Molecular biology Archives - Manitoba Co-operator

This flowering plant, Arabidopsis thalania or Thale cress, defends against invaders by recognizing and attacking foreign RNAs that it distinguishes by its lack of tail.

Plants can tell friend from foe

It’s no tall tale — this plant senses the lack of a tail on hostile RNA and attacks

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff April 3, 2017

University of Tokyo researchers are telling what might seem a tall tale — or should that be tail? They’ve published a study in the journal Nature Plants which says plants can tell if they’re being attacked by detecting whether or not the RNA in question has a threaded bead-like structure at the end. This ‘tail’

News

Canada to regulate CRISPR technology

The new gene editing tool may not produce GMO products, but they will be considered 'novel'

By Laura Rance-Unger June 2, 2016

UPDATED, June 24, 2016: Plants modified using the controversial gene editing technology known as CRISPR/Cas-9 won’t be sailing past regulatory scrutiny to the marketplace in Canada as they currently do in the U.S. While the U.S. regulatory system has determined plants developed using CRISPR are not GMOs and therefore do not fall under the regulatory

Comment, Crops

The promise and the pitfalls of CRISPR

This technology doesn’t set new boundaries for genetic manipulation, it removes them

By Alan Guebert January 13, 2016

About the only one ever happy to see a mosquito is a hungry purple martin, the acrobatic swallow that dines on the bothersome insects morning, noon, and night. You and me, however, would be perfectly happy never to see another mosquito for the rest of our lives. Science can now make that happen. A powerful

Crops, News

Never heard of CRISPR? You will

It is now possible to program a plant to alter its own genetic material

By Alan Guebert December 16, 2015

Few sectors of the global economy are more hooked on gene modification technology than agriculture. One in five farmable acres around the world grows GM crops. Adoption of GM seeds might be quicker if not for two factors: GM seeds are more expensive than their conventional counterparts and many consumers view food made with GM-based

Crops, News

Farm groups reject anti-GM crop report claims

The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network questions whether yield gains are due to GM technology

By Alex Binkley December 14, 2015

A report that claims genetically modified crops are no more productive than conventional ones doesn’t match the reality of what Canadian farmers find in their fields every year, farm groups say. The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, which opposes GM crops, says in a report that yields of GM and conventional crop varieties “have increased at

Robert Wager, faculty member in the department of biology at the University of Vancouver Island, recently hosted a webinar looking at how to discuss genetically engineered technology with the public.

Crops

Farmers asked to speak up on GE technology

When conversing about modern-day agriculture technology, be as honest and accurate as possible

By Jennifer Paige November 17, 2015

Canadian biologist Robert Wager says there is a desperate need for Canadian farmers to add their voices to the conversation about genetic engineering in food production. “I like to quote Carl Sagan, as he said it quite well, ‘we have arranged a global situation where almost everything critically depends on science and technology. We have

A baby chick, genetically modified to block transmission of bird flu, glows under an ultraviolet light, next to a chick that has not been modified, in this undated handout photo.

Did you know?

Glow-in-the-dark GMO chickens shed light on bird flu fight

But these birds are a long ways from becoming commercialized

By Tom Polansek September 21, 2015

In the realm of avian research, the chicks with the glow-in-the-dark beaks and feet might one day rock the poultry world. British scientists say they have genetically modified chickens in a bid to block bird flu and that early experiments show promise for fighting off the disease that has devastated the U.S. poultry and egg

Neal Gutterson (r), head of biotech for DuPont Pioneer says new tools are speeding up the crop improvement process.

Cereals, Crops, Oilseeds

Corn and soybeans headed north and west

DuPont Pioneer is among a number of companies that see huge  growth potential on the western Prairies

By Laura Rance-Unger July 30, 2015

Earlier-maturing varieties of corn and soybeans rolling out across the Canadian Prairies will provide new cash crop options and contribute to more sustainable rotations, a senior official with DuPont Pioneer said here last week. While it is widely acknowledged that farmers are squeezing their canola rotations too tightly, setting the stage for a rise in

Cereals, Crops, Oilseeds

VIDEO: More corn and soybeans coming to the Prairies

By Laura Rance-Unger July 30, 2015

In an interview with Manitoba Co-operator editor Laura Rance at Ag in Motion in Saskatoon, DuPont Pioneer vice-president Neal Gutterson discusses plans for breeding corn and soybean varieties that can be grown across Western Canada, as well as for hybrid wheat and use of biologicals for insect and disease control.

A farm employee pulls out cornstalks on an 18-hectare operation owned by a retired educator near Livingstone. hotos: Shannon VanRaes

Cereals, International news

A mix of pragmatism and fear keeps GMOs out of Zambia

While the debate over GMO labelling continues in North America, Zambians take it for granted that they aren’t consuming products made with genetically modified ingredients

By Shannon VanRaes June 26, 2015

In Zambia, it’s practically everywhere. Maize is in tiny garden plots, on small farms, huge estates, in markets and on dinner plates. Since its introduction to Africa by the Portuguese in the 16th century, maize has become the main staple crop in this region. Two megalithic-size cobs even flank the entrance to the Zambia National

Daily Network News

Canadian Cattle Association welcomes reopening of Chinese market to Canadian beef

Klassen: Feeder market near historical highs

Big oat crop in 2025/26 pointing to less acres next year

Tag Archives Molecular biology