Gene scissors found to cause chaos in genome of tomatoes. And as the effects can be easily overlooked without exact genomic analyses, it's not unlikely that they also occurred in plants obtained from gene editing that were already deregulated in the US testbiotech.org/en/news/crispr…
Chromothripsis-like effects occurred after the application of #CRISPR/Cas. In chromothripsis often several hundred genetic changes occur simultaneously in a 'catastrophic' event. Many sections of the genetic material can be swapped, twisted, recombined or even lost if this occurs
Molecular geneticist Dr Michael Antoniou: "Yet again we see a phenomenon already observed in a human cell context—major DNA damage from gene editing—now appearing in plants. Due to the inadequate analysis generally done on gene-edited plants, #GMO developers will often miss this"
Dr Antoniou: "So we will end up with marketed products with major genetic rearrangements affecting the function of many genes, even disturbing the balanced expression of multiple gene families, with unknown downstream consequences to the biochemical composition of the plant."
Dr Antoniou: "Those consequences [from major genetic rearrangements in gene-edited plants] could include the production of new toxins and allergens. Yet gene editing is claimed to be more precise than natural breeding. Clearly this is not the case." gmwatch.org/en/106-news/la…
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A new generation of genetic RNAi insecticides may be as dangerous to pollinators as the chemical pesticides they replace because of the extent of their fatal "off-target" effects on non-pest pollinators, according to a new analysis by @AssoPollinisactu-environnement.com/ae/news/pollin…
@AssoPollinis The genetic sequences targeted by the action of RNAi pesticides are found in several species. An analysis of the 26 genetic pesticides (in development or being marketed), found 14 could cause fatal effects in up to 136 non-pest pollinators! Report (French) actu-environnement.com/media/pdf/news…
@AssoPollinis Among the potential victims of RNAi pesticides are the European honeybee, the monarch butterfly, the painted lady butterfly, the large bee-fly, and the critically-endangered rusty patched bumblebee. And maybe more: we haven't yet sequenced the genomes of all endangered species!
Leaked proposal to deregulate new #GMOs — European Commission plan gives in to #GMO seed corporations and means more risks and more market domination gmwatch.org/en/106-news/la…
"If this proposal goes through, it will mean these #GMOs will no longer be subject to risk assessment for health and environment, or traceability or labelling. This will increase biosafety risks and abolish consumer choice. And patents will erode farmers’ rights." — @nina_holland
@nina_holland "It'll lead to further monopolisation of the seed market. The assumption the Commission makes that new #GMOs will lead to more sustainability are based on industry's claims, not real evidence. In reality, this is a give-away to the biotech seed firms like @Bayer, Corteva & @BASF"
The Fumigated Peoples of Argentina and comrades from other fumigated towns in the "United Republic of Soybeans" in Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay and Bolivia are meeting and marching this week in Rosario🇦🇷 for food sovereignty and freedom from fumigation! #GMOsanred.org/2023/06/16/enc…
They're mobilising against the concentration, expulsion, poisoning, disease and death agribusiness brings with its #GMO soy and #pesticides. There have also been talks and workshops organized by the Institute of Socio-Environmental Health of the National University of Rosario.
"We cannot continue producing crops based on chemicals poisoning people. What they are doing is crazy. The State cannot continue endorsing this way of producing, they are responsible for the economic, environmental and health disaster that is taking place" unosantafe.com.ar/santa-fe/los-p…
More things in Heaven and Earth: Mycorrhizal fungi, ploughing, no-till and glyphosate. #Glyphosate reduces levels of beneficial mycorrhizae. Organic farming leads to healthier mycorrhizal communities. And there's more than fungi to the soil microbiome! sustainablefoodtrust.org/news-views/mor…
A Dutch study found that arable fields under organic management had more arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi species than conventionally managed ones, with the difference becoming increasingly significant as time passed, following conversion to organic methods nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.…
The same study also showed that organic soils had mycorrhizal communities which were more diverse than farmed soils not under organic management, and more similar to those found under natural grasslands — a finding that was replicated in this Swiss study link.springer.com/article/10.100…
New study shows push-pull tech consistently controls pests and greatly increases maize yields. Replaces pesticides and synthetic fertilizers with carefully managed biodiversity scidev.net/global/news/pu…
“The key finding of our study is that push-pull actually gets better the longer it is established,” said Tim Luttermoser, the study’s lead researcher. It's led to “massive yield benefits for farmers”, usually between double & triple yields compared to farms w/ non-push-pull tech.
The researchers say ecologically intensified pest management systems such as push-pull systems are more durable than chemical pesticides as pests frequently evolve pesticide resistance but rarely adapt to overcome ecologically intensified systems. In fact, pests decrease w/ time.
Escalating U.S.-Mexico debate over corn forces questions about #GMOs, cultural identity, food sovereignty and the U.S.'s imperialistic relationship with Mexico | Good article from @Salonsalon.com/2023/06/07/esc…
@Salon US wants dispute confined to discussion of scientific evidence about whether #GMO corn is directly harmful to health. Ideal arena for agribiz, given the majority of industry research dollars have been spent on new products rather than health & safety evaluations of consuming them
@Salon Science writers often report on early-stage research promising plants using less water etc. but what's missing is which #GMOs get distributed. The most widely used #GMO corn is #glyphosate tolerant. W/ so much sprayed come resistant weeds which leads farmers to use old herbicides