genetically modified crops

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Stress-Loving Plants May Hold Benefits for Us
Hardy Plant's Lesson: 
It Thrives Under Stress
new study

Hardy Plant's Lesson: It Thrives Under Stress

Researchers tap into its secrets, which could hold value amid climate change

(Newser) - No matter where they grow, most plants have a built-in mechanism that shuts down growth during periods of drought or other harsh conditions. Likewise, most plants will wither and die if those harsh conditions persist. This survival mechanism is controlled by abscisic acid, or ABA, a stress hormone. All land...

Unexpected Ben & Jerry's Ingredient: Herbicide

Traces of glyphosate found in ice cream samples

(Newser) - Ben & Jerry's: non-GMO , fair trade , made with " caring dairy " and cage-free eggs , concerned with the environment ... and containing herbicide? The popular ice cream brand is under fire after the Organic Consumers Association released Tuesday a list of food brands found to contain traces of glyphosate, the...

One of Our Favorite Fruits Looks Doomed

A lethal fungus jumped continents in 2013 and is on a global rampage

(Newser) - If you like bananas, it's time to start savoring them while you still can. A deadly fungus that's been killing the plant since the 1960s has jumped continents, moving from where it ravaged crops for decades in Southeast Asia to parts of South Asia, Australia, the Middle East,...

McDonald's Shuns GMO Potato OK'd by FDA

Fast-food giant not lovin' JR Simplot's 'Innate' spud

(Newser) - A major Idaho potato producer has won some love from the FDA for its genetically modified spud, but don't look for the "Innate" potato in the deep fryers at McDonald's anytime soon. As the Idaho Statesman reports, the fast-food giant—a longtime major buyer of Boise-based JR...

USDA Finds Mystery 'Franken-Wheat' Crop

'Rogue' wheat discovered beside old Monsanto testing field

(Newser) - A tremor is rippling through the US wheat industry as officials say they are investigating another crop of "rogue" genetically modified wheat—this one in Montana. The US Agriculture Department announced the find Friday at the same time it declared an earlier so-called "franken-wheat" scare in Oregon an...

Vermont Poised to Roll Out US' Toughest GMO Rules

Governor expects battle over 'common-sense legislation'

(Newser) - Vermont's governor is set to sign a bill requiring the labeling of genetically modified food, a move that sets it apart from other states, the New York Times reports. While Connecticut and Maine have instituted similar requirements, their versions depend on state legislatures to take action first, the Wall ...

Bring on the GMO Wheat

 Bring on the GMO Wheat 
OPINION

Bring on the GMO Wheat

Plants could better survive growing drought danger: Jayson Lusk and Henry Miller

(Newser) - In the US, we're growing genetically modified versions of two of our top crops: Some 90% of the soybeans and corn we grow is engineered to fight off pests or herbicides. But we don't grow genetically modified wheat, and it's time to start, write Jayson Lusk and...

Meet the Purple Tomato
 Meet the Purple Tomato 

Meet the Purple Tomato

It's got blueberry-like health benefits: researchers

(Newser) - Finally: the health benefits of a blueberry in the shape of a tomato. That's how researchers are billing a genetically-modified purple tomato that may soon be available to shoppers. "With these purple tomatoes you can get the same compounds that are present in blueberries and cranberries that give...

Argentines Say Agrochemicals Causing Birth Defects, Cancer

In one town, 80% of kids have pesticides in their blood

(Newser) - Argentina is the third-largest soybean producer in the world, and also grows a lot of cotton and corn. Nearly all of it is now genetically modified, since Monsanto convinced farmers to switch to its seeds and chemicals in 1996. But the agrochemicals the country's farmers use to keep up...

GMO Feed Alters Pigs' Stomachs


 GMO Feed 
 Alters Pigs' 
 Stomachs 
new study

GMO Feed Alters Pigs' Stomachs

Pigs fed genetically modified grain had higher stomach inflammation: study

(Newser) - If the thought of eating genetically modified food makes you a bit sick in the stomach, you're not alone. A new study has found that pigs who were fed a diet of GM corn and soy had a higher rate of stomach inflammation than those who strictly ate regular...

