GMO NOMS
sa smith | December 20, 2014Ive mentioned this technology on ERV before:
Saving the American Chestnut tree from extinction with GMOs
Well the scientists involved think they have finally done it. They have finally made American Chestnut trees resistant to the blight that is literally driving the species to extinction:
Breakthrough at SUNY-ESF: Genetic engineering may save the nearly extinct American chestnut
After 25 years of research, a pair of professors at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry say they have used a gene from wheat to create an American chestnut that could withstand the blight that wiped…
sa smith | June 3, 2014A fungus plague has been attacking the American Chestnut tree population for over 100 years now. Scientists have been trying everything to save the tree from extinction.
I wrote about one approach back in 2009:
Virus helps save the American Chestnut tree
Really innovative idea-- Infect fungal infected trees with fungus... infected with a virus. The virus infects the infecting fungus, and weakens it so the trees immune system can kill it. Very cool, but complicated.
The other idea I mentioned in that post was to cross-breed the American tree (susceptible to the fungus) with its Chinese cousin…
sa smith | December 2, 2013WHOO!
FREE book on GMOs, written by actual scientists and farmers, compiled by a former anti-GMOer who is now convinced of GMOs utility:
The Lowdown on GMOs: According to Science
I found out about this book from two of my friends, Karl Haro von Mogel and Anastasia Bodnar. These two were part of founding Biofortified (The Pandas Thumb of plant genetics) and are actual scientists (not just random people on the internet with an opinion).
But you can learn more about the other authors from David Tribe (another actual scientist and contributor to the book).
In a world where some are willing to…
sa smith | November 8, 2012Since the anti-science foo-foo hippies lost their bid to have all foods labeled 'CONTAINS GMO WARBLEGARBLE! TEACH THE CONTROVERSY!', a group of scientists at the Evil League of Evil have generated GMO corn for LSD. I guess as a gesture of good-will, or something.
There.
I hope everyones happy now.
*whisperswhisperswhispers*
What?
*whisperswhisperswhispers*
The GMO corn for 'LSD' is not for the mind-altering drug 'LSD', but actually a putative treatment option for 'Lysosomal storage diseases'? This is GMO corn that could help treat a collection of genetic conditions that kill children/…
sa smith | May 2, 2012I mentioned this in my interview with Karl, and its a topic Im going to be speaking about at FreeOK2 this year-- hell, its something Ive mentioned over and over and over and over on this blog:
We arent Cave Men dancing around a fire chanting 'OOGA BOOGA VIRUS BAD!'
We are modern humans who can bend viruses to do our bidding, to *save* our lives. Viruses (and bacteria) are not something to be universally 'feared' anymore. We can domesticate and reprogram viruses to whatever we need them to do-- they are *tools*. This isnt maybe-one-day science, we are actually doing this in the lab and in…
sa smith | January 11, 2012Last fall, a bizarre but interesting paper was published in Nature Cell Research:
Exogenous plant MIR168a specifically targets mammalian LDLRAP1: evidence of cross-kingdom regulation by microRNA
(subsequent correction after they duplicated images in their figures LOL!!!! Nature/Science, you so crazy!)
What they suggest, is that when humans eat Oryza sativa (Asian rice), a microRNA highly expressed in that rice is secreted into vesicles during digestion, which are absorbed into the human bloodstream, and taken up by liver cells, where the rice microRNA can then have a physiological effect on…
sa smith | July 13, 2011This is why we need science blogs like Tomorrows Table, Biofortified, GMO Pundit, and James and the Giant Corn**.
"I'm sick of being treated like a dumb Mum who doesn't understand the science. As far as I'm concerned, my family's health is too important. GM wheat is not safe, and if the Government can't protect the safety of my family, then I will."
Canberra Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury this morning condoned the action on ABC Radio, citing Greenpeace's long-held opposition to GM crops, and saying that sometimes the end justified the means.
Ah well, its just plants, right? No big deal, 'the…
sa smith | March 31, 2011Every Spring, you can count on a handful of posts here at ERV on allergies. Ive got em. I hate em.
But I recognize that in many ways, Im 'lucky' as far as allergies go. I only have to deal with them for a few months of the year, I can move somewhere else and not have to worry about them at all anymore, and even though my symptoms are annoying, they certainly arent life threatening.
Not everyone with allergies is this lucky.
