http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/genetically_modified/ Genetically modified food, crops and GMO issues. Read current science articles on genetic engineering including mice with glowing hearts, disease-resistant mosquitos, GM bacteria chips and more. en-us Thu, 15 May 2008 22:05:01 EDT Thu, 15 May 2008 22:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/genetically_modified/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512092318.htm Researchers in California report development of a new kind of genetically modified yeast cell that produces complex proteins up to 300 times more than possible in the past. These "super yeasts" could help boost production and lower prices for a new generation of protein-based drugs that show promise for fighting diabetes, obesity, and other diseases, the researchers suggest. Tue, 13 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512092318.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505093416.htm Researchers in Korea report development of a way to double production of a sticky protein from marine mussels destined for use as an antibacterial coating to prevent life-threatening infections in medical implants. The coating, produced by genetically-engineered bacteria, could cut medical costs and improve implant safety, the researchers say. Thu, 08 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505093416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505224659.htm Genetically engineered rice plants that resist the uptake of toxic metals could boost production and ease the shortage of this staple crop in Asia, India and Bangladesh, where irrigation with contaminated groundwater has created soils with toxic levels of arsenic. More than 80 percent of the world's population depends on rice as a staple food, but production is dropping in the rice paddies of Bangladesh, parts of India and South and East Asia due to toxic levels of arsenic in the topsoil. Om Parkash of the University of Massachusetts Amherst leads a research team that uses genetic engineering to produce rice plants that block the uptake of arsenic, which could increase production of this valuable crop and provide safer food supplies for millions. Wed, 07 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505224659.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429085916.htm Australian researchers are a step closer to turning plants into 'biofactories' capable of producing oils which can be used to replace petrochemicals used to manufacture a range of products. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429085916.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140413.htm More than one billion acres of biotech crops have been grown in the US, but their environmental impacts are not fully known. In Arizona, farmers share maps of biotech cotton fields with University of Arizona scientists, enabling detailed analyses of the effects of this technology. Now a team of biologists proposes that making similar maps of the entire US available to scientists will permit much-needed studies of the environmental impacts of genetically engineered crops. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422103853.htm Researchers investigated the water quality effects of using residual versus contact herbicides on corn and herbicide-tolerant soybean. They found that losses of contact herbicides in surface runoff were usually much less than those for the residual herbicides, and never exceeded established or proposed drinking water standards. These results suggest that herbicide losses and concentrations in runoff can be reduced by planting herbicide-tolerant corn and soybean varieties and applying contact herbicides. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422103853.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414102414.htm Tumors use the body's blood system for their own purposes: They stimulate the growth of blood vessels that supply the tumor. Medical treatment blocks this process in order to restrain tumors. Scientists have now developed a method for producing a complex human vascular system in mice. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414102414.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318110336.htm In large-scale field trials, scientists have shown that silencing a specific gene in burley tobacco plants significantly reduces harmful carcinogens in cured tobacco leaves. The finding could lead to tobacco products -- especially smokeless products -- with reduced amounts of cancer-causing agents. Researchers stress that the best way for people to avoid the risks associated with tobacco use is to avoid using tobacco products. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318110336.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318094519.htm Brown bears from the Iberian Peninsula are not as genetically different from other brown bears in Europe as was previously thought. A new study shows that, to the contrary, the Spanish bear was only recently isolated from other European strains. These findings shed new light on the discussion of how to save the population of Spanish bears. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318094519.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080314164119.htm A team of veterinary researchers have identified a gene on the X chromosome, which when disrupted in mice renders the males sterile and reduces female fecundity. It's the first study of the genetic causes of infertility that links a particular sex chromosome meiosis-specific gene to sterility. Researchers hypothesize that a screening of the TEX11 gene may provide a pre-birth diagnosis for infertility in men. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080314164119.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317191441.htm Bacteria can be used to engineer genetic modifications, thereby providing scientists with a tool to combat many challenges in areas from food production to drug discovery. However, this sophisticated technology can also be used maliciously, raising the threat of engineered pathogens. New research in Genome Biology shows that computational tools could become a vital resource for detecting rogue genetically engineered bacteria in environmental samples. