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Gene editing has ‘limitless potential’ to reduce malnutrition, says global food expert
Gene editing is a tool with unlimited potential to help reduce malnutrition globally, said Dr. Lawrence Haddad, executive director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). The world needs the technology because billions of people are struggling to access the nutritious meals required to stay healthy, Haddad said. The…
Biotechnology can protect Africa’s biodiversity, says conservation biologist
Though biotechnology is most often seen as a tool to meet Africa’s food needs, it could also play a role in protecting the continent’s unique biodiversity. Ugandan environmental activist, geneticist and conservation biologist Clet Wandui Masiga asserts that biotechnology has in fact helped to preserve and protect Africa’s biodiversity, a…
Western consumers have positive attitudes toward gene-edited foods, two new studies find
Western consumers tend to have a generally positive view about genome-edited foods, though their awareness of the technology remains low, two new studies have found. One survey, conducted by the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency (FSA), looked at attitudes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while the other, conducted…
UN Food Systems Summit: Biotechnology key to meeting zero hunger goals
Agricultural biotechnology is a crucial tool for transforming global food systems to meet the United Nation’s goal of ensuring zero hunger by 2030, say some scientists, academics and civil society representatives. Evidence abounds that biotechnology has had a positive overall impact on agriculture in the areas where it has been…
How engineered bacteria could clean up oilsands pollution and mining waste
Rampant industrialization has caused our planet to warm at an unprecedented rate. Glaciers are melting away and sea levels are rising. Droughts last longer and are more devastating. Forest fires are more intense. Extreme, once-in-a-generation weather events — such as Category 5 hurricanes — seem…
Genetic engineering offers hope for effective vaccine against malaria
Scientists have used genetic engineering to develop a vaccine that offers full protection against malaria in animal studies. Researchers and health officials have long sought a vaccine against malaria, which in 2019 sickened an estimated 229 million people and caused 409,000 deaths globally. Once infected, many people suffer recurring bouts…
Ease regulatory burden to support ‘new revolution’ in crop breeding, researchers urge
It’s imperative to ease the regulatory burden on new crop breeding technologies that could feed a warmer, hungrier world, a new study urged. The safety risks from these new technologies are “very low compared to conventional breeding methods and/or spontaneous mutations,” according to a paper published in Critical Reviews…
Genome editing helps African researchers develop disease-resistant banana varieties
Though breeding programs using genome editing remain in their infancy on the African continent, public research institutions are leading the effort to utilize the technology to curb persistent agricultural production challenges. The genome editing tool known as CRISPR in particular has the potential to put biotechnology capabilities into the hands…
Gene editing can prevent eucalyptus from becoming invasive
Gene editing can prevent eucalyptus — a tree highly valued in Kenya and elsewhere for its hardy timber, wood fuel and medicinal extracts — from invading native ecosystems, a team of international researchers has shown. Dr. Steve Strauss of Oregon State University led a team of scientists in the research,…