25/August/21

 

It's well established that the fall armyworm pest around the world is becoming resistant to the Bt insecticidal toxins in GM Bt maize. Now a newly published open access study shows another mechanism through which Bt insecticidal maize may be failing. The Bt toxins ("Cry proteins") in Bt maize ingested by the fall armyworm pest are transferred to a natural enemy of the armyworm, the predatory stink bug Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) – where they cause harmful changes in the predator insect's midgut cells. The authors believe that these changes could negatively impact the predator insects' fitness. GMWatch

 

 

The lawyer who helped ban chlorpyrifos on food crops warns that the EPA decision creates obstacles to banning other dangerous pesticides. Patti Goldman's initial joy at the ban clouded after she read the document in which the agency’s Office of Pesticide Programs laid out its thinking. The problem wasn’t the outcome but how the agency had reached it: While the Biden EPA has now finalized the ban begun by the Obama EPA, its rationale for doing so was based on different science. “Their decision is very disturbing to me,” she said. The Intercept

 

 

Endocrine (hormone) disrupting chemicals also disrupt the nervous system, according to a new open access scientific paper published in Toxicology Reports by Prof Gilles-Eric Séralini and Gerald Jungers. The World Health Organisation lists 177 compounds as endocrine disruptors. Many are pesticides and plasticisers. The authors of the new paper reviewed 439 scientific references on these substances. They found that 100% of all these products also disturb the nervous system – 20% of them through the thyroid and 80% via other mechanisms. GMWatch

 

 

Health Canada has given the green light for genetically engineered salmon to be sold in Canada. Mark Butler, a senior adviser with Nature Canada, said the company still has not provided any information about the sale locations or distribution of the fish, which “If they are so proud of this product seems contradictory.” Butler and like-minded environmentalists maintain that the Atlantic salmon is known as “the king of fish and it doesn’t really need improving". Saltwire

 

 

An excellent documentary on the possible lab origins of SARS-CoV-2, from UK's Channel 4, featuring knowledgeable contributors is available to watch online [GMW: We haven't tested access from countries outside the UK but online research suggests it may not be easily available there]. Channel 4