GMO 2.0

AI + synthetic biology: What could possibly go wrong?

By Kurt Cobb Science fiction films are replete with human space travelers visiting far-away planets that have atmospheres suitable for those humans to breathe. Thus, the bother of wearing a space suit or other protective gear is dispensed with, and the encounters with alien races, both hostile and friendly, can proceed without such cumbersome gear […]

Testy exchange marks precision fermentation session at Expo West

In response to a complaint that the session was one-sided opposing the GMO technology, panelists said synthetic biology conferences are one-sided in favor of the technology, and that precision fermentation companies have no business exhibiting at a natural products trade show. An educational session at Natural Products Expo West on so-called “precision fermentation”—a new GMO/synthetic […]

Unregulated gene editing may replace nature

By Jeffrey Smith On May 18th, 2022, Canadian authorities declared that companies could place untested gene edited GMOs into the food supply without telling consumers or the government. Similar “deregulation” of gene editing is in place in the U.S., India, Japan, Brazil, Australia, the UK, and elsewhere, all the result of a well-funded disinformation campaign […]

Chasing future biotech solutions to climate change risks delaying action in the present—it may even make things worse

By Tessa Hiscox, Microbiology PhD Candidate, University of Canterbury and Jack Heinemann, Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Canterbury The world is under growing pressure to find sustainable options to cut emissions or lessen the impacts of climate change. Technology entrepreneurs from around the globe claim to have the solutions—not just yet, but […]

Lawsuit challenging FDA approval of GMO additive in Impossible Burger moves forward

FDA fails to demand needed tests, its approval not based on “convincing evidence” as required by law Center for Food Safety (CFS) recently filed a legal brief in its challenge to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) 2019 approval of soy leghemoglobin (“heme”), a color additive used to make Impossible Foods’ eponymous plant-based burger, the Impossible Burger, appear […]