GMO Research
Abstract: All approved genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are regarded as safe for daily human consumption. On the other hand, reports on possible hazards of GMOs have been circulated through various media. This study reviews the scientific literature on the health hazards of the Roundup Ready soybean and Bt-Maize crops. The toxicological assessment of the application …
Abstract: The introduction of genetically modified herbicide tolerant rapeseed has raised questions concerning the possible transfer of transgenes into wild relatives or neighbouring fields with similar crops. Pollen of rapeseed can be spread in the area and if a non-GM crop is fertilised by GM pollen, some percentage of the collected seed product will contain …
Abstract: Showing that a genetically modified food is chemically similar to its natural counterpart is not adequate evidence that it is safe for human consumption. Keywords: Animals, Biotechnology, Consumer Product Safety, Agricultural Crops, Food, Food Analysis, Genetic Engineering, Humans, Food Legislation, Public Policy, Toxicity Tests; Standards, Chemistry, Genetics, Standards Citation: Millstone, E., Brunner, E., Mayer, …
Abstract: Purpose Since more than 25 years, public dialogues, expert consultations and scientific publications have concluded that a comprehensive assessment of the implications of genetic engineering in agriculture and food production needs to include health, environmental, social and economical aspects, but only very few legal frameworks allow to assess the two latter aspects. This article …
Abstract: Glyphosate-based herbicides (GlyBH), including Roundup, are the most widely used pesticides worldwide. Their uses have increased exponentially since their introduction on the market. Residue levels in food or water, as well as human exposures, are escalating. We have reviewed the toxic effects of GlyBH measured below regulatory limits by evaluating the published literature and …
Abstract: Agricultural genetically modified (GM) plants are essentially plants which contain pesticides, because they were designed to tolerate or produce pesticides. In 2011, GM crops reached 160 million hectares, with 59 % of herbicide tolerance (mainly Roundup) mostly in soybean, maize, canola, cotton, 15 % of insecticide producing varieties and 26% combining both traits (James …
Abstract: Context – Among the 134 million hectares of genetically modified plants growing worldwide in 2009, more than 99.9 % are described as pesticide plants (Clive 2009). Around 80 % are tolerant to Roundup, a glyphosate based herbicide. Its use on GMOs is thus amplified, and this phenomenon shed a new light on the problem …
Text: The galactopoietic potency of bovine somatotrophin (bST; also known as growth hormone, bGH) has been known for over 50 years, but it is only since the 1980s that production of bST by recombinant DNA techniques has raised the prospect of its large scale use in dairying. Subcutaneous or intramuscular injections of approximately 30mg/day can …
Abstract: New agro-biotechnologies promise bounty from fine-tuned molecular manipulation of food crops. They already provide profits and export opportunities to a few transnational seed/ agrochemical/ biotechnology firms. Against growing resistance in international arenas, industry and US government spokespeople have aggressively promoted genetic engineering, arguing that it permits precise control of life processes. However, this claim …
Text: In our lifetime we are experiencing never before seen rates of obesity, with a 68% rate of overweight in adults. In my field of gynecologic oncology, our surgical cases have become tremendously challenging due to the large size of our patients. When I was in residency training in the mid 1980s, it was rare …
Abstract: The inclusion of genetically modified (GM) foods in the human diet has caused considerable debate. There is concern that the transfer of plant-derived transgenes to the resident intestinal microflora could have safety implications. For these gene transfer events to occur, the nucleic acid would need to survive passage through the gastrointestinal tract. The aim …
Abstract: Release of genetically modified (GM) plants has sparked off intensive debates worldwide partly because of concerns about potential adverse unintended effects of GM plants to the agro system and the safety of foods. In this study, with the aim of revealing the molecular basis for unintended effects of a single site insertion GM Kemingdao …
Abstract: There is an ongoing discussion whether to legally accept commercial GM crops in Poland. The public debate is mainly concentrated on the safety of GM food/feed and opposing statements are constantly presented – either about the risks concerned with GM products or about the absolute safety of GMOs. Thus, we decided to review research …
Abstract: Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup®, is the most widely used herbicide in the world. It is also used in combination with another effective herbicide, 2,4-D, in the formulation called Enlist Duo®. The EPA approved the use of Enlist Duo® on certain crops including those genetically modified to be resistant to both herbicides. The …
To the editor: As field ecologists involved in risk assessment research on Bacillus thuringiensis toxin (Bt)-maize in Europe for several years now, we are very pleased that the publication last January of an article by Romeis et al. (Nat. Biotechnol. 24, 63–71, 2006) and an earlier paper by Firbank et al. Nat. Biotechnol. (23, 1475–1476, …
Text: Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not high on most physicians’ worry lists. If we think at all about biotechnology, most of us probably focus on direct threats to human health, such as prospects for converting pathogens to biologic weapons or the implications of new technologies for editing the human germline. But while those debates …
Abstract: Cloning technology is an emerging biotechnological tool that could provide commercial opportunities for livestock agriculture. However, the process is very inefficient and the molecular events underlying the technology are poorly understood. The resulting uncertainties are causing concerns regarding the safety of food products derived from cloned livestock. There are similar concerns for livestock produced …
Abstract: Biotechnology, whether in the context of new drugs derived from DNA and genetic technology, genetically modified food, or biologics making use of living cells, raises ethical concerns at a variety of different levels. At the research level, there is concern that the very nature of research is being subverted, rather than enhanced, by entrepreneurship. …
Abstract: Introduction. Genetically modified soy is characterized by a high protein content (38-42%), which contains all the essential aminoacids, many polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, macro and micronutrients, so it comprise of many foods: bread, biscuits, margarine, pizza, sausage, candy, milk, yogurt, baby food and others, but the final opinion on their safety there. This problem …
Abstract: Agriculture has received renewed attention in poverty reduction efforts in Africa in recent years, and there are hopes that GM crops could have an important role in helping increase smallholder yields and reduce poverty. Drawing on critical discourse analysis (CDA) and livelihoods perspectives, this thesis examines the ideas governing the Massive Food Production Programme …
Abstract: Micronutrients are regulators, inhibitors and activators of physiological processes, and plants provide a primary dietary source of these elements for animals and people. Micronutrient deficiency symptoms are often indistinct (“hidden hunger”) and commonly ascribed to other causes such as drought, extreme temperatures, soil pH, etc. The sporadic nature of distinct visual symptoms, except under …
Abstract: Background, aim, and scope: Basically, technological innovations are associated with benefits and risks. This is also true for the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMO) into agriculture. In Germany, precautionary regulations currently demand isolation distances (i. e. buffer zones) for the cultivation of genetically modified maize (Bt-maize) in the vicinity of conventional (150 m) and organic …
Abstract: El presente artículo cuestiona varios argumentos utilizados por los promotores de la ingeniería genética con respecto a los alimentos transgénicos. Se presentan las filosofías bajo las cuales se defiende o critica la producción de alimentos transgénicos: la reduccionista y la crítica u holística, así como también aspectos relacionados con la construcción de los alimentos …
Abstract: Today, genetically modified oilseeds are commercially available. Consumer protection as well as product safety demand analytical methods for the identification of products which have been genetically manipulated. By means of a technique which incorporates polymerase chain reactions, deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) fragments have been identified in oil samples from Brassicca napus. DNA fragments were …
Abstract: Changing the nature, kind and quantity of particular regulatory-RNA molecules through genetic engineering can create biosafety risks. While some genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are intended to produce new regulatory-RNA molecules, these may also arise in other GMOs not intended to express them. To characterise, assess and then mitigate the potential adverse effects arising from …
