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 Politics

Proposal to tighten Welsh GM regs
After farmer Johathon Harrington planted GM fodder maize on his small farm in the Black Mountains of "GM-Free" Wales, howls of protest arose, calling his act "ill-informed", "illegal" and "irresponsible", and claims that Wales had become "infected" with GMOs. This was even though the seeds he planted are maize varieties on the EU's "common list" of approved crops. Wales has responded with a proposal to tighten its GM regs to the point where cultivation of GM croups woud, in practice, be prohibited. More†

 Business

76% of US wheat growers support biotech
More than three-quarters of wheat growers responding to a recent National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) survey approved a petition supporting the commercialization of biotechnology in wheat. The survey was commissioned by NAWG as a project of the NAWG Foundation to measure and document the level of support of biotech trait commercialization among wheat growers. More†

US whisky maker turn to GM maize
One of the largest American-owned companies in the wine and spirits business says that a shortage non-GM maize in the marketplace will force it to use GM maize for some of its whiskey distilling. More†

 Legal

EU clears obsolete Canadian GM rapeseed?
The European Union has opened its borders to GM rapeseed, clearing the way for a resumption of oilseed trading with Canada. The rapeseed -- known as T45 -- is destined for use in food and animal feed, not for growing in European fields. The EU authorisation will be valid the next 10 years. However, T45 was discontinued from commercial planting after the 2005 season. Only a small stock remains, in Canada. More†

EU Ministers approve national bans on GM crops
In a bid for national sovereignty, which strikes a severe blow against the notion of pan-European sovereignty, environment ministers from all 27 EU member states have rejected an attempt by the EU Commission to force these two countries to lift their bans on Monsanto's Mon810 - the only GM maize currently approved for cultivation in the EU. More†

Ukraine enacts state registration of GMOs, related products
The Ukraine has enacted state registration of GMOs and products thereof for use in food, medical and cosmetic purposes. That's the claim of the Black Sea Biotechnology Association (BSBA), which says the procedures will come into force on June 1, 2009. More†

 Sci/Tech

Bt maize doesn't hurt nontarget arthropods
A team of scientists studying the the potential effects of cultivating transgenic maize hybrids containing a Cry1F insect-resistant protein on nontarget arthropod abundance over the course of four years has concluded the insecticidal protein is too well-targeted to harm other organisms. Analyses of the individual taxa showed no significant differences in abundance between Bt and non-Bt fields. Results of these studies confirm earlier laboratory testing and support the hypothesis that Cry1F maize does not produce adverse effects on nontarget arthropods occurring in maize fields.

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Gene-doubled maize performs
University of Illinois plant geneticist Stephen Moose has developed a maize plant with enormous potential for biomass, literally. It yields maize that would make good silage, Moose said, due to a greater number of leaves and larger stalk, which could also make it a good energy crop. More†

Still searching for Bt resistance - in vain
Cry1Ac-expressing cotton has proven its effectiveness against this insect since its introduction in North America in 1996. However, the constant exposure of tobacco budworm to this protein toxin may result in the development of resistance to it. To estimate the frequency of alleles that confer resistance to a 1.0 ?g of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac diagnostic concentration in field-collected insects, the second generation (F2) of 1,001 single-pair families from seven geographical regions representing 2,202 alleles from natural populations was screened in 2006 and 2007. More†

 Development

India to wait 8 years for GM rice
In India, field trials of GM drought-tolerant rice are under way, and Dr, Charudatta Digambarrao Mayee, chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB). More†

 NGO Watch

'Riot' Tourism on the Rise
At vagabondish.com, Jesse Cooper reveals the exhilartion a traveler can experience by taking part in a riot, and recommends "2009's Best International Hotbeds of Anarchy & Dissent". More†

Europeans oppose GM cassava for Africa
Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) and over 30 other activist groups are condemning approval of field-tests of a GM cassava christened "Super Cassava" in Nigeria. The project seeks to fortify a single 500 gram adult portion of cassava with essential nutrients, including vitamins A and E, iron and zinc. Why would European governments oppose such a project? More†
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Rogue's gallery opposes Golden Rice
It appears that Golden Rice will be released to farmers in the Philippines by 2012. Already, deaths worldwide from Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) are near 15.9 million. By 2012, the number of deaths will be millions greater. Opponents of Golden Rice, like those who oppose GM crops generally, have complained for at least a decade about the ethics of feeding GM foods to humans without human testing. Now, they're complaining about the ethics of feeding GM foods to humans with human testing. Who are these people, who are willing to sacrifice human lives for the sake of elusive, contradictory principles?  More†

 Potpourri

Bizkit the Sleep Walking GMO
This video purports to show an ear of GM maize engaged in "sleep walking", or somnambulism. Looks more like a greenpeacer, dressed as Frankencorn, having a nightmare in which he struggles with his conscience. More†

Tune into DNA-Radio
After creating pictures from the human DNA code and getting an incredible amount of positive response, the step to convert the data to audio came into mind at DNA Rainbow quite fast. After some thinking and lots of tests, they are converting the whole human genome to audio and streaming them now to the Internet, 24/7. The idea is quite simple, every base is read and broadcasted instead converting it to a color. With DNA-Radio they don't visualize the chromosome, they sonify it and have now completed a full audio-visual DNA representation of human chromosomes. More†