Keeping yields, profits and water quality high
One of the key questions facing agriculturalists in the 21st century is how to produce adequate amounts of food and farm income while protecting environmental quality. view more (2008-05-08)
Organic weed control for dandelions
Spring and summer often find homeowners out in their yards, busily attempting to control the onslaught of dandelions in a quest for green, weed-free lawns. view more (2009-09-09)
Exposure to Agent Orange linked to prostate cancer in Vietnam veterans
UC Davis Cancer Center physicians today released results of research showing that Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange have greatly increased risks of prostate cancer and even greater risks of getting the most aggressive form of the disease as compared to those who were not exposed. view more (2008-08-05)
Limited data suggest possible association between Agent Orange exposure
A new report from the Institute of Medicine finds suggestive but limited evidence that exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used during the Vietnam War is associated with an increased chance of developing ischemic heart disease and Parkinson's disease for Vietnam veterans. view more (2009-07-27)
GM crops should now be banned
Government advisors have today confirmed that GM herbicide tolerant (HT) crops could harm wildlife, including farmland birds. The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) has warned that GMHT beet and spring-sown oilseed rape will reduce seed numbers because weeds will be destroyed. Many bird species depend on seeds for their... view more... (2004-01-13)
Genetically modified crops and the countryside
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is presenting some current research at BBSRC-sponsored institutes into the environmental impact of genetically modified (GM) crops. Come and talk to the scientists who carry