The federal court stepped in to ban the genetically modified alfalfa produced by Monsanto Co., pending a thorough review of the crop’s impact on the environment.

The ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday leaves Creve Coeur-based Monsanto with two options. It can appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court or hope for regulatory approval after the Agriculture Department completes a comprehensive environmental review. (stltoday.com)

Environmental groups and alfalfa-seed farmers sued the government in 2007 over its decision to release GM alfalfa without reviewing how the crop can potentially affect the environment. According to this news, the case marks the “first time a thorough environmental review has been required for regulatory approval of a genetically modified crop”.

And I am surprised that there wasn’t a thorough review in the first place, before Monsanto even invested acres of land on planting GM alfalfa. Isn’t it breeding 101 to test the impact of introduced crops or animals? I mean, the US Customs is so strict about bringing live plants, fruits and animals on board planes from overseas, and yet the Department of Agriculture did not have measures in place to test for this new technology.

Image: sxc

Indian scientists are on their way to creating a different kind of transgenic fish. This fish, a popular variety of carp known as rohu, matures twice as fast and bears more eggs than the regular carp. Extensive tests need to be conducted on it before scientists can release it for production. Not needed, say the creators because it’s not the the usual kind of transgenic organism.

Genetically modified plants or animals are known to have genomes bearing foreign genes. One such example is the GloFish, which has a set of genes from other organisms that have been combined to create a new set of genes that make the fish glow. Another example is the transgenic maize Bt corn, which has a bacterial gene inserted into its genome.

Transgenic organisms like these need to be tested for bio-safety and ecological impact in the field because of the potential risk that these foreign genes may have.

But scientists at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in New Delhi say their carp is different. The carp is auto-transgenic, meaning the inserted genes are modified using inherent carp genes from within the species. There are no “foreign genes” to speak of and so there is no need to test its biosafety.

India’s department of biotechnology will test the fish but a scientist cautiously commented that there is no likely toxic protein produced from this modified carp.

via: Livemint

Image: Flick

This totally sounds like an urban legend and should really be considered as such. But, it is newsworthy.

According to a quote through the Examiner, Russian scientists secretly warned Prime Minister Putin about a “critical link” between the H1N1 Influenza virus and genetically modified amylopectin potatoes which are sold in Western countries as french fries.

The report goes on to say that the genetically changed protease enzyme in the potatoes is so stored in the host cells (that’s us, humans who eat the fries) that our cells’ contact with an H1N1 virus creates an explosion in the viral envelope. The protein causes an acidic environment for the virus that explodes its envelope and releases the H1N1 RNA and core proteins into the host cell.

Majority of cases of H1N1 infections have been found in Western countries such as the US, Canada, UK and Australia, where genetically modified french fries are consumed the most. Moreover, the young adult population is worst hit by the swine flu; the same segment of population that loves to consume fries.

At least that’s what the report claims.

So, what do you think? Are you buying this?

It smells like a sack of rotten potatoes to me.

Image: flick

Supporters and opponents of GMO have been clamoring from a support from the Vatican, for the obvious reasons of elevating GMO into a moral issue.

Well, a study from the Vatican strongly endorses genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as providing “better food security” and safe and healthy foods, reports the National Catholic Reporter this week.

Although the Vatican itself has not issued an official statement, the Pontifical Academy for Science met this week to discuss the merits of GMO and participants unanimously agreed to endorse GMOs. Unfortunately, no Catholic critic of GMOs was invited to the conference so the endorsement has been viewed as totally biased.

In a related news, Boulder County Colorado farmers may now plant genetically modified sugar beets on government land, according to recommendations from an advisory panel. Boulder County farmers wrote letters to the county government asking permission to plant GM sugarbeets, arguing that the beets use up less herbicides and pesticides.

On the contrary, some 70 companies have signed up to avoid using GM-beet sugar in their ingredients.

And in other “GM” news, General Motors is at the point of declaring bankruptcy. (Yeah, I just thought I’d throw this in. My Google alerts for GM always brings up General Motors.)  It’s quite unbelievable that one of America’s biggest auto company is about to fold.

Proponents of genetically-modified food are fighting an uphill battle in the European Union.

Image: sxc.hu

Germany has banned a strain of genetically modified corn in the country, citing dangers to the environment as the primary reason. Last month, Luxembourg joined Hungary, France, Austria and Greece in banning Monsanto’s corn strain MON810, even though it is the only strain approved by the European Food Safety Authority.

Germany has been using MON810, also known as YieldGuard Corn Borer, for the past five years. But the Agricultural Minister now admits there is reason to believe that MON810 “represents a danger for the environment”.

The European Council meets next week and today, Luxembourg announced to vote down a proposal allowing GM rice (Bayer’s LL62) from being made available for sale in the EU.

Will the EU end up banning genetically modified crops?

Image: sxc.hu/shiyali

For the first time, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the release of a drug made from genetically engineered animals, boosting confidence in the science of gene manipulation.

The drug ATryn (GTC Biotherapeutics) was approved on February 6 for the prevention of blood clotting events in patients with hereditary antithrombin (AT) deficiency. ATryn is produced using milk from goats that have been altered to produce extra antithrombin, a natural blood thinner.

Hereditary antithrombin deficiency is a genetic condition where the person suffers from serious and recurrent blood clotting, and making them at very high risk for blood clots, organ damage or death. Over 200,000 people in the United States, Canada and Europe are affected by the disease.

The FDA’s approval will certainly help patients suffering from AT deficiency as there are very few treatment options for the disease. This is also a vote of confidence for the science of genetic engineering as the public sees the usefulness of developing transgenic drugs. Farmer Gene adds that this means the U.S. government rigorous regulatory process for genetically engineered animals is effective.

Can genetically-modified (GM) food feed the world’s hungry? Are they really safe enough to eat? Will the big GM food farmers push small traditional farming out of business?

The usefulness and safety of genetically-modified food crops is as controversial and polarized as ever, and we can never seem to find a common ground. So, the Science Museum in London organized a debate on GM crops and the world food crisis in an attempt to let the public have a clearer understanding of the issues. Ian Sample of the Guardian UK chaired the event with a panel of key scientists debating back and forth with each other and the audience. Sample observes there was only one thing that everyone agreed on.

The debate that followed covered some interesting ground, but it seemed easier to identify the problems than the solutions.

Read more about the issues in this debate at - Nearly a billion people go hungry every day – can GM crops help feed them?

The number of countries, and land areas, growing genetically modified foods has grown tremendously in the last decade. In recent years, several developing countries like Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and China have become rabid growers of transgenic crops. But North America still remains the world’s biggest grower, and exporter, of GM crops.

Recently however, the Office of Inspector General warned the US Department of Agriculture to be prepared to block the influx of GM foods from foreign countries, if they are believed to pose threats to our health, environment or agriculture.

The OIG is concerned that many GM products produced by other countries are not approved by the USDA, and GM crops could begin entering the US illegally or without proper declaration or labels.

Read the complete article in The Scientist - “US prepares to block influx of GM food”.

The land of pineapples, bananas and sugarcane, Hawaii seems like an unlikely place to grow corn. But in the last 10 years or so, the Aloha state has been home to genetically modified crops - potatoes, soybeans, wheat, beets, rice, safflower and other food traditionally grown in the mainlands.

Scientific American takes another jab at the pros and cons debate on Genetically modified food, in the background of a economically thriving but ecologically isolated Hawaii. Of interest is a report that genetic drift has been found in non-GM papaya seeds that test positive for GM material. The safety of genetically modified food is always a top debate topic. But in the case of Hawaiians, rejection of GM food, in particular taro root crop, has as more to do with its legendary origins and ties with the Hawaiian culture.

This new study is along the lines of vaccine-producing bananas.

One of the best uses of genetic engineering of plants is producing rare proteins with medical use in larger quantities. Interleukin-12 is one of those proteins that our bodies produce in regulated quantities, but is very essential for the function of the immune system. Certain immune diseases are the result of having either too little or too much interleukin-12. If scientists can harness enough of the protein for research and therapeutic development, then perhaps certain diseases can be controlled better.

New findings published in the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering found a way for interleukin-12 to be produced artificially inside genetically-modified tobacco in a more efficient way using nutrient mist bioreactors.