Some people are allergic to 'indoor' things that are around year-round. And some of the 'indoor' stuff isnt as simple as not owning a cat-- some people are allergic to…
sa smith | February 27, 2011Oklahomans, Mid-westerners/Southerners, we get made fun of a lot in pop-culture. Thats fine. It can be funny. Sokay.
I saw Fred Amerson on Conan the other day, and I just caught up with his new show, 'Portlandia'. OMFG-- ROFL!
sa smith | February 2, 2011Anti-food-technology movement is just like the anti-evolution movement.
Its got jack to do with the science.
Its got everything to do with politics and personal ignorance.
So lets all pretend to act shocked and surprised that an anti-GMO group has taken a page from anti-evolutionists on how to prevent children from learning science in schools:
Practical experiments in which students learn how to use plasmids to alter the DNA of the bacteria have been under way for 17 and 18-year-olds in the final year of the scientific baccalaureate at schools across France for the past decade. But this year…
sa smith | January 19, 2011HA!
You remember a while ago, I wrote about how GMO papaya creates a population of 'papaya' that has herd immunity against papaya ringspot virus, thus is able to protect non-GMO papaya from the virus?
Theyre trying to do a similar thing with chickens (any commercial bird, really-- ducks, geese, turkeys, etc) and avian flu!
Suppression of Avian Influenza Transmission in Genetically Modified Chickens
Fundamentally this is the same idea as the GMO papaya, but the way they are accomplishing it is different. With the papaya, the GMO plants themselves were resistant to the virus, thus stopped the…
sa smith | December 17, 2010Dr. Oz.
Rockstar of Science.
Major, massive, epic moron.
Homeboy invites our Dr. Pam Ronald on his show to talk about GMOs. Great public science outreach opportunity. I was excited for her and for the field and for the public.
But you know 'crank magnetism'? Its never surprising when an anti-vaxer turns out to be a Holocaust Denier or (and) a 9/11 Truther, etc etc etc? I guess I shouldnt have been surprised at all that all the cranks get their moves from the same play-book.
See, Oz invited Pam on his show to talk about GMOs. But he didnt 'really' want to talk to her (or anyone) about…
sa smith | October 19, 2010Anastasia over at Biofortified has a post up on the science behind the GMO salmon recently submitted to the FDA.
Risk assessment and mitigation of AquAdvantage salmon
Hehehe, its interesting to see where the luddites/technophobes got the 'DER BE ANTIFREEZE GENES IN DEM DAR FISHIES!' I thought they were just pulling that one straight out of their asses, but its from the same line of 'reasoning' where they got 'DER BE CANKER VIRUS GENES IN DEM DAR TOMAHTOOS!!'
sa smith | September 20, 2010Story A on Yahoo! News:
FDA to consider approval of modified salmon
"This is perhaps the most studied fish in history," he said. "Environmentally this is a very sustainable technology."
Stotish says the fish would be bred in better conditions than many of the world's farmed salmon, and could be located closer to population centers to help feed more people. The company has also said the increase in engineered salmon production could help relieve endangered wild salmon populations.
...
"It is outrageous to keep this vital information secret," said Wenonah Hauter, director of the advocacy group…
sa smith | August 2, 2010Beet black scorch virus.
Family: Tombusviridae
Genus: Necrovirus
I know you all are thinking what Im thinking. LETS MAKE A VACCINE OUTTA THAT! YAY!!!!
A ton of plant vaccine papers have been rolling out on PubMed since I first wrote about them a few months ago. I couldnt resist writing about another cool paper-- How to make a GMO virus that infects plants to make them produce viral proteins for a rotavirus vaccine:
Oral administration of plant-based rotavirus VP6 induces antigen-specific IgAs, IgGs and passive protection in mice
Rotavirus causes diarrhea that kills hundreds of thousands of…
sa smith | July 28, 2010While poop jokes are all in good fun here in the US (and in other developed parts of the world), diarrhea really isnt all that funny for most of the planet. Dehydration due to diarrhea is the second leading cause of death for babies, worldwide (it was #1 until we started aggressive education/re-hydration efforts). Hundreds of thousands of people die from cholera and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) infection every year.
Thats not funny :(
So scientists have been working really hard to create vaccines to cholera and ETEC, and a group of folks have figured out a really cool strategy--…
sa smith | April 21, 2010So last night Im playing on the internet, minding my own business, and I stumble upon this video of Bill Gates giving a gushing plug for Pamela Ronalds book, Tomorrows Table!
**HIGH-FIVE!!**