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317191441.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311215643.htm A cocktail of insecticides containing a plant protein and a common insecticide may be more lethal to crop pests than either ingredient used alone, according to biologists. The one-two punch also inhibits the insects' growth rate and reduces their chance of developing resistance. Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311215643.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080306202726.htm The median lifespan for those with cystic fibrosis is 36 years, and lung disease is the major cause of mortality. For years, scientists have studied cystic fibrosis using mice in which the cystic fibrosis gene was altered. However, mice do not develop lung disease like humans with cystic fibrosis. Now, researchers have taken the first step in developing a porcine cystic fibrosis model that may more faithfully mimic the disease in humans. Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080306202726.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080306202735.htm One strategy being pursued to develop new vaccines against infectious diseases is DNA vaccination. The idea is that following administration of a DNA vaccine, the body converts the information in the DNA vaccine into a protein that activates an immune response. Current DNA vaccines induce relatively weak immune responses. However, new data, generated in mice, has now identified a way to make DNA vaccines more potent. Mon, 10 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080306202735.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080224080948.htm Farmers are upbeat about genetically modified crops, according to new research. Both farmers who have been involved in GM crop trials and those who have not, regard GM as a simple extension of previous plant breeding techniques, such as those which have produced today's established crop types. They regard GM crops as an innovation which they would assess on its merits. Sun, 24 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080224080948.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218160856.htm Biochemists in Japan are reporting development of a long-sought direct test for identifying the presence E. coli bacteria that get into water and food as a result of fecal contamination. That contamination causes millions of cases of food poisoning and other gastrointestinal illness around the world each year. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218160856.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080211132056.htm A young scientist has discovered a previously undescribed species of parasite that infects farmed fish and produces serious disease. Single-celled parasites of the genus Spironucleus are known to produce serious illness in farmed and aquarium fish. In farmed salmon, these parasites create foul-smelling, puss-filled abscesses in muscles and internal organs. After the first outbreaks of this disease were described in farmed salmon in the late 1980's, it was assumed that the cause was Spironucleus barkhanus, which is a fairly common parasite in the intestine of wild grayling and Arctic char. Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080211132056.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080207140803.htm A pest insect known as bollworm, or Helicoverpa zea, is the first to evolve resistance in the field to plants modified to produce an insecticide called Bt, according to a new research report. Entomologists discovered the existence of Bt-resistant populations of bollworm in Mississippi and Arkansas by analyzing published data from monitoring studies of six major caterpillar pests of Bt crops in Australia, China, Spain and the US. Fri, 08 Feb 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080207140803.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124141407.htm Cells know that size matters, especially when it comes to the nucleus. In the early 1900s, German scientists first proposed that the size of a nucleus is always proportional to the size of its cell. Now, more than a century later, researchers show that an active mechanism controls this process. This mechanism, however, doesn't reside within the nucleus as many once thought, but instead comes from the cell's cytoplasm. Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080124141407.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080126172454.htm Using tomatoes as a research plant, scientists have discovered that two plant enzymes that occur in the plant's cell walls cooperate with each other to make ripe fruit more susceptible to a disease-causing fungus. Thu, 31 Jan 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080126172454.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129201243.htm A vaccine against the most common and deadliest strain of avian flu, H5N1, has been engineered and tested. The vaccine produced a strong immune response in mice and protected them from death following infection with the H5N1 virus. The vaccine is being tested in humans in an early-phase clinical trial. Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129201243.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129125500.htm The Fertile Crescent of the Middle East has long been identified as a "cradle of civilization" for humans. In a new genetic study, researchers have concluded that all ancestral roads for the modern day domestic cat also lead back to the same locale. The study involving more than 11,000 cats. Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129125500.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080121181404.htm Denizens of oceans, lakes and even wet soil, diatoms are unicellular algae that encase themselves in intricately patterned, glass-like shells. Curiously, these tiny phytoplankton could be harboring the next big breakthrough in computer chips. Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080121181404.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080118101931.htm Genetically engineered products have become indispensable. For example, genetically modified bacteria produce human insulin. In future, gene therapy should make it possible to introduce genes into the cells of a diseased organism so that they can address deficiencies to compensate for malfunctions in the body. Japanese researchers have now developed a new method to introduce foreign (or synthetic) DNA into cells. The equipment needed is simple, inexpensive, and portable. Wed, 23 Jan 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080118101931.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080118165005.htm Small differences between individuals at the DNA level can lead to dramatic differences in the way genes produce proteins. These, in turn, are responsible for the vast array of differences in physical characteristics between individuals. Sun, 20 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080118165005.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080116115406.htm Evolution has given humans unique protections through the p53 regulatory network -- so-called guardian of the genome -- against DNA damage that could cause cancer or genetic diseases, according to a new study. Rodents do not have these same protections, creating the need for additional considerations when interpreting studies in rodent models. Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080116115406.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080117140828.htm Plant geneticists and crop scientists have pioneered an economical approach to the selective breeding of maize that can boost levels of provitamin A, the precursors that are converted to vitamin A upon consumption. This innovation could help to enhance the nutritional status of millions of people in the developing world. Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080117140828.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080114173923.htm Scientists have successfully switched the mouse Prx1 gene regulatory element with the Prx1 gene regulatory region from a bat -- and although these two species are separated by millions of years of evolution -- the resulting transgenic mice displayed abnormally long forelimbs. Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080114173923.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071220203704.htm Scientists have genetically engineered a mosquito to release a sea-cucumber protein into its gut which impairs the development of malaria parasites, according to new research. Researchers say this development is a step towards developing future methods of preventing the transmission of malaria. Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071220203704.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071221094911.htm Two articles provide further evidence that we have hugely underestimated the number of species with which we share our planet. Today sophisticated genetic techniques mean that superficially identical animals previously classed as members of a single species, including the frogs and giraffes in these studies, could in fact come from several distinct 'cryptic' species. Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071221094911.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071221163216.htm Using genetic engineering techniques, researchers have proven a long-standing theory of how many plants ship sugars from their leaves to flowers, roots, fruits and other parts of their structure. Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071221163216.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071218192020.htm Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that a new type of gene therapy, called RNA interference, can heal a genetic disorder in a live animal. RNA interference can "rescue" a strain of mouse that has been genetically engineered to express a defective human hormone that interferes with normal growth. Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071218192020.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071207091940.htm Researchers have discovered how a key protein switch allows chikungunya virus to spread to new vectors. The study explains how the virus has increased its ability to infect and be transmitted by the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus. Mon, 10 Dec 2007 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071207091940.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071208092448.htm By introducing a gene mutation in mice, investigators have created what they believe to be the first accurate model of autism not associated with a broader neuropsychiatric syndrome, according to new research. Sun, 09 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071208092448.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071204122007.htm By making the skeletal muscles of mice use energy less efficiently, researchers report that they have delayed the animals' deaths and their development of age-related diseases, including vascular disease, obesity, and one form of cancer. Those health benefits, driven by an increased metabolic rate, appear to come without any direct influence on the aging process itself, according to the researchers. Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071204122007.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071101193418.htm More than half of all orally-prescribed medications are broken down in the intestine and liver by an enzyme known as CYP3A before reaching their site of action. Researchers have now developed a mouse model for predicting the loss in available drug due to first-pass metabolism by CYP3A, providing a tool to help predict whether drugs being developed will work effectively if given orally. Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071101193418.