GMO soybeans and corn were a pale forerunner of what is about to happen: the marriage of artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic biology. For many years already scientists have been able to create novel sequences of DNA, and they’ve already created dangerous designer viruses for research purposes. Systemic ruin could flow from these activities. And anyone with a credit card and a mailing address can now order their own genetic engineering kit. The dark side of AI plus synthetic biology is already visible. One focus of synthetic biology is the creation of novel proteins that might be used to treat disease or substitute for proteins we currently get from both plants and animals. But it’s also possible to create toxic proteins or ones that are harmful for other reasons, intentionally or by mistake as described above. Resilience

 

 

The executive director of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana said GMOs in Ghana could place food systems "in the hands of superpowers" that would control and direct how the country manages them. News Ghana

 

 

On the fiftieth anniversary of the controversial weedkiller’s release, a Friends of the Earth analysis – New Roundup, New Risks – finds that residential Roundup products are more toxic to consumers and the environment than ever before. Not only has manufacturer Bayer failed to remove glyphosate from all Roundup products, as promised, but new formulations of Roundup are 45 times more toxic to human health, on average, following long-term, chronic exposure. They also pose greater risks to the environment. Roundup products sold to consumers now contain combinations of four new active ingredients as replacements for glyphosate: diquat dibromide, fluazifop-P-butyl, triclopyr, and imazapic. All four chemicals pose greater risk of long-term and/or reproductive health problems than glyphosate based on the EPA’s evaluation of safety studies. They have been linked to a variety of harms to human health, including birth and developmental abnormalities; reproductive dysfunction; kidney or liver damage; and irritation, inflammation, or allergic reactions affecting the skin, eyes, and respiratory system. Friends of the Earth

 

 

In the UK, Brighton Pavilion MP Sian Berry has just introduced a bill in parliament that would ban local councils and other public authorities from using pesticides in villages, towns and cities. PAN UK on X @PAN_UK

 

 

The lab-grown meat revolution looks like it’s over. “It’s going to go down as one of the biggest failures in food history. Business schools will be presenting lessons on lab-grown meat,” says Julian Mellentin, a food consultant whose company has advised alternative protein companies – and told them not to do it. But it now wants taxpayers to bail them out of their folly, writes tech journalist Andrew Orlowski: "And guess what: the [UK] Government is sympathetic. We were told that this innovation would transform how we eat and farm – but this month, leading industry figures admitted the game was all but up. Which is where you come in. 'There’s a valley of death we’re not going to cross as an industry without a massive infusion of public investment,' admitted an executive at one cultivated meat company, Mosa Meat." The Telegraph

 

 

Industry research reviewed by independent scientists show that exposure to the nation’s most common pesticides, neonicotinoids, may affect developing brains the same way as nicotine, including by significantly shrinking brain tissue and neuron loss. Exposure could be linked to long-term health effects like ADHD, slower auditory reflexes, reduced motor skills, behavioural problems and delayed sexual maturation in males, the new review found. The industry science will be used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set new regulations, but the independent scientists say they found pesticide makers withheld information or did not include required data, and allege the EPA has drawn industry friendly conclusions from the research. The Guardian

 

We hope you’ve found this newsletter interesting. Please support our work with a one-off or regular donation. Thank you!