Archive for November, 2008

Kenyan scientists weigh on GMOs

Scientists from one of Kenya’s premier university have endorsed crop genetic engineering. After a two-day workshop last week, University of Nairobi researchers dismissed fears that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) posed dangers to human health and the environment.

The scientists said although some caution was needed about GMOs, they had been found to be [...]

Indian researcher makes a case for biotechnology

The journal Nature has published an article about how developing countries can make the best from biotech. Indira Nath, the article’s author, argues biotechnology can revolutionize food production and healthcare in developing countries only if these countries bolstered their scientific capacity.

 
Nath regrets intellectual property rights coupled with inhibit scientists from developing countries from accessing [...]

Link of ethanol use to high food prices questioned

As the debate on whether more ethanol use is sending food prices skyrocketing rages, the ethanol industry is positioning itself to set the record straight.
Four major players in the ethanol industry – Hawkeye, ICM, POET, and Green Plains Renewable Energy, Inc. (GPRE) – yesterday launched an organization called Growth Energy to promote the use of [...]

EU challenges France on GM Maize

The European Union (EU) is again challenging France’s decision to ban a genetically modified (GM) maize developed by the U.S.-based biotech giant Monsanto. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is angry that France has refused to allow the cultivation of MON 810, the only GM crop being grown in the European Union.
“No specific scientific evidence, [...]