Harvest And Save Water To Increase Crop Yields, Say Researchers Oct 15, 2009
They suggest exploring options of more efficient irrigation and expansion of irrigated agriculture, of plant breeding and genetic engineering, and of more effective trade with agricultural products from water-rich to water-poor regions. Journal reference. (Science Daily)
Value of illegal marijuana crops up for debate Oct 13, 2009
Since then, cultivators have used genetic engineering to increase the potency of the drug. It is uncommon for dealers to sell or buyers to want anything but the psychoactive buds. (Fresno Bee -- Local)
Enhanced Stem Cells Promote Tissue Regeneration Oct 12, 2009
Fan Yang, Seungwoo Cho, et al. Regenerative Medicine Special Feature: Genetic engineering of human stem cells for enhanced angiogenesis using biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2009; DOI. (Science Daily)
Hawaiian women offer intriguing collection Oct 12, 2009
Intersecting themes such as taro farming, voyaging, 'ohana, paddling, death and even genetic engineering seep through equally varied mediums of verse, haiku, play, short story, chant and talk story. When it does get going, the collection happily opens with Phyllis Coochie Cayan's and Kanani Aton's haiku, both evoking the ghost of deceased local poet Wayne Kaumualii Westlake and standing alone refreshingly enjoyable bites of imagery. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Letter: Extending ethical implication to vegetarian diets not valid Oct 8, 2009
In response to the Oct. 7 letter titled "Vegetarian lifestyle a matter of ethics, no longer a choice": Today, when every year billions of plants in the United States and worldwide suffer extreme crowding, undergo genetic engineering to the point where they are nearly new species, and are subjected to pesticides and other harmful chemicals, we can no longer consider meatatarianism to be a mere personal choice. Your choice to eat plants or not has huge consequences for plants and for the natural... (Daily Collegian, PA)
Sophisticated Genetic Engineering Improves Insulin-producing Beta Cells Oct 8, 2009
A study to be published in the journal Cell Metabolism describes how a research group led by Dr. Robert Screaton, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Apoptotic Signaling at the University of Ottawa, used sophisticated genetic engineering to remove or 'knock out' the Lkb1 gene from beta cells of laboratory mice. The result was an increase in both the size and number of beta cells, as well as greater amounts of insulin stored and released by the cells. (Science Daily)
New guidelines for incorporating spirituality in end-of-life care Oct 7, 2009
Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering chnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals, newsmagazines, and books is available at. (EurekAlert!)
Literature prizes Oct 7, 2009
The American Book Awards, given for outstanding work of multicultural literature, were also announced: Houston A. Baker s Betrayal: How Black Intellectuals Have Abandoned the Ideals of the Civil Rights Era, The Last Supper of Chicano Heroes: Selected Works of Jose Antonio Burciaga, and Claire Hope Cummings s Uncertain Peril: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Seeds. Tweets from Taylor Elizabeth Taylor said she s headed to the hospital for a heart procedure. (Boston Globe)
First Direct Information About Prion's Molecular Structure Reported Oct 6, 2009
For a number of years, scientists have been using the tools of genetic engineering to create synthetic versions of these particles so they could study them more easily. Although researchers have made particles that appear identical to natural prions, they have had trouble duplicating their infectious behavior. (Science Daily)
Sigma-Aldrich gets support from Michael J. Fox Foundation Oct 2, 2009
Edward Weinstein leads Sigma Advanced Genetic Engineering lab. Actor Michal J. Fox founded the New York-based foundation to find a cure for Parkinson's disease. (St. Louis Business Journal, MO)
A Novel About People Who Are Genetically Immune To Stress Sep 30, 2009
Kurton's lab finds in Thassa the "optimal allele assortmentthe happiness jackpot." The result has implications for drug development and genetic engineering. Thassa becomes a celebrity, with the risks that status confers. (Slate)
Researchers look to enriched crops to solve childhood malnutrition Sep 30, 2009
Folic acid is already added to flour, so it is enriched in bread without genetic engineering ... I encourage readers who would like more information about genetic engineering to visit our blog community, Biofortified, at. (Washington University Student Life, MO)
How mitochondrial gene defects impair respiration, other major life functions Sep 25, 2009
Using genetic engineering, researchers interrupted the activity of individual genes directly involved in the production of energy within mitochondria. "If we knock down the function of specific system components, what happens?" said study leader Marni J. Falk, M.D., who directs the Mitochondrial-Genetics Disease Clinic at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. (EurekAlert!)
