“Our mission is to provide the highest quality scientific information and analysis to enable a healthy food system and a healthy world”
The Bioscience Resource Project provides scientific and intellectual resources for a healthy future. It publishes Independent Science News, a media service devoted to food and agriculture, and their impacts on health and the environment. It also offers resources for scientists and educators and internships and training for students. Through its innovative scientific journalism and original biosafety review articles, the project provides unique and revealing perspectives on issues that are fundamental to the survival of people and the planet. The project does not accept advertising or corporate funding and is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. It is completely dependent on individual donations.We invite you to join the Project as a contributor or a donor.
Bioscience Resource Project News and Views
God’s Red Pencil? CRISPR and The Three Myths of Precise Genome Editing
Published today in Independent Science News, “God’s Red Pencil? CRISPR and The Three Myths of Precise Genome Editing” was written by Jonathan Latham, PhD.
Synopsis: According to the media, “genome editing” techniques can precisely alter the DNA of living organisms. Furthermore, these new genetic engineering techniques are so “red-hot” and “game-changing” they will transform the landscapes of medicine and agriculture. Their safety and effectiveness hinges crucially on the claim of precision, yet how plausible is it? This article delineates three ways in which these technologies currently lack precision. 1) Presen read more…
Jonathan Latham speaks in Endicott: GMO Hazards to Health and Ecosystems
Jonathan Latham, Bioscience Resource Project Executive Director, will give a talk in Endicott on Tuesday April 19 at the Susquehanna Sierra Club.
The title of the talk is: GMO Hazards to Health and Ecosystems.
Location: Central United Methodist Church in Endicott, 17 Nanticoke Ave (close to the Cider Mill).
The meeting time is 7:30 and the event is free and open to the public.
Does “anti-GMO” equal “anti-science?”
Does “anti-GMO” = “anti-science”, or “pro-GMO” = “pro-science”? Jonathan Latham of the Bioscience Resource Project explains in a video interview with Bob Schooler: Latham Interview: Does “anti-GMO” = “anti-science?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFBsYTXPdbM
Ithaca Event: Join NOFA-NY to Create a New York Organic Action Plan on April 7, 2016
NOFA-NY will hold two gatherings, back-to-back, April 7, 2016. The first is from 3 pm to 6 pm. There will then be a light dinner. The second gathering is from 6:30 pm to 9 pm. The gatherings and dinner will be held in the Community Space, Green Star, Ithaca. Come for either session and get a bite to eat before or after, free of charge.
Please join NOFA-NY for this brainstorming session in Ithaca and help create NOFA’s New York Organic Action Plan. It is a chance to work together for the future we want.
National Policy Consultant Liana Hoodes and Board member and farmer Elizabeth Henderson will facilitate. Jonathan Latham of the Bioscience Resource Project has been asked to speak briefly.
More from NOFA-NY: Tell us what you think is working and what is not working for organic farming and food in NY. Share your thoughts on how NOFA-NY can play a stronger role in creating a food and farming system that is socially just, environmentally resilient, and economically vibrant. Help set NOFA-NY priorities for organic advocacy and policy. read more…
Biofuel or Biofraud? The Vast Taxpayer Cost of Failed Cellulosic and Algal Biofuels
Published today (Mon 14th March) by Independent Science News: Biofuel or Biofraud? The Vast Taxpayer Cost of Failed Cellulosic and Algal Biofuels by Almuth Ernsting.
Synopsis: The biofuels in use today are the result of cherry picking. Starches or oils (usually from the grain of commodity food crops such as maize and soybeans) are being turned into ethanol or biodiesel because the raw materials are easily available. In consequence however, the majority of the crop biomass has to find another use. This is not an efficient use of resources and to function even minimally as a business model it requires major government interventions, such as renewable fuel mandates. The presumption and PR of the many biofuel advocates, however, are that the biofuels now under development will be much more efficient. Things are not going to plan, however.
In this article, Almuth Ernsting, Co-Director of the non-profit Biofuelwatch explains that, whether the goal is ethanol from cellulose or biodiesel from algae, results have so far ranged between unpromising and truly dire. Billions of dollars in taxpayer money has been expended on ventures yielding no discernible public benefit or technical progress. Where taxpayer money went, and continues to go, is of ongoing interest.
To read the full article go to: http://www.independentsciencenews.org/environment/biofuel-or-biofraud-the-vast-taxpayer-cost-of-failed-cellulosic-and-algal-biofuels/
For More Information on the Costs of Biofuels:
http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/ Biofuelwatch provides information, advocacy and campaigning in relation to the climate, environmental, human rights and public health impacts of large-scale industrial bioenergy.
To learn more about the social and environmental costs of biofuels (also known as agro-fuels as the feedstocks are the product of industrial agriculture) read the excellent article by Eric Holt-Gimenez: Biofuels: The Five Myths of the Agro-fuels Transition.
Visit the Bioenergy/ Biomass Resource page on the Econexus website.
Why Chimpanzee-Testing in Medicine Had to End
Why Chimpanzee-Testing in Medicine Had to End by John Pippin, MD was published on Monday, March 7th 2016 on Independent Science News.
Synopsis: The recent decision of the US National Institutes of Health to end chimpanzee testing and move US chimps to a sanctuary in Texas was based on good science, says John Pippin, MD and former animal researcher. The differences between chimpanzees and humans were too great for chimpanzee experiments to have much value. Consequently, medical funding was being wasted, treatments were not moving forward, and sometimes patients were dying.
To read the full article go to: http://www.independentsciencenews.org/health/why-chimpanzee-testing-in-medicine-had-to-end/
Further Reading on Animal Experiments: Bad Science and Bad Ethics
Akhtar, Aysha. “The flaws and human harms of animal experimentation.” Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 24.04 (2015): 407-419.
Eisenman, Stephen F. “Criticizing animal experimentation, at my peril.” Altex 33.1 (2016): 3. “Initiatives leading to even modest reduction in animal use at major US universities are likely to continue to face strong opposition. At least, that’s the conclusion the author draws from his efforts at Northwestern University.
Evans, Erin M. “Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones? The Problems and Promises of Policy Reform for the Animal Advocacy Movement.” Sociological Perspectives (2015): 0731121415593276.
Couzin-Frankel, Jennifer. “When Mice Mislead.” Science 342.6161 (2013): 922-925. A revealing article about the state of mouse research — from tiny sample sizes to missing mice to unblinded and unrandomized studies to the “poor patients [who] are exposed to things they shouldn’t be” – it is clear that neither health nor scientific understanding is being well-served by the current situation.
Seok, Junhee, et al. “Genomic responses in mouse models poorly mimic human inflammatory diseases.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110.9 (2013): 3507-3512.
Exposing the Toxic Secrets of Corporations and Regulators
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