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GM Forests: Raising the bar for Timber Production
Posted by Deepa in Agriculture, Environment, Featured Articles, GM Foods on 02 4th, 2010 | No Comments
America has long embraced the wide use and consumption of genetically modified or GM foods in daily life. But now, there seems to be a new buzz in the air about using the benefits of genetically modifying trees to increase the rate of growth in the United State’s southeastern forests.
A proposition...
Soybean Oil: Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Fish oil is known to be one of the healthiest ways to obtain omega-3 fatty acids. DHA and EPA, two of the most studied omega-3-fatty acids, have numerous health benefits; they decrease triglycerides, blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and heart rate. Essentially, they decrease the adverse effects of low...
Genetically Modified Plants Yield Resistant Insects
Last week, we discussed genetically modified squash plants that have become more susceptible to bacterial infection because of their modification to resist viral infections; conversely, a report by Andrew Pollack of The New York Times uncovers another case where genetic modification of plants may actually...
Success in the battle to be fresh
At Georgia State University, microbiologist George Pierce has pioneered a new method to preserve freshness in produce and flowers. The method utilizes naturally occurring “soil microorganisms,” which are known to be beneficial to plants in the same way that probiotics in yogurt are to people.
Climacteric...
Genetically Modified Plants: Does the Cost Outweigh the Benefit?
Genetically modified plants are usually engineered to benefit a plant species that would benefit us. However, scientists are now discovering that these modified plants might avoid one adversity just to encounter another. Squash plants that have been modified to resist viral diseases are now more susceptible...
Ask yourself: What can your spice rack do for you?
Posted by Deepa in Agriculture, Environment, Featured Articles, GM Foods on 10 28th, 2009 | No Comments
In the wild, what we think of as spices are actually a key component to a plant’s defense mechanism. Now, Dr. Murray Isman of the University of British Columbia recently published a study on these organic pesticides that has produced fruitful results. The research has shown that common household spices,...
The Greener the Better
Whether consuming green vegetables raw or cooked, these colorful plants provide us with many essential nutrients. I have always heard, “The greener the vegetable, the better the nutritional value,” but scientists from The University of Nottingham are presently conducting research that could possibly...
Big News for Organic Foodies: Conventionally-Grown Food Nutritionally Equivalent
While organically-grown food is nothing new to human societies, the increase in public awareness of organic food over the last several years has caused an explosion in the demand for such food with its reduced use of chemical additives, hormones, pesticides, and genetic modification.
Organic food companies...
ZFNs Provide More Accurate Means for Creating GMOs
Posted by Pallavi in Agriculture, Featured Articles, GM Foods, Research on 07 30th, 2009 | No Comments
In June we read about a revolutionary new technique for creating genetically modified plants without the use of external DNA. The article (http://www.greenseedling.com/2009/06/17/new-method-of-gene-modification/) illustrated the research done with “zinc finger” nucleases. The nucleases allow genes...
Plants Can Be Modified to Fight Allergies
Part of why I love writing these articles is because it leads me to discover cutting edge, revolutionary research that will help solve global problems in the future. Research into genetically modified crops have followed a specific trend: improving yield, nutrient content and protecting crops from climatic,...
Let the Salty Waters Run
Posted by Deepa in Agriculture, Environment, Featured Articles, GM Foods on 07 15th, 2009 | No Comments
In a world full of worry over food scarcity, energy shortages, and fading non-renewable resources, plant biologists continue to bring us hope. This time that hope comes in the form of salt-tolerant crops.
A team of researchers, let by professor Mark Tester at the University of Adelaide’s Waite...
New Method of Gene Modification
Posted by Pallavi in Agriculture, Environment, Featured Articles, GM Foods on 06 17th, 2009 | No Comments
When I first learned about modifying genes in my high school biology class I found it a fascinating, yet scary concept. Learning about how DNA works allowed researchers to develop a method of inserting foreign DNA into organisms, a potential solution to many genetic problems. I remember when we inserted...
Preventing the Bacterial Genocide of Rice
Posted by Amar in Featured Articles, GM Foods, Research, Strange But True on 04 28th, 2009 | No Comments
Two of the most harmful diseases that plague rice across the world are caused by bacteria. The first disease, bacterial blight, can reduce yield by 50%, and the other, though not as damaging as bacterial blight, can cause bacterial leaf streak. However, bacterial leaf streak is becoming more prominent...
Insecticides: Killing the Innocent
Two of the most common ways to minimize pests in crop fields are spraying insecticides and the use of Bt-toxin plants. Bt-toxin plants are plants that contain genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (hence the “Bt”). The genes from Bt, when inserted in a plant, produce a toxin that kills...
Electron Alternative to Pesticides
Nowadays, people want the cleanest, healthiest, most natural substances around themselves. Media focuses on recyclable goods and companies advertise themselves with pride on helping the environment. Parents don’t want to expose their children to chemicals, this can be seen through the cleaning supplies...
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