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071101162739.htm Researchers have bred a line of "mighty mice" that have the capability of running five to six kilometers at a speed of 20 meters per minute on a treadmill for up to six hours before stopping. These genetically engineered mice also eat 60 percent more than controls, but remain fitter, trimmer and live and breed longer than wild mice in a control group. Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071101162739.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071029100627.htm Genetically engineered mice may hold the key to helping scientists hasten the development of a vaccine to protect adolescent girls against the most common sexually transmitted disease, chlamydia. The project uses a "mouse model" to study how the immune system responds to infections such as chlamydia. Tue, 30 Oct 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071029100627.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071025174714.htm One new way to treat individuals with cancer that is being developed is the use of viruses that infect and kill cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed. These viruses are known as virotherapeutics. Scientists have now developed a new virotherapuetic that had antitumor effects in both mice and rabbits. Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071025174714.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024093535.htm Researchers have used an existing genetic tool to study how human embryonic stem cells self-renew. The researchers used "knockdown" technology to reduce the expression, and plasmid vectors to increase the expression of oct4, a gene known to be necessary for self renewal. Both procedures resulted in differentiation, but with similar patterns, unlike mouse ES cells that differentiate into a different cell types with oct4 up-and down-regulation. Thu, 25 Oct 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024093535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071020082011.htm Bacteria that cause tumors in plants modify plant genomes by skilfully exploiting the plants' first line of defense. Utilizing the plant's own proteins, bacterial genes infiltrate first the nucleus then the plant genome, where they reprogram the plant's metabolism to suit their own needs. This research was published in Science. Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071020082011.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071022203111.htm Scientists have found a previously unrecognized role for tiny hair-like cell structures known as cilia: They help form our sense of touch. Cilia, tail-like projections found on the surface of cells, are perhaps best known as molecular flippers that help cells move around. Wed, 24 Oct 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071022203111.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071019145443.htm Biologists report a rapid change of morphology and mitochondrial genes in a mouse common to a Chicago-area conservation area, with an older, established genotype of the mouse being pushed out by another type over a recent five-year period as nearby human suburban development progressed. Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071019145443.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071008171027.htm New light has been shed on the evolution of moveable genetic elements, or "jumping genes." This discovery has important implications for our understanding of molecular evolution and genetic research involving plants, including genetically modified crops. The researcher characterized the genomic DNA as "smart" for repairing itself in a manner that doesn't produce drastic abnormalities. He also said that the process of repairing is "ancient" because the mechanism appears similar to that used by the immune system of mammals. Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071008171027.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071008151450.htm Scientists are developing a pest-resistant eggplant, which is expected to be the first genetically engineered food crop in South Asia. The engineered eggplant expresses a natural insecticide derived from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), making it resistant to the fruit and shoot borer (FSB), a highly destructive pest. The tiny larvae account for up to 40 percent of eggplant crop losses each year in India, Bangladesh and the Philippines, and other areas of South and Southeast Asia. Thu, 11 Oct 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071008151450.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071008171030.htm A widely planted variety of genetically engineered corn has the potential to harm aquatic ecosystems. Pollen and other plant parts containing toxins from genetically engineered Bt corn are washing into streams near cornfields. Consumption of Bt corn byproducts produced increased mortality and reduced growth in caddisflies, aquatic insects that are related to the pests targeted by the toxin in Bt corn. Researchers found caddisflies that were fed leaves from Bt corn had growth rates that were less than half those of caddisflies fed non-Bt corn litter. Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071008171030.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071006082528.htm Trace amounts of genetically engineered rice was present in two varieties of rice, Cheniere and CL131. No short- or medium-grain rice varieties tested positive for either GE strain investigated. The exact mechanism for introduction of the GE material could not be determined in either instance. Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071006082528.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071001171747.htm Microscopic worms used for scientific research are living longer despite cellular defects, a discovery that is shedding light on how the human body ages and how doctors could one day limit or reverse genetic mutations that cause inherited diseases, according to a new study. Fri, 05 Oct 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071001171747.htm