Is inhaled insulin delivery still a possibility? Why has it been a commercial failure? Sep 24, 2009
Technologies include noninvasive glucose monitoring, implantable continuous glucose sensors, novel routes of insulin administration, genetic engineering, the artificial pancreas, measures of long-term control, computer applications for case management, telemedicine, the Internet, and new medications ... Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering chnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. (EurekAlert!)
The clerk and I skirmished over the calendar she said was insensitive Sep 23, 2009
Lodian wrote on Sep 18, 2009 10:36 AM:" Leonard wrote on Sep 15, 2009 5:37 PM:" dyan wrote on Sep 15, 2009 1:32 PM:" I went looking for a satirist. they had him hidden in the motorcycle section. Then I ask about a Ph.D.'snew book on the random odds of genetic engineering. Didn't have it. couldn't "find it" on the computer. After I insisted they"try again," the third time was the charm. They thought maybe it was in the "philosopy" section.Had to order it, even though it was recently featured on... (Lodi News Sentinel, CA)
H.G. Wells Predictions Ring True, 143 Years Later Sep 22, 2009
Another now real H.G. Wells conceit is genetic engineering of animals and humans. The Island of Dr. Moreau involves the mad doctor's attempts to mold animals via vivisection operating on a live animal. (National Geographic)
Researchers prolong the half-life of biopharmaceutical proteins Sep 19, 2009
Using genetic engineering, TU Muenchen scientist Prof. Arne Skerra and his coworkers from the Chair of Biological Chemistry at the Center for Life and Food Sciences Weihenstephan have now developed an amino acid string that tangles up similarly to PEG and also swells in the presence of water. (EurekAlert!)
Obituary: Norman Borlaug Sep 18, 2009
Genetic engineering of plants greatly excited him. The risks, he said, were rubbish, unproven by science, while the potential benefits were endless. (The Economist)
US snubs film on theory of evolution Sep 13, 2009
His "half-baked theory" influenced Adolf Hitler and led to "atrocities, crimes against humanity, cloning and genetic engineering", the site stated. The film, based on the book Annie's Box by Darwin's great-great-grand-son, Randal Keynes, has caused debate on other Christian websites in America. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Researchers Seek Better Vaccine Procedure To Combat Flu Sep 10, 2009
Michael Deem, Rice's John W. Cox Professor in Biochemical and Genetic Engineering and professor of physics and astronomy, and his group are using a formula they developed several years ago to more accurately predict which vaccines can halt ever-evolving strains of the flu, including the novel H1N1 variety that the World Health Organization has tagged as a pandemic virus. Deem has identified the dominant epitope regions of hemagglutinin, a part of the virus that the immune system recognizes, as... (Science Daily)
Plants on steroids: Key missing link discovered Sep 9, 2009
Since this pathway shares many similarities with pathways in humans, the discovery not only could lead to the genetic engineering of crops with higher yields, but also could be a key to understanding major human diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's ... Understanding the molecular mechanism of brassinosteroid signaling could help researchers develop strategies and molecular tools for genetic engineering of plants with modified sensitivity to hormones, either produced by the plant or... (EurekAlert!)
Hungry? How About Some Protein-Rich Cotton... Sep 8, 2009
Enter Keerti Rathore, a professor at Texas Aersity, who found a way around the problem through genetic engineering. In new field-trial data, Rathore's team demonstrated that it can turn off the genes that stimulate the production of gossypol in the cottonseeds while the rest of the plant keeps its natural defenses. (Time.com)
Saving gardens, one seed at a time Sep 7, 2009
The store carries all 1,275 kinds of seeds sold through the company's catalog, plus items like Marin- and Sonoma-grown garlic and herbs, books and DVDs on gardening and genetic engineering, and locally made gopher baskets ... Whether done by cross-pollinating or by genetic engineering, hybridizing means crossing two varieties to get one whose seeds produce a new one. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Researchers restore missing protein in rare genetic brain disorder Sep 7, 2009
Other co-authors include Mineko Kengaku and Hiroki Umeshima, from the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, Kyoto University; Keizo Takao and Tsuyoshi Miyakawa from Fujita Health University, the Genetic Engineering and Functional Genomics group in Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine, and the Japan Science and Technology Agency. Makoto Sato, in the University of Fukui Division of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, are also co-authors on the paper. (EurekAlert!)
