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Engineered viruses can fight the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
As the world fights the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic, another group of dangerous pathogens looms in the background. The threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has been growing for years and appears to be getting worse. If COVID-19 taught us one thing, it’s that governments should be prepared for more global…
Latin American researchers use gene editing to breed hardier crops
Latin American researchers are using gene editing to breed hardier varieties of staple crops and fruits, according to an Alliance for Science Live webinar. Among them are Claudia Stange Klein, a professor in the Department of Biology of the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Chile, who…
Genome editing poised to secure global food supply, study finds
Genome editing is set to revolutionize plant breeding and could help secure the global food supply, according to a new paper in Cell. The technology is emerging at a time when the Food and Agriculture Organization is predicting the human population will reach 10 billion by 2050, requiring an…
Ghana scientist turns to gene editing to improve sweet potato crop
Research on Ghana’s first gene-edited crop — a high-yielding sweet potato with increased beta carotene content — is under way at the University of Cape Coast. “For sweet potatoes, we want to look at how we can use the CRISPR-Cas9 system to increase beta carotene,” said Samuel Acheampong of…
Story telling: A new approach to science communications
Many Africans still don’t understand scientists, or what they do. Scientists are widely seen as aloof and detached — a misperception has negatively impacted societal attitudes toward scientific innovations on the continent. Now Science Stories Africa is bridging that gap between scientists and ordinary folks. By giving scientists the chance…
Can GM Zika-resistant mosquitoes stop the spread of the disease?
Since the World Health Organization classified the Zika virus epidemic as “public health emergency of international concern” in 2016, researchers have been looking for ways to control the spread of the virus, which can cause birth defects and other neurological problems. In one strategy, which was approved by the United…
Edible insects: From niche ‘passion project’ to widespread acceptance?
Edible insects got one step closer to Europeans’ kitchens this month. The European Food Safety Authority released a scientific opinion on mealworms, concluding that the edible insects have “a high protein content” and pose “no safety concerns” to consumers. The assessment on dried yellow mealworm (larva…
Latin American researchers use gene editing to develop new crops that benefit farmers and consumers
Latin American farmers are partnering with scientists to create new crop varieties using gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR-CAS 9 in a move to help the region realize its potential as a world power in food production. The partnerships are an extension of the work that Latin American farmers have pursued…
African scientists fear the continent will be left behind as gene editing transforms food production
Scientists in Africa are calling on their governments to ensure the continent isn’t left behind as gene editing revolutionizes food production. Gene editing is a good tool that can help enhance Africa’s food security, say scientists across the continent, and it shouldn’t suffer the same fate that has stymied the…