Watson's 'political science' hits 'brick wall' on biodiversity Robert Watson surged to international prominence in 1977, when he took the helm of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). His tendency to favor politics over science led to his ouster from this global-warming body. He then joined the International Assessment of Agricultural Science & Technology (IAASTD) project, where his tendency to favor politics over science led a number of science and technology delegates to walk out of the project. Now, Watson is vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) -- a project for which there is little enthusiasm. More†

Scientists find France ban is pointless (update 1) The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued an opinion which shows that France's ban on GM maize is unjustified. "No specific scientific evidence, in terms of risk to human and animal health and the environment, was provided that would justify the invocation of a safeguard clause," the EFSA said. Should anyone care? The science director of EFSA, Europe's top food safety agency, recently resigned in disgust. More†

India alleges microbe 'information' theft The Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board is seeking royalty payments from Monsanto India Ltd for genetic information it alleges was 'stolen' from Bt bacteria found in the soils of Mahanandi village in India's Kurnool district. Monsanto says it doesn't do Bt research in Andhra Pradesh, and that its Bt technology is based on US research. This could raise a potentially confounding philosophical issue. More†

Business

Aussie grain handlers confident they can segregate Australia's ABC News reports that grain handling companies are confident about segregating GM canola from the conventional crop. This would be great news for everyone in the food chain if the GM canola were a "value-added" specialty crop -- but it's not. There's no need to segregate the canola, nor any value in doing so. By assuaging the critics of biotechnology with a segregation scheme, the industry has only set itself up for a political "contamination" fracas. More†

Pharming and Aslan Group sign lactoferrin agreement Netherlands-based Pharming Group NV has signed an agreement with the Aslan Group, of Istanbul, Turkey, to develop, manufacture and market Pharming's human lactoferrin product (hLF). Lactoferrin is a protein naturally present in different mammalian secretions especially in human breast milk, saliva and tears. The protein has several properties related to the human immune system, including anti-infective and anti-inflammatory protection. It has also been shown that the product has a positive effect on the growth of cells that protect the intestinal tract. Under this agreement, the lactoferrin will be produced by GM cows. More†

US soy exports set record Exports of US soy have set another all-time record. This year, over 1.5 billion bushels of soy were exported from the US, which are valued at more than $12 billion. Further underlining the increasing irrelevance of the European market is China's retention of top importer of US soybeans. More†

New hedging and cash grain commodity transaction service The world is experiencing a 'credit crunch', resulting from concerns that lenders don't trust borrowers all that much. In this financial climate, whom can you trust? Food growers, at least. This new program acknowledges the strength -- indeed, the indispensability -- of food growers. More†

Devgen to focus on ag biotech Belgium-based Devgen has decided to close its pharma division and focus exclusively on its agricultural business. The company found that the synergies of developing biotech for health care and crop production had disappeared, while pharma activities "carry a substantially higher risk profile." More†

Legal

Hawai'i enacts partial GM ban Hawai'i, as the 'big island' of the US state of Hawai'i is known, has over-ridden its mayor's veto and given final approval to an ordinance making it illegal to grow genetically modified taro and coffee there. This is the first such ban of its type in a state prized by seed developers for its year-round growing climate. More†

Electronic system for field trials In the US, field trials of new GM plants are so numerous that keeping track of them involves a great deal of work. To handle the strain, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has launched a new biotechnology compliance component to its ePermits system that will allow the agency to initiate, process and track compliance inspections for the field testing of regulated GMOs. More†

NZ passes 'reassuring' GMO regulations Regulating rationally means making restrictions proportional to risks. New Zealand regulators have abandoned this approach, saying their new and stricter rules are intended to "provide greater assurance for industry and the public". More†

Brazil approves two GM maize varieties Over the objections of EU-funded lobby groups, Brazil's National Biosafety Commission has approved Monsanto's Roundup Ready 2 and Syngenta's GA21 maize, both of which are resistant to glyphosate. More†

Sci/Tech

Review of Zentek paper When properly analyzed, these data do not appear to support an effect on fertility or reproduction from consumption of GM corn. More† James C. Lamb

Role discovered for 'junk' DNA Non-coding regions of DNA have often been called 'junk' DNA, because they don't behave like genes, nor even resemble genes in many instances. Nonetheless, scientists have long suspected that they somehow play an important role because transcription still occurs in those regions, just as if they were genes. Now, biologists at Washington University in St. Louis have found that two plant-specific RNA polymerases work together to use the non-coding region of DNA to prevent destructive, virus-derived genes from being activated.  More†

'Red rice' indicates dormancy gene Among rice growers, 'red rice' is considered a weed. That hasn't stopped scientists from studying red rice, and now, a South Dakota State University scientist has demonstrated that red rice gets its seed color and its ability to remain dormant from the same gene.That discovery has important implications for both rice-producing and wheat-producing regions. More†

rbST from GM cows Bovine somatotropin, also known as rbST, has long been popular with dairy farmers because it makes milk production far more efficient. It became widely available at a reasonable price when it was discovered that it could be produced using the same technology that yields insulin for diabetics. Now, Argentine scientists have discovered a process which could make rbST production even cheaper -- a process using GM cows. More†

