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 a ...

Biology - Biotechnology

May 02, 2013 3.8 / 5 (16) 14 |

(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. ...

Biology - Ecology

Mar 29, 2013 5 / 5 (1) 22 |

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 ...

Biology - Ecology

Mar 13, 2013 5 / 5 (4) 0

(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 ...

Biology - Ecology

Jun 20, 2012 4 / 5 (4) 1 |

(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 ...

Biology - Ecology

Jun 14, 2012 2.4 / 5 (5) 4 |

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 ...

Biology - Ecology

Jun 03, 2012 not rated yet 4

(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 ...

Biology - Ecology

Apr 23, 2012 not rated yet 0

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 ...

Biology - Ecology

Feb 19, 2012 not rated yet 0

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, us ...

Biology - Biotechnology

Oct 19, 2011 5 / 5 (3) 0 |

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 ...

Biology - Biotechnology

Oct 09, 2011 4 / 5 (3) 20 |

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.

Biology - Ecology

Feb 01, 2011 3 / 5 (1) 0

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 Bi ...

Biology - Cell & Microbiology

Mar 04, 2009 5 / 5 (1) 0