Bytown Public Affairs

01/05/2017

The Non GMO Project Verified label violates Canadian law, but Canadians can do something about it.

Canadian food labelling laws are pretty strict. Unlike in the US, it is not enough for a food label to be true in the general sense. In Canada, there is a specific provision in the Food and Drug Ac…

01/27/2016

This could be good news for the conservation of fish stocks.

Oil from genetically modified (GM) oil seed crops could replace fish oil as a primary source of the beneficial omega 3 fatty acid EPA, according to new research. Researchers studied the effect in mice of consuming feed enriched with oil from glasshouse-grown genetically engineered Camelina sativa. T…

01/06/2016

"Gene flow was raised as one of the first issues related to the development and release of genetically engineered (GE) crops. Gene flow has remained a topic of discussion for more than 20 years and is still used as an argument against the release of transgenic crops.
With respect to herbicide-resistant crops, gene flow does not differ whether the herbicide resistance trait is introduced via genetic engineering or via conventional breeding techniques. Conventional breeding and genetic engineering techniques have been used to produce herbicide resistance in many of the same crop species. In addition, conventional breeding has been used to produce a broader range of herbicide-resistant crops than have been genetically engineered for herbicide resistance.
Economic, political, and social concerns center on the breeding technique, but the results of gene flow for w**d management are the same irrespective of breeding technique."

Mallory-Smith, C.A., and Sanchez Olguin, E. (2011). Gene Flow from Herbicide-Resistant Crops: Itʼs Not Just for Transgenes. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 59, 5813–5818.

01/06/2016

At one time, farms had a place in the popular imagination as pastoral settings where Mother Nature ruled, people in overalls hand-picked crops, and free-roaming animals produced “all natural” food. Today, of course, most Americans know that few large-scale farms actually fit this idyllic image — at…

01/05/2016

For the first time, malarial mosquitoes have been modified to be infertile and pass on the trait rapidly -- raising the possibility of reducing the spread of disease.

12/01/2015

The World Trade Organization ruled that the EU violated treaties when it banned GM imports. What's happened since?

11/10/2015

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Last week, researchers in the United Kingdom ann

11/08/2015

Doctors used molecular scalpels to tweak T cells to target leukemia but not harm the patient.

11/06/2015

For the first time, researchers have identified two genetic variants that interact to alter the brain responses to high-calorie foods, a tie that could aid in the development of targeted treatments for obesity and overweight. Researchers found that two gene variants - FTO and DRD2 - influenced activ…

10/24/2015

Walgreens won’t open new Theranos blood-testing centers while seeking answers about startup’s technology; met with Elizabeth Holmes.

10/23/2015

Some problems require no new solutions. Just keep on doing what works.

Bill Gates shares a comic strip celebrating progress on polio by Randall Munroe.