New view of protein-RNA interactions DNA alone cannot explain the huge differences in complexity between a human and a worm -- even though each has about 25,000 genes. Forced to look elsewhere, scientists turned to RNA, a direct yet more complex transcript of DNA. Even so, problems with available methods made it difficult to determine the role of RNA with reasonable precision. More†

Plant 'double fertilization' explained Flowering plants require two sperm cells for successful fertilization. One to join with the ovum to produce the embryo, and the other to join with a second cell in the ovary to produce the endosperm, a nutrient-rich tissue, inside the seed. The mystery of this ‘double fertilization’ process was how each single pollen grain could produce ‘twin’ sperm cells.  More†

Development

India approves field trials of GM maize India's Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has given Monsanto India, Ltd. permission to conduct limited field trials of maize genetically modified to resist the corn borer insect pest, and to tolerate the application of Roundup herbicide. That's according to Harish Damodaran of Business Line, who quotes "highly placed sources." More†

Bt cotton saves farmer's life In 2002, in the Indian village of Gagrana village, Mewa Singh was on the verge of commiting suicide. A burden of debt and declining crop yield made it appear he had no other option. Then he switched to Bt cotton. As a result of higher yields and earnings, he has paid back his debt and has purchased a new tractor, and a motorcycle, and has sent his son to study at Punjab University. More†

Military security for GM field trials The British government is drawing up plans to conduct field trials of GM crops on military installations. Depending on which newspaper you read, this is either intended to "thwart saboteurs", or to "defy critics" of GM crops. More†

Australian state lifts ban on GM cotton The government of Western Australia has lifted its ban on the commercial production of GM cotton in the East Kimberley region's Ord River Irrigation Area in the state's north. Attempts to grow non-GM cotton there during the 1970s failed dismally, under an onslaught of crop-destroying insects. Lifting the ban on GM cotton could be worth A$50 million a year to the region, and generate 200 full-time jobs. More†

Scientist volunteers to be 'guinea pig' International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) chief Dr. Robert Zeigler has said he will be the first to eat Golden Rice when the IRRI introduces it in the Philippines in 2012. He believes this will show Filipinos that the GM rice is safe and nutritious. More†

NGO Watch

Activists allege Chile maize is 'contaminated' Chile 's regulatory position on GM crops is interesting. The country only allows GM crops if they are grown for seed, but the seeds must be exported. On the other hand, importing GM products and ingredients for food and feed is allowed. Activists took 30 samples of conventional Chilean maize growing somewhere near GM maize. An un-named laboratory found that 3 of the 30 samples tested positive for 0.03 percent, and another tested positive for 0.13 percent. The activists are horrified. More†

EU-backed activists force closure of research farm in Brazil With the financial backing of European governments, two activist groups have forced the confiscation of a research farm in Brazil. The groups, Landless Workers Movement, (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra/MST) and Via Campesina, are responsible for violent conflicts at Syngenta's facility in Paraná state, in the South of Brazil. As a result, two are dead, and Syngenta must look elsewhere to conduct research. More†

Norway completes conquest of Zambia It's common for European governments to meddle in foreign affairs around the world by funding activist groups that back European policies, but Norway has established a new low. This European nation has not only funded an anti-biotech activist group, but also purchased a laboratory for it to run. The laboratory is in Zambia, where the official "GM is poison" policy is based on the advice of the group in charge of the lab. The lab is now "up and running", and, as a result, Norway has completely co-opted Zambia's scientific capabilities in food and agriculture. More†

Potpourri

Could muskrats spread antibiotic resistance? Muskrats are semi-aquatic rodents prized for their musk - a strong-smelling substance produced by specialized glands - which can be used in expensive perfumes, cosmetics and medicines. But there's a potential down-side: a team of scientists at Pusan National University, South Korea, have found that muskrat excrement contains a potent antibiotic that can kill Salmonella and Vibrio bacteria, both of which cause food poisoning. Could these animals completely eclipse GMOs as a possible source of incurable antibiotic-resistant disease? More†

Scientists in the kitchen/Cooks in the lab Only recently in print, The Hungry Scientist Handbook shows how to bring the latest, greatest technology available to bear upon the culinary arts. It compiles the most mouthwatering projects created by a mechanical engineer and his band of intrepid techie friends (like Robin Hood, but without the tights). Their mission: the pursuit of projects possessing varying degrees of whimsy and utility, and this book is a chronicle of their success. In no time, you'll be donning lab goggles in the kitchen and kitchen goggles in the lab - just make sure to label your ingredients (don't want you drinking acid by accident). More†

The Money Tree! According to the developers of a GM tree, "It was only supposed to be an eco project!". In the end, they got more than they had bargained for -- a tree that produces US currency. They claim you can buy one for yourself for US$30. More†