US faces foreign GMOs An internal audit released by the US Agriculture Department's Office of Inspector General says the USDA does not have an import control policy to regulate imported GMO animals. Its policy for GMO crops, though adequate now, could become outdated as other nations boost production of their own GMO crops, the report added. More†

Legal

China strengthens patent novelty requirements China has long merely required that an invention have "relative novelty" to gain patent protection -- that is, that it be novel in China. In a move intended to improve innovation, China will require that a patent application meet an "absolute standard for novelty"  --  by being totally new worldwide. More†

German court to examine Lisbon treaty European Union leaders signed the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, a document intended to strengthen the roles of many EU institutions. Germany's constitutional court is preparing for an unusually long hearing on treaty, in a process that may determine the fate of the document for all EU member states. More†

Sci/Tech

GM rice could boost yields An ambitious project to re-engineer photosynthesis in rice, led by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), could result in plants that can produce 50% more grain using less fertilizer and less water. More†

GM rice vs. bird flu Hong Kong scientists claim to have created a genetically modified rice that provides protection for chickens from the bird flu virus. More†

Periwinkle yields novel compounds By manipulating the complex biosynthetic pathways of the periwinkle plant, MIT chemists have genetically altered the plant to produce entirely new compounds, some of which could be used as drugs against cancer and other diseases. The researchers, led by Sarah O'Connor of the Department of Chemistry, has studied periwinkle for several years because it produces a variety of alkaloid compounds of pharmacological interest, including vinblastine, a drug commonly used to treat cancers such as Hodgkin's lymphoma. More†

Development

Cassava ready for field trials Ugandan lab experiments for GM cassava have been completed and the National Crops Resource Research Institute (NCRRI) has sought permission from the National biosafety committee to transfer the cassava from the greenhouse to the field. Researchers have used the technology to impart genes of resistance to cassava mosaic, which is caused by a double stranded virus and cassava brown stem that is caused by the single stranded virus. More†