Farmer Sues Monsanto Over Franken-Wheat

First lawsuit to arise from discovery of GMO wheat in Oregon

(Newser) - The first lawsuit related to the bizarre discovery of unapproved genetically engineered wheat in an Oregon field has arrived, and similar suits are said to be in the works. A Kansas farmer is suing Monsanto over last week's incident, claiming it hurt US growers because wheat prices dropped and...

New Conn. Law: We'll Label GMOs If Everyone Does

Governor says he'll sign watered down bill

(Newser) - Connecticut passed the nation's first law requiring all genetically modified foods to be labeled yesterday—but it's going to need some peer pressure to implement it. Gov. Dannel Malloy said he'd only sign the bill if it included a provision dictating that it wouldn't take effect...

Hello, Franken-Wheat: Farmer Finds Engineered Crop

It's not clear how genetically modified plants got on Oregon farm, but they're illegal

(Newser) - The Agriculture Department said today that a non-approved strain of genetically engineered wheat has been discovered in a field in Oregon. A farmer discovered the plants on his farm and contacted Oregon State University, which notified USDA early this month. No genetically engineered wheat is currently approved for US farming....

Anti-GMO Crusader: I Was Wrong
Anti-GMO Crusader:
I Was Wrong

Anti-GMO Crusader: I Was Wrong

Mark Lynas: Science convinced me to stop fighting GMO crops

(Newser) - In the 1990s, environmental activist Mark Lynas helped start the anti-GMO movement, fighting against genetically modified food crops. But now he's done a complete 180, telling the Oxford Farming Conference earlier this month that he was wrong to "demon[ize] an important technological option which can and should be...

Russia Bans Monsanto's GMO Corn

It cites new study raising fears of cancer

(Newser) - Russia won't be importing any genetically modified US corn from Monsanto for a while, after a new study suggested it raised the risk of cancer, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch . Monsanto is calling the French study bogus and said the safety of its NK603 corn is "well established....

Woman Sues Frito-Lay Over 'All Natural' Claims

Tostitos, Sun Chips made with genetically modified oil: suit

(Newser) - Almost exactly one year ago, your helpful Newser editors informed you that Frito-Lay had big plans for 2011: to make 50% of its line from "all-natural" ingredients. And according to one California woman, that effort has been a big fail. Julie Gengo has filed a class-action lawsuit against Frito-Lay,...

Protein Made From Rice Can Cure Disease

HSA can also treat burns and traumatic shock

(Newser) - Scientists in China say they've extracted a protein from rice that can treat liver disease, burns, and traumatic shock. The breakthrough could lead to increased production of the protein, called HSA, which is "physically and chemically equivalent" to the HSA found in human blood and has been in...

Uh-Oh: Bugs Develop Resistance to Franken-Corn

Genetically modified crop no longer fends off all pests

(Newser) - Farmers in Iowa who planted corn seeds genetically modified to fend off the dreaded corn rootworm are seeing a troubling sign: The rootworm is apparently developing a resistance to the Monsanto seeds and gobbling up cornfields again, say Iowa University researchers. It's still just a small percentage of rootworms...

Eco-Terrorism? Hawaii Vandals Hit Modified Papayas

Farmers suspect opponents of genetically altered crops

(Newser) - Hawaii papaya growers think they're the victim of eco-terrorism. Vandals cut down thousands of papaya trees, and farmers suspect that opponents of genetically modified crops are to blame, reports the AP via the Sydney Morning Herald . Most of the papayas grown on the Big Island are modified to protect...

Genetically Engineered Crops Cover 10% of Farmland

Up from, well, zero about 15 years ago

(Newser) - The amount of land being used to grow genetically modified crops ballooned 10% last year, as countries like Brazil and Argentina got in on the game. A full 10% of the world’s farmland now grows these so-called “biotech crops,” which were essentially non-existent 15 years ago, USA ...

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