Podcast: Should We Unleash GMO Mosquitoes?

December 16, 2024 | Guest Author

December 16, 2024 | On the Entanglements podcast, hosts Brooke Borel and Anna Rothschild talk to Omar Akbari, a molecular biologist, and Jennifer Kuzma, a social scientist, about altering insect genes....

Continue reading "Podcast: Should We Unleash GMO Mosquitoes?"

Blog: “To the USDA, and Beyond!”: The Intersection of Governance and Biotechnology Innovation

May 30, 2024 | Guest Author

Christopher J. Gillespie | Recently, on National Agriculture Day, Dr. Jennifer Rowland, the Biotechnology Coordinator at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), gave a talk at the GES Colloquium that left a “big footprint”....

Continue reading "Blog: “To the USDA, and Beyond!”: The Intersection of Governance and Biotechnology Innovation"

Blog: Grappling with complexities of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe

April 18, 2024 | Guest Author

Eric Butoto | Embarking on a three-month journey with CIMMYT in Zimbabwe, I delved into the heart of smallholder agriculture, witnessing firsthand the challenges, innovations, and unwavering resilience of farmers, offering a glimpse into their lives and the quest for food security in a changing climate....

Continue reading "Blog: Grappling with complexities of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe"

American Eugenics Society photograph of winner in Large Family Class, Texas State Fair, 1925. Parents and five children. Family posed in bathing suits, back to back.

Blog: Science Ideology and Policy: Eugenics in the South

April 16, 2024 | Guest Author

Ruthie Stokes | In the annals of history, the American South has been marked by a complex tapestry of culture, tradition, and struggle. Yet, amidst the backdrop of rural landscapes and Jim Crow laws, there lurked a shadowy chapter: the era of eugenics....

Continue reading "Blog: Science Ideology and Policy: Eugenics in the South"

Blog: Saving Our Seeds, Changing Our Perspective

April 2, 2024 | Guest Author

Asa Budnick | The act of saving a seed holds varied meanings, from my perspective as a molecular biologist, refrigerating seeds for experiments, to the broader perspectives of farmers, breeders, and nations, reflecting the diverse value and conservation methods of seeds, as explored in Dr. Helen Anne Curry’s discussion on seed conservation history and its intersections with scientific, imperialistic, and agricultural narratives....

Continue reading "Blog: Saving Our Seeds, Changing Our Perspective"

Blog: Bringing in Indigenous Perspectives on Synthetic Biology for Conservation

February 27, 2024 | Guest Author

Jill Furgurson | Dr. Kirsty Wissing's colloquium presentation highlighted the essential role of Indigenous participation in shaping conservation agendas, advocating for approaches that honor traditional ecological knowledge....

Continue reading "Blog: Bringing in Indigenous Perspectives on Synthetic Biology for Conservation"

Nick Loschin with David Andow at the GES colloquium on February 6, 2024

Blog: Key Ecological Perspectives: Tracing the Evolution of GMO Oversight with Dr. David Andow

February 21, 2024 | Guest Author

Nick Loschin | Dr. David Andow provided his insights and expertise on ecological and evolutionary perspectives related to genetic engineering through key events from the 1980s to the early 2000s...

Continue reading "Blog: Key Ecological Perspectives: Tracing the Evolution of GMO Oversight with Dr. David Andow"

This photograph is dated 1926 in the American Eugenics Society Records. The sign at the top reads, “This light flashes every 15 seconds. Every 15 seconds, $1.00 of your money goes for the care of persons with bad heredity such as the insane feebleminded criminals & other defectives”. Below center, promotional material for a “Fitter Families Contest” to be held at the Eastern States Exposition in Springfield, Mass.

Blog: Remembering 20th Century Eugenics in North Carolina

February 14, 2024 | Guest Author

Nolan Speicher | In a recent GES colloquium, PhD student Grace Wiedrich shared archival research that invites audiences to reflect on the eugenics movement and its intersections with our local history....

Continue reading "Blog: Remembering 20th Century Eugenics in North Carolina"

Blog: Interdisciplinary Reflections on the U.S. Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and the Bioeconomy

January 24, 2024 | Khara Grieger

In December, GES-affiliated faculty and students participated in a roundtable discussion on the EO at the recent Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting, held in Washington, DC. The roundtable aimed to discuss the strengths and limitations of the recent EO on bio-innovation from interdisciplinary perspectives, highlighting aspects of biotechnology regulation and risk in particular....

Continue reading "Blog: Interdisciplinary Reflections on the U.S. Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and the Bioeconomy"

Joseph Gakpo and Modesta Abugu presenting their poster at the ‘International Conference on GMO Analysis and New Genomic Techniques’

Blog: The Challenges of GMO Detection and Traceability in a Globalized Food System

April 7, 2023 | Guest Author

By Joseph Opoku Gakpo and Modesta Abugu | The traceability and detection of biotech foods in a globalized system remain crucial, and while detection methods have improved, many challenges remain, especially for products of new genomic methods like CRISPR....

Continue reading "Blog: The Challenges of GMO Detection and Traceability in a Globalized Food System"

Blog: Impressions from the field: biotechnology, scale, and change

April 5, 2023 | Guest Author

By Asa Budnick and Jill Furgurson | Over the summer of 2022, the last cohort of AgBioFEWS graduate students conducted field research in eastern North Carolina, gaining insights into the intersection of biotechnology, farm size, and environmental shifts on farmers....

Continue reading "Blog: Impressions from the field: biotechnology, scale, and change"

Why do we love cats and hate rats?

March 6, 2023 | Guest Author

By NC State Libraries News | Why do we dote on parakeets but not pigeons? Why do we let cats curl up on our laps but catch rats in traps? Science writer Bethany Brookshire, author of the new book Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villians visits NC State on April 4th....

Continue reading "Why do we love cats and hate rats?"

A plenary meeting of the United Nations biodiversity conference (December 2022). Credit: Willy Wei

Blog: Reflections on COP15

January 13, 2023 | Khara Grieger

GES members attended the recent UN biodiversity conference to better understand the impacts of biotechnology on biodiversity and conservation....

Continue reading "Blog: Reflections on COP15"

Jabeen Ahmad in lab with colleagues

Blog: Archea, Microbial Superheroes?

September 27, 2022 | Guest Author

Jabeen Ahmad, September 27, 2022 | Food insecurity is a concern now and in the future. Globally, the United Nations estimates that about 690 million people are food insecure. By the year 2050, the world population is expected to reach nine billion people, requiring food supplies to double. ...

Continue reading "Blog: Archea, Microbial Superheroes?"

¿Será la edición génica una alternativa de corto plazo para hacer frente a la subida de precios de alimentos?

July 26, 2022 | Guest Author

Gonzalo Muñoz y Mike Jones, March 29, 2022 | La edición génica es la metodología más reciente y por lo tanto es necesario crear nuevos marcos regulatorios, patentes y licenciamientos....

Continue reading "¿Será la edición génica una alternativa de corto plazo para hacer frente a la subida de precios de alimentos?"