Transgenic Rice to Benefit Allergy ... Sep 6, 2009
They are produced by genetic engineering techniques where DNA from another organism is inserted into the plant s DNA. The gene can be transferred to the plant by using a virus that normally infects plants but has been genetically engineered to carry the new gene section to the plants DNA.. Potential Uses of Biopharmaceutical Crops. (Suite101.com)
Movement to Preserve New Milford Farms Sep 5, 2009
In the past decade organic farms and CSAs have sprouted over the landscape, offering area residents fresh produce with a known origin-a matter of growing importance to Americans who are worried about what chemicals have been used in cultivation and what the effects of genetic engineering might be. "My wife and I live in New Milford and have five-mile walk we take," said Daniel Readyoff, a farmland committee member, who grew up on a farm. (New Milford Times, CT)
Florists' profits wilt Sep 3, 2009
Technological advancements in the flower growing industry, such as genetic engineering to improve the life expectancy, colour and size of cut flowers is also expected to increase the opportunity to boost profit margins. 2009 Brought to you by. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Unnecessary 'safety' concerns are hampering farming Sep 2, 2009
It is interesting just how much policitical pressure and media hype the pesticide and genetic engineering companies will use to sell their products. All the current media frenzy regarding food safety sems to me to all point to the fear that if we dont make the way we currently farm more 'efficient' by using pesticides and GM crops we will starve. (BBC News -- Science)
ChIP and vector recombineering methods featured in Cold Spring Harbor Protocols Sep 2, 2009
Phage-based E. coli homologous recombination systems have been extensively developed in recent years, and these recombination-mediated genetic engineering ("recombineering") methods are now the preferred technique for carrying out genetic modifications in chromosomes and plasmids. Recombineering is efficient and precise and circumvents many of the problems of traditional genetic engineering methods, primarily the need to locate specific restriction enzyme sites. (EurekAlert!)
were collecting too much data Sep 1, 2009
He was a Pulitzer finalist in 1986 for his coverage of genetic engineering issues and again in 2004 for his coverage of the space shuttle Columbia accident, and shared a 1995 Pulitzer Prize at the Los Angeles Times for earthquake coverage. He also has received national awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Geophysical Union. (Harper's Magazine)
Authors of black agenda memo step forward Sep 1, 2009
She says she is opposed to abortion as a means of birth control and genetic engineering and chose to give birth to and raise her Down Syndrome child. She says she belives in taking care of one s own and unconditional love and support of one s offspring and puts that into action with her support of her unwed mother daughter. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Regulation of excitation-contraction coupling in mouse cardiac myocytes: integrative analysis with mathematical modelling Aug 31, 2009
Functional properties of cells and tissues have been studied e.g. with powerful tools of genetic engineering, combined with extensive experimentation. While this approach provides accurate information about the physiology at the endpoint, complementary methods, such as mathematical modelling, can provide more detailed information about the processes that have lead to the endpoint phenotype. (BioMed Central)
International Paper Follows Monsanto's Blueprint to Grow `Frankenforests' Aug 28, 2009
Engineered eucalyptus trees could be an ecological disaster, bringing increased fire risk and extraordinary water consumption to a new environment, said , an Austin, Texas-based member of the Sierra Clubs genetic engineering committee. Easier-to-pulp trees will be weak, and hurricanes will spread their pollen and contaminate native forests, he said. (Bloomberg -- US)
Experiment Raises Prospect of Babies With 3 Parents Aug 27, 2009
Such children would be the first produced by germline genetic engineering, in which genes introduced by artificial means would be passed to successive generations. FOX NEWS VIDEOS. (Fox News)
Monkeys with DNA of THREE parents; Hope of eradicating incurable diseases... Aug 27, 2009
Josephine Quintavalle, of the campaign group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: 'This is genetic engineering. We should avoid at all costs interfering in the pattern of reproduction that has evolved. (The Drudge Report)
Second health-care 'phone town hall' goes well Aug 26, 2009
They truly "leave no child behind" and export doctors, have contributed to genetic engineering discoveries. Compare that to say Puerto Rico, or Haiti, or any other similarly sized Latin American country. (Palo Alto Online, CA)
Agricultural Biotechnology Aug 23, 2009
Using Genetic Engineering to Produce Super Foods. The prospect of genetically engineering humans is still sitting in Pandora's Box, but the genetic engineering of our food supply is out and generating a heated public deb ... It does this by using genetic engineering to create genetically superior plants that are adaptable to the chosen environment. (Suite101.com)
