanega, an imaginer who pioneered innovative approaches to science communication, today won the Mary Clutter Service in Science Public Service Award. Evanega, the founding director of the Alliance for Science who now serves as lead of stakeholder engagements at Pairwise, has long been…
African scientists lead the continent’s gene editing research
Research using gene editing technology is being undertaken on the continent largely by African scientists to provide solutions for Africa, according to a panel of scientists and regulatory experts. Their work is drawing upon the efficiency and precision of gene editing to restore staples that African farmers…
Pressure mounts on EU and NZ to review their strict anti-GMO policies
Two anti-GMO stalwarts — the European Union (EU) and New Zealand — are showing signs of softening their stance toward the technology in the face of climate change impacts and pressure to innovate. Regulators and others in the EU and NZ are advising that existing regulations are out…
Kenya’s gene-edited seeds will be affordable, scientist says
As Africa forges ahead with genome editing to boost agricultural production, a leading scientist has assured that products of this technology will be widely available and affordable to farmers. Some opponents of the technology have claimed that gene-edited seeds will be too costly for smallholder farmers…
Gene editing key to sustainable agriculture in Africa, scientists say
Africa must update its regulations to accommodate the gene-edited crops needed to sustainably intensify agriculture to feed the continent’s growing population, a new study says. “Sustainable intensification of agriculture in Africa is essential for accomplishing food and nutritional security and addressing the rising concerns of climate…
GMOs and gene editing: What’s the difference?
In our modern age of biotechnology, new tools are constantly being developed for agricultural improvement. Whether it’s DNA sequencing, plant tissue culture or gene editing, these advances are facilitating the development of better crops. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are one well-known example of agricultural biotechnology. The…