http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. In the first chapter of The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin detailed his examinations of the skeletons of a variety of different breeds of domestic pigeons. To agreement today, he concluded that they all descended, by selective breeding, from the common Rock dove. Clearly, the genetic manipulation of nature by farmers and breeders is nothing new. It is only recently that the process has been given a boost by the tools of genetic engineering. In places around the world today, this has precipitated a bit of crises. Nature magazine has dedicated their most recent issue to a discussion of genetically modified (GM) products in farming. In a series of diverse articles, they explore some of the fears and concerns that have made GM contentious, but optimistically conclude that the greatest benefits of GM still lie ahead. http://phys.org/news286714321.html Biology Thu, 02 May 2013 11:52:14 EST news286714321 (Phys.org) —The popular new strategy of planting genetically engineered crops that make two or more toxins to fend off insect pests rests on assumptions that don't always apply, UA researchers have discovered. Their study helps explain why one major pest is evolving resistance much faster than predicted and offers ideas for more sustainable pest control. http://phys.org/news283760696.html Biology Fri, 29 Mar 2013 07:25:04 EST news283760696 Genetically modified Bt cotton plants contain a poison that protects them from their most significant enemies. As a result, these plants rely less on their own defence system. This benefits other pests, such as aphids. These insights stem from a study supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). http://phys.org/news282388592.html Biology Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:16:37 EST news282388592 (Phys.org) -- Pests are adapting to genetically modified crops in unexpected ways, researchers have discovered. The findings underscore the importance of closely monitoring and countering pest resistance to biotech crops. http://phys.org/news259401436.html Biology Wed, 20 Jun 2012 09:40:02 EST news259401436 (Phys.org) -- Because they can modify plants to either produce better fruit or in many other cases ward off disease and pests, researchers genetically alter crop plants to increase yields without adding additional costs to the process. One such success story is Bt cotton, a strain developed in the lab and so named because it harbors Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterium that produces a chemical harmful to some insects and thus is often used as a pesticide. Farmers in the United States have been using it since 1996, and report that since that time, average yields have been up 5% even as costs have gone down due to use less of other pesticides. Now, researchers in China are reporting that not only does planting Bt cotton reduce losses from pests, it also allows other beneficial insect populations to increase not just in the cotton fields, but in those nearby growing other crops as well. The team has published its findings in the journal Nature. http://phys.org/news258883643.html Biology Thu, 14 Jun 2012 09:40:01 EST news258883643 Genetically modified crops that produce insect-killing proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have reduced reliance on insecticide sprays since 1996. These proteins are lethal to some devastating crop pests, but do not harm most other creatures including humans. http://phys.org/news257922664.html Biology Sun, 03 Jun 2012 15:00:01 EST news257922664 (Phys.org) -- The discovery that more Western corn rootworms are resistant to the toxin contained in widely planted transgenic corn has sparked a warning that farmers must change tactics or lose a valuable management tool against a traditional corn pest. http://phys.org/news254381052.html Biology Mon, 23 Apr 2012 06:40:01 EST news254381052 Policies regarding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) need to take biodiversity and regional attributes into account, according to Sandra Mitchell, professor and chair in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh Mitchell made her case in a presentation titled "GMOs and Policy in a Complex, Diverse World," delivered Feb. 19 during the Global Knowledge Session she coordinated at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada. http://phys.org/news248892974.html Biology Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:56:21 EST news248892974 Toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria (Bt toxins) are used in organic and conventional farming to manage pest insects. Sprayed as pesticides or produced in genetically modified plants, Bt toxins, used in pest control since 1938, minimize herbivory in crops, such as vegetables, maize or cotton. Since 1996, Bt producing transgenic crops have been grown, which successfully control pests like the European corn borer, the tobacco budworm, the Western corn rootworm, and the cotton bollworm. Over the years, Bt resistant insects have emerged in organic and conventional farming. Scientists have therefore modified the molecular structure of two Bt toxins, Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac, in order to overcome resistance. The novel toxins, Cry1AbMod and Cry1AcMod, are effective against five resistant insect species, such as the diamondback moth, the cotton bollworm, and the European corn borer. Cry1AbMod and Cry1AcMod can be used alone or in combination with other Bt toxins for plant protection. http://phys.org/news238239200.html Biology Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:50:01 EST news238239200 One of the most successful strategies in pest control is to endow crop plants with genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short, which code for proteins that kill pests attempting to eat them. http://phys.org/news237382697.html Biology Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:00:01 EST news237382697 The furry-looking insects start their development smaller than the head of a pin, but the caterpillars soon develop an appetite for cotton as big as the crop. http://phys.org/news215785454.html Biology Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:00:01 EST news215785454 The toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a popular insecticide used to control pest moths and butterflies, and in some GM pest-proof crops. In a study published in the open access journal BMC Biology, researchers show that its effectiveness against a number of susceptible Lepidopteran species depends on the presence of the normally "friendly" bacteria that colonise their guts. Without these bacteria, the Bt toxin can become impotent in some species. http://phys.org/news155377028.html Biology Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:20:38 EST news155377028