Genetically Engineered Bacteria Are Sweet Success Against Inflammatory Bowel Disease Aug 22, 2009
Since genetic engineering techniques were developed in the 1970s, scientists have found ways to apply them to medicine. Insulin was the first medicine to be genetically engineered and the first genetically engineered vaccine was for hepatitis B. The technology is now opening up ways to deliver drugs to specific targets, as with this treatment to deliver a protein directly to injured areas of the gut. (Science Daily)
A sweeter broccoli to cut heart diseases Aug 17, 2009
DPI's leading scientist Rod Jones said that the new broccoli is not the result of genetic engineering. "All we've done is gone back and minded nature's natural diversity," he said. (India Times, India)
Pollan Is Back In Cornwall Aug 14, 2009
His first exploration of food, "The Botany of Desire" from 2001, chronicled how man's relationship with apples, tulips, marijuana and potatoes has developed over the centuries from early agriculture to genetic engineering. "The Omnivore's Dilemma," published in 2006, analyzed the four methods man used, or now uses, to feed himself, namely hunting and gathering, smaller local farms, major organic farms and an industrial food system, dissecting how each underscores man's tenuous or compelling... (Litchfield County Times, CT)
Wednesday 10: The End of the World Aug 8, 2009
It doesn't matter that our plans for social and genetic engineering are based on sound reasoning and morality; in the end it's just creepy little girls sucking the life out of dead monsters in an underwater crypt. We've been warned against such hubris, from both the Iliad and The Twilight Zone, but I guess the folks who made BioShock's Rapture just weren't listening. (IGN PC Games)
Cheating: It's All-American — And It's Great! Aug 8, 2009
The ethical battle of our time is about the fairness of medical technology: genetic engineering, cloning, steroids, plastic surgery. We are O.K. with Viagra, LASIK and Paxil because they restore basic human functions, but we get really uncomfortable when people improve themselves by buying their pert breasts or giant pecs. (Time.com)
Stem Cell Surprise For Tissue Regeneration Aug 5, 2009
1, 2009) In a genetic engineering breakthrough that could help everyone from bed-ridden patients to elite athletes, a team of American researchers has created a "switch" that allows mutations to be turned on. . (Science Daily)
Seed crops take root in Hawaiis ag industry, surpasses all others Aug 4, 2009
Despite the economic activity, some communities oppose the industry because of its use of genetic engineering to modify plants and their seeds. The study said about half of the acreage under seed crop cultivation employs genetic engineering and half uses conventional breeding practices. (Pacific Business News, HI)
Mutant Corn Calls for Rescue When Killers Attack Aug 4, 2009
Recharging that ability in U.S. corn may create a conundrum for some environmentalists who oppose genetic engineering, because of the possible consequences of messing with Mother Nature's gene pool. "We used a controversial approach, with genetic engineering, to enhance a very much favored [among environmentalists] approach, which is biological control," Turlings said. (National Geographic)
James Cameron Promises Kick-Ass Action In 'Avatar' Jul 30, 2009
wrote the treatment for a film about aliens, genetic engineering and deep-space war. Along the way he and his team invented a slew of new filmmaking technologies, secured a budget that exceeds $200 million and managed to get the fanatics at San Diego Comic-Con drooling over the prospect of training their eyeballs 000029CF on 25 minutes of "Avatar" footage months ahead of its December 18 release. (VHI.com -- Music News)
On intelligent robots Jul 30, 2009
Delegates at that conference foresaw that genetic engineering would become widespread, even though practical applications such as growing genetically modified crops had not yet been developed. Unlike recombinant DNA in 1975, however, AI is already out in the world. (Harper's Magazine)
The Virus That Binds: A Novel Idea Marries Biology And Mining Jul 29, 2009
The procedure is called bio-panning, a type of genetic engineering. You begin with a phage library which may contain one billion phage particles, each with different protein sequences. (Science Daily)
The Woof at the Door Jul 29, 2009
Prehistoric man may not have understood genetic engineering, but he practised it by selectively breeding fierce wolves into faithful companions. New research finds the origins of the human/canine relationship thousands of years earlier than previously thought. (The American Conservative)
Click to read:Michael Vick Gets OK to Play in NFL Jul 28, 2009
riots in Nigeria, strikes in Canada, coup in Honduras, genetic engineering to fight malaria, Brazil becoming a regional if not a world power. So we are clucking about another errant celebrity. (CBS News)
Researchers rapidly turn bacteria into biotech factories Jul 27, 2009
The key was to break free of linear genetic engineering techniques and move beyond the serial manipulation of single genes. The researchers selected a harmless strain of the intestinal nemesis E. coli and added a few genes to its solitary circular chromosome, coaxing the organism to produce lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that occurs naturally in tomatoes and other vegetables. (EurekAlert!)
