Kuzma in Scientific American article: Weeds Are Winning in the War against Herbicide Resistance

Herbicides are under evolutionary threat. Can modern agriculture find a new way to fight back? Excerpt: For farmers, protecting fields from pests and plagues is a constant battle fought on multiple fronts. Many insects have...

Continue reading "Kuzma in Scientific American article: Weeds Are Winning in the War against Herbicide Resistance"

Scientific American: Could Genetic Engineering Save the Galápagos?

Campbell first became intrigued by the possibilities of gene drive in 2011, when he sat in on a conference call between biologists at NC State University and officials of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to discuss a possible genetic approach to control a runaway mouse problem on Southeast Farallon Island, about 20 miles west of the California coast, near San Francisco. John Godwin, a North Carolina State neurobiologist who studies animal behavior, had learned of the Farallon issue while skimming the Internet in 2011. He happened to be at a university with an established infrastructure dedicated to experimenting with—and considering the ethical implications of—genetic manipulation....

Continue reading "Scientific American: Could Genetic Engineering Save the Galápagos?"

Scientific American article on public acceptance of CRISPR features Delborne and Kuzma

“Without transparency, we might see a kind of hyperpolarization,” says Jason Delborne, a professor of science, policy and society at North Carolina State University. Concerned groups will feel marginalized, and advocates won't receive critical feedback needed to improve design and safety. “This puts the technology at risk of a knee-jerk moratorium at the first sign of difficulty,” he notes....

Continue reading "Scientific American article on public acceptance of CRISPR features Delborne and Kuzma"