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. The United States on Monday criticized "unnecessary" European Union rules against genetically modified US crop imports as it prepares to enter free-trade talks with the EU. http://phys.org/news284062277.html Biology Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:11:34 EST news284062277 Scientists are trying to engineer apples so that the most widely consumed fruit in Europe no longer triggers allergic reactions. But would people want to eat them? http://phys.org/news282899224.html Biology Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:07:11 EST news282899224 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 Consumers who believe they have a "right to know" whether their food contains genetically modified ingredients are pressing lawmakers, regulators and voters to require labels on altered foods. But even if they succeed, experts say there's no guarantee that labels identifying genetically engineered foods would ever appear on packages. http://phys.org/news281200790.html Biology Wed, 27 Feb 2013 19:40:01 EST news281200790 Acceptance of genetically modified organisms is a complex issue linked to public perception of their potential benefits. Brian Wynne, professor of science studies at Lancaster University, tells youris.com about his long time interest in public risk perceptions and how this relates to public attitudes to genetically modified organisms (GMOs). He also has a particular interest in public understanding of science, with a focus on the relations between expert and lay knowledge and policy decision making. http://phys.org/news277656659.html Biology Thu, 17 Jan 2013 14:51:05 EST news277656659 The European Union on Tuesday took the debate about genetically modified crops to the public with a survey asking citizens to share their thoughts on organic farming. http://phys.org/news277492711.html Biology Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:18:37 EST news277492711 A French researcher who claims a link between genetically modified corn and cancer on Tuesday said he would publish his work, the day after the EU, which has cleared the maize, promised to make public its own assessment. http://phys.org/news277482282.html Biology Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:24:52 EST news277482282 (Phys.org)—Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna have conducted feeding trials with mice to investigate the allergenicity of genetically modified (GM) weevil-resistant peas. Development of the peas was discontinued in 2005 when a risk assessment conducted by the CSIRO and Australian National University showed negative reactions in mice to the peas (Prescott et al 2005). http://phys.org/news277026816.html Biology Thu, 10 Jan 2013 07:53:42 EST news277026816 Food has been genetically modified on the farm for centuries. But now genes are swapped in labs, and the shift is fueling major changes in agriculture - and a political backlash. http://phys.org/news271319505.html Biology Mon, 05 Nov 2012 07:00:02 EST news271319505 The European Food Safety Authority said Thursday it cannot accept an "inadequate" report by a French scientist on a link between cancer and genetically modified corn. http://phys.org/news268569522.html Biology Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:38:53 EST news268569522 Even under the most opti­mistic climate-​​change sce­narios, species loss may reach 30 per­cent by the end of the cen­tury, according to Ronald San­dler, asso­ciate pro­fessor of phi­los­ophy in the Col­lege of Social Sci­ences and Human­i­ties. http://phys.org/news268557241.html Biology Thu, 04 Oct 2012 08:14:11 EST news268557241 An article recently pub­lished in the journal Food and Chem­ical Tox­i­cology shows the results of a two-​​year study on the health effects of a corn species pro­duced by the agri­cul­tural giant, Mon­santo. The corn is genet­i­cally mod­i­fied to resist the her­bi­cide Roundup, and per­vades the U.S. agri­cul­tural system. The paper claims that mice fed a diet con­sisting of 11 per­cent of the novel corn species were two to three times more likely to develop tumors. As the first article to present evi­dence that genet­i­cally mod­i­fied organ­isms can have inherent health effects, some critics have called the research methods into ques­tion. Northeastern University news office asked Chris Bosso, a pro­fessor in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs in the Col­lege of Social Sci­ences and Human­i­ties, to explain the impact the new data will have on the growing dis­cus­sion of genet­i­cally mod­i­fied foods. http://phys.org/news268469590.html Biology Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:53:24 EST news268469590 (Phys.org) -- Canadian company Okanagan Specialty Fruits has developed two varieties of genetically modified (GM) apples that don’t turn brown when cut, and wants to market them. http://phys.org/news261640441.html Biology Mon, 16 Jul 2012 06:54:09 EST news261640441 (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 Researchers reporting in the April 27 issue of the journal Cell have devised a new and improved method for producing genetically modified animals for use in scientific research. The method relies on haploid embryonic stem cells (haESCs) instead of sperm to artificially fertilize immature egg cells. Such stem cells are similar to sperm in that they carry only genetic material from a mouse "dad." http://phys.org/news254662869.html Biology Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:41:33 EST news254662869 An increasing number of crops commercially grown today are genetically modified (GM) to resist insect pests and/or tolerate herbicides. Although Bt corn is one of the most commonly grown GM crops in the United States, little is known about its effects on the long-term health of soils. Although there are many benefits to using biotechnology in agriculture, such as potentially reducing insecticide use, there may be unintended side effects as well—does GM corn impact non-target soil organisms, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, or affect plants subsequently grown in the same field? http://phys.org/news253898138.html Biology Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:16:21 EST news253898138 French Agricultural Minister Bruno Le Maire imposed Friday a temporary ban on a genetically modified strain of maize made by US company Monsanto "to protect the environment". http://phys.org/news251126231.html Biology Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:17:16 EST news251126231 Plant fungi are indispensable for a good plant growth. Dutch researcher Erik Verbruggen from the VU University Amsterdam has discovered that phosphate and