Breakthrough In Transgenic Animal Production Enables Development Of New Human Disease Models Jul 25, 2009
"Inactivation of endogenous rat antibody expression is essential for human antibody expression in genetically engineered animals. To solve this problem, we used ZFN technology in an application that has the potential to revolutionize genetic engineering of animals.". "We have invested our time and resources to develop the CompoZr platform because we see enormous potential in a technology that can precisely manipulate the genome of living organisms," said Dr. David Smoller, President of... (Science Daily)
Process For 'Surgical' Genetic Changes In Plants Developed Jul 25, 2009
It makes it (genetic engineering) practical and much safer. It was impractical, and now it is practical. (Science Daily)
Scientists develop designer, glow-in-the-dark rats Jul 24, 2009
Used for 150 years in medical research, rats are considered good models of several human ailments, such as heart disease, but genetic engineering of rats to test new drugs has been "intractable", say the researchers, until now. The study concludes, "this strategy adds a valuable tool to an increasingly powerful rat genetic toolbox, opening up a range of new experiments and models of human disease.". (USA Today -- Tech)
Science creates stem cell clones Jul 24, 2009
Because of concerns the techniques might make cloning and genetic engineering of embryos easier, the work could reignite calls for a ban on attempts to clone people and for restrictions on genetic manipulation of embryos. The implications of this are both enormously important and troublesome, said Robert Lanza, a stem cell researcher at Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Mass. (Corvallis Gazette Times, OR)
The Next Lunar Landing Jul 21, 2009
By "warm-blooded'' I do not mean that the plant will have a circulatory system or a precise temperature control. I mean only that the plant will be able to keep its internal temperature within the normal range of a cool greenhouse, roughly freezing to 80hrenheit. Any form of life that survived on Mars from the early, warm and wet era to the present, cold and dry era had two alternatives: either it adopted an entirely subterranean lifestyle, retreating deep underground to places where liquid... (The Atlantic Online)
It's only natural Jul 21, 2009
WhiteWave says it partners with Conservational International to ensure its soybeans are grown without genetic engineering and are sourced in a sustainable, socially responsible and ethical manner. Reader Comments. (Denver Business Journal, CO)
The Properties of Life Jul 19, 2009
The genetic engineering of the metabolic processes of bacteria to synthesize natural products was first achieved in the early 1970s and engineered bacterial plasmids for biotechnology were developed during the 1980s. While chiefly an organic chemistry engineering discipline, the budding new biotech science of synthetic biology offers researchers the ability to design and construct simplified biological systems as a useful way to test their understanding of the complex functional networks and... (Suite101.com)
From Amish to vampires, Christian fiction expands Jul 18, 2009
"But it's also got genetic engineering. It's definitely not your grandmother's Amish novel.". Other Christian fiction shows growing sophistication. (North County Times)
* Taiwanese team discover immune tolerance process Jul 18, 2009
Transgenic means having genetic material in cells, that includes a gene or DNA sequence, transferred by means of genetic engineering from a genetically unlike organism. On the contrary, deficiency of Deltex1 increases T cell activation, and leads to resistance to anergy induction, enhanced autoantibody generation and increased inflammation. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Guru speak: Create your future while managing your present Jul 17, 2009
For instance, nanotechnology and genetic engineering are revolutionising the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries. Globalisation is opening doors to emerging economies, most notably India and China, and billions of customers with vast unmet needs. (India Times)
Amish fiction gains a following Jul 17, 2009
But it s also got genetic engineering. It s definitely not your grandmother s Amish novel. (Boston Globe)
GM veggies in India within 3 yrs: Govt Jul 15, 2009
After these tests, the final clearance for allowing for cultivation of GM varieties will be given by the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation and the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, which themselves have been accused of having a conflict of int 00004000 erest as well as favouring the biotech industry. Till date, India has only allowed genetically modified cotton a non-food crop. (India Times, India -- Community News)
Virus-resistant Grapevines Jul 9, 2009
However, there will soon be a cure for GFLV infections: Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME in Aachen are making certain plants resistant to the GFLV by genetic engineering. Our modified plants produce antibodies, explains Dr. Stefan Schillberg, head of department at the IME. These antibodies recognize the viruses and prevent them from spreading in the plant and causing damage. (Science Daily)
Egyptians angry over German court slaying Jul 8, 2009
Sherbini and her husband moved to in 2003, after the husband received a grant to study genetic engineering in the renowned Max Planck Institute. He was scheduled to present his Ph. (CNN -- World)
