03/March/21

 

A series of three video talks by Dr Jonathan Latham titled, collectively: Natural Origin or Lab Escape? The Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has been published on the Youtube channel of Independent Science News. The three talks describe aspects of Dr Latham's current thinking on the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the nature of the underlying political/economic forces attempting to influence public perception, especially of its origins. These talks are designed for people new to the virus origins debate but also are designed to impart new information to satisfy those who are already familiar with the arguments and the evidence. Independent Science News on Youtube

 

 

In Australia the New South Wales (NSW) state agriculture minister Adam Marshall claims he will lift the moratorium on GM crops in July. However, as Bob Phelps, executive director of GeneEthics, pointed out in a press release, there is no GMO ban in NSW. Roundup Ready GM cotton has been grown there since 2000 and Roundup Ready GM canola since 2010. Phelps said, "What the Minister announced only sacrifices the state government's discretion to say yes or no to the commercial growing of individual GM crops that the Office of Gene Technology Regulation (OGTR) may approve for release." GMWatch

 

 

Maine lawmakers are considering a proposal to ban aerial spraying of some herbicides in forestry. Democratic Senate President Troy Jackson offered the proposal, which was subject to a public hearing on Tuesday. Jackson said, “aerial herbicides in the Maine woods benefits the bottom line of large landowners at the expense and well-being of the people living and working in the region.” Jackson's proposal focuses in part on glyphosate herbicides. The proposal has received support from the Maine Public Health Association. Executive director Rebecca Boulos said the bill “is also a matter of health equity". US News & World Report