grass-clover have an effect on the diversity and variation in the species composition of these fungi. His research results can be used to map the possible risks of genetically modified crops for natural fungal growth. http://phys.org/news248427176.html Biology Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:33:15 EST news248427176 While genetically modified plants have already been introduced into the wild on a large scale in some parts of the world, the release of genetically modified animals is still at a relatively early stage. A team of scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön, Germany has now published a study examining the free release of genetically modified insects in Malaysia, USA, and Cayman Islands. Their findings suggest deficits in the scientific quality of regulatory documents and a general absence of accurate experimental descriptions available to the public before releases start. The researchers call for clear and accurate descriptions of releases to be very widely circulated before insects are released in a trial - particularly if mosquito species that bite humans are involved. They also provide an innovative checklist to assist journalists and the public in assessing the scientific credibility of regulatory release authorizations. http://phys.org/news247324917.html Biology Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:22:05 EST news247324917 Genetically modified animals are designed to contain the spread of pathogens. One prerequisite for the release of such organisms into the environment is that the new gene variant does not spread uncontrollably, suppressing natural populations. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plon, Germany, have now established that certain mutations are maintained over an extended period if two separate populations exchange individuals with one another on a small scale. The new gene variant may remain confined to one of the two populations. The migration rate between the populations determines how long the new gene variant is expected to survive in the environment. These new findings may help to achieve greater safety when conducting release experiments involving genetically modified animals. http://phys.org/news241098082.html Biology Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:41:40 EST news241098082 Consumers are eager to get their hands on, and teeth into, foods that are genetically modified to increase health benefits – and even pay more for the opportunity. http://phys.org/news235223815.html Biology Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:57:25 EST news235223815 A voracious pest which has long plagued corn farmers is devouring a widely-used variety that was genetically modified to thwart the rootworms, raising fears of a new superbug. http://phys.org/news233895151.html Biology Tue, 30 Aug 2011 03:52:47 EST news233895151 Genetically modified rice has been spreading illegally for years in China, officials have admitted, triggering a debate on a sensitive aspect of the food security plan in the world's most populous nation. http://phys.org/news227331111.html Biology Wed, 15 Jun 2011 05:20:02 EST news227331111 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers in China led by Ning Li, the director of the State Key Laboratories for AgroBiotechnology at the China Agricultural University, have created cow milk similar to human breast milk which could one day replace the need for baby formula. http://phys.org/news221196871.html Biology Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:40:01 EST news221196871 (AP) -- The widespread Internet posting of a letter by a retired Purdue University researcher who says he has linked genetically modified corn and soybeans to crop diseases and abortions and infertility in livestock has raised concern among scientists that the public will believe his unsupported claim is true. http://phys.org/news220987454.html Biology Sat, 02 Apr 2011 18:40:03 EST news220987454 Queensland University of Technology (QUT) scientists have genetically modified a trial crop of banana plants to survive a soil-borne fungus which has wiped out plantations in the Northern Territory and is threatening crops across the globe. http://phys.org/news216379936.html Biology Tue, 08 Feb 2011 10:00:01 EST news216379936 (AP) -- Malaysia released about 6,000 genetically modified mosquitoes into a forest in the first experiment of its kind in Asia aimed at curbing dengue fever, officials said Wednesday. http://phys.org/news215239989.html Biology Wed, 26 Jan 2011 04:53:55 EST news215239989 There is no efficient vaccine against malaria, although nasal and oral vaccination seems to be the most promising and suitable solution in countries where the parasite Plasmodium, which causes the disease, is rife. Researchers from two laboratories in northern France have successfully vaccinated and protected mice by feeding them starch derived from green algae and genetically modified to carry vaccine proteins. These encouraging results, which make it possible to envisage a simple and safe vaccination for children in countries at risk, are available online, on the scientific journal PloS One's website. http://phys.org/news212318823.html Medicine & Health Thu, 23 Dec 2010 09:27:29 EST news212318823 A new Reference Report published today by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) lists 79 reference methods for GMO analysis which have been validated according to international standards. This Compendium, developed jointly by the European Union Reference Laboratory for Genetically Modified Food and Feed (EU-RL GMFF) and the European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL), presents the technical state of the art in GMO detection methods. Each method is described in a user-friendly way, facilitating the implementation of GMO legislation by official control bodies. http://phys.org/news208615684.html Biology Wed, 10 Nov 2010 12:48:31 EST news208615684 GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms, may raise concerns of genes escaping from crops and having unknown effects on natural, wild species. But what is the real risk that traits associated with GMOs will actually migrate to and persist in their wild relatives? Interest in plant ecology, crop production and weed management led John Lindquist and his colleagues from the University of Nebraska and USDA-ARS to investigate how gene flow from a cultivated crop to a weedy relative would influence the ecological fitness of a cropwild hybrid offspring. They published their findings in the recent October issue of the American Journal of Botany. http://phys.org/news207850779.html Biology Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:10:01 EST news207850779