GM seed suppliers forge ahead Monsanto's revenues have climbed 35% in the last year. Origin Agritech, Ltd., China's leading ag biotech corporation, has doubled its market penetration efforts for the upcoming selling season to include 1,000 demonstration lots. French seed producer Vilmorin is aiming to launch second-generation GM seeds in 2012. Farmers enthusiastically embrace GM crops, and Monsanto's model of success may be inspiring others. More†

Legal

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†

Sci/Tech

Tool for the rice genome A new tool for investigating the rice genome has been developed by researchers at UC Davis led by Pamela Ronald, professor of plant pathology (and author of Tomorrow's Table). The inexpensive, publicly-available rice DNA microarray covers nearly all the 45,000 genes in the rice genome. The methods and array will aid researchers in identifying the function of those genes, only a few of which have so far been characterized. More†

Weird science in Germany Germany's German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF) is investing roughly EUR 8 million from 2008 to 2011 to investigate biotech crops. The aims of the research projects are either pointless, or politically incorrect -- but weird science is what you get when the Precautionary Principle (Vorsorgeprinzip) is involved. More†