Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
a team of researchers, including an Indian doctor working in the uk, has identified a gene whose malfunctioning causes eczema and asthma. Mutations in the gene cause dry, scaly skin and predispose individuals to eczema. Some of these individuals also develop a form of asthma. Currently, only symptomatic treatment of …
According to you, the net cumulative benefit, since the advent of gm technology in 1996, is US $27 billion. How did you come to that figure? We considered the legally approved acreage of gm crop across the globe and then economic and environmental benefits were calculated based on nominal price …
A group of Texan cotton farmers has sued Monsanto and two affiliated companies for massive crop losses. The farmers claimed the companies failed to warn them of a defect in their genetically altered cotton seed. The lawsuit seeks an injunction against a "longstanding campaign of deception. The two affiliated companies …
SC clears mill land sale: The Supreme Court (SC) has cleared the sale of mill land in Mumbai, setting aside an earlier Bombay High court order. The SC has upheld the Maharashtra government's amendment to the rules for development of the
for the first time, regulators of genetically modified (gm) crops in India organised a workshop with state government officials to account for the requirements of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The workshop, held on February 27-28 in New Delhi, deliberated over the modifications required in the rules of handling gm …
The conflict between trade and environmental concerns was brought out in the open on the global stage in early February at a World Trade Organization (wto) ministerial. The European Union (eu) had banned some genetically modified organisms (gmos) from 1999 to 2003. The us, with Argentina and Canada, challenged this …
Biotech biggie Monsanto recently stopped a boatload of Argentine soya in Liverpool, England. Monsanto had earlier sued two importers of Argentine soymeal in Spain, seeking economic compensation and recognition of its patent rights for Roundup Ready soyabeans. In June, 2005, the multinational also sued importers of Argentine soya in Denmark …
the World Trade Organization's (wto's) ruling that the European Union (eu) was not justified in blocking imports of genetically modified (gm) crops has created major problems for the international community. A panel set up under the dispute settlement mechanism of the organisation has sided with Canada, Argentina and the us. …
quake fouls jhelum: Concerns are being raised over truckloads of debris generated by the October 2005 earthquake being dumped daily into the Jhelum river in Pakistan. Environmentalists say the waste contains many chemicals, which are polluting the waters of the river, disturbing its local ecosystem and threatening aquatic life. Since …
in a quantum leap that might spell a windfall for virologists, 170 strains of the avian influenza virus have been decoded by researchers from St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Tennessee, in usa. The effort doubled the amount of genetic information available on bird flu viruses in one go. The team …
populations of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) across India do not belong to one family, according to T N C Vidya and R Sukumar of the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (iisc), Bangalore. The pachyderm population has undergone considerable genetic separation in two particular pockets, due to …
Human and chimpanzee genes differ by a mere 1.2 per cent, which is insufficient to explain the differences between the two species. About 30 years ago, Mary-Claire King and Alan Wilson had proposed it is not genes but their expression that differentiates us from primates. Now, Matthew Rockman of Duke …
Whatever the Bt cotton experience for farmers in other parts of India, it seems that it has given their counterparts in Punjab a new lease of life. After being plagued by continuously declining productivity and escalating input costs for years, farmers had been going off cotton in a big way. …
European Union (eu) farm ministers once again revealed their long-standing rift over genetically modified ( gm ) food. At a recent meet in Luxembourg, proposals to approve new gm imports and to ask Greece to lift its gm ban could not be passed. All the gmos under discussion are maize …
Environmental factors can lead to genetic mutation by generating new gene alleles (either of a pair of genes). The new allele may improve its suitability (of propagation in subsequent generations) within the organism and increases its frequency, or decrease its suitability and finally disappear. Such interactions of genes with environment …
scientists and even practitioners of traditional medicine have long believed that understanding the genetic makeup of a person could help tailor a healthier diet. The same principle can now be extended to a database of small variations in a person's genetic makeup called HapMap, to devise more effective cures and …
sri lanka's business community, which forced the government to suspend a ban on the import of genetically modified (gm) food in 2001, is now supporting regulation of gm food imports. In May 2001, the country's health ministry had announced a ban on the import of gm food, covering 21 types …
micropropagation: Researchers at the Aligarh Muslim University led by M Anis have developed a new tissue culture method to propagate bijasal ( Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb.), an important tree, whose natural stands are fast disappearing. Known for its medicinal properties and also for heartwood, bijasal is overexploited and is in the …
Angola recently banned the import of all genetically modified organisms (gmo s ), except those meant for food aid for its people. un food aid feeds nearly one million Angolans. The decision to impose the ban was taken by the country's council of ministers, state run news agency Angop said. …
