10/November/21

 

Scientists have found that CRISPR-Cas gene editing in zebrafish caused large structural changes at on-target and off-target sites (both at the intended edit site and elsewhere in the genome). Off-target sites can be very similar to the target site, which means that the "gene scissors" can also cut at these sites and cause specific unintended mutations. The publication, which is currently in pre-print format and has not yet been peer reviewed, shows that major unintended DNA changes are possible. GMWatch

 

 

On 11 November demonstrators will take to the streets in Argentina to protest against Monsanto-Bayer and its silent genocide – the terrible chemical onslaught Argentina has suffered since vast areas of its arable land (currently running at a massive 80 per cent) were turned into GMO soy monocultures, with significant quantities of GMO corn and cotton being grown as well. The protesters are asking if you can add your voice to those saying NO to GMOs in Argentina by helping to support the protest financially. Donating is quick and easy. GMWatch

 

 

A new study has found that adopting a healthy Mediterranean diet significantly increased pesticide intake, while changing to organic food consumption for the same diet led to a substantial decrease. Consuming a Mediterranean diet made from conventional food results in 10 times higher total pesticide intake than a Mediterranean diet made entirely from organic food. GMWatch

 

 

AIM for Climate (AIM4C) is a deliberate ploy to reframe industrial agriculture and big tech as climate change heroes rather than the climate change villains that they actually are, said ETC Group. According to the group, the launch of the new "AIM for Climate" initiative by President Joe Biden and the United Arab Emirates, supported by the UK Government and others, at the World Leaders Summit innovation event, is deliberately intended to reframe agribusiness and tech corporations as part of the solution to climate change, thereby propping up industrial agriculture. GMWatch

 

 

Opposition to the proposed field trials of the Bt cotton and maize in Karnataka state has gathered force as the Karnataka Biodiversity Board has approached the government seeking a ban on such experiments. In a letter to Chief Secretary P. Ravi Kumar, the Board chairman Anant Hegde Ashisar said studies have shown that GM seeds have posed a direct threat to humans and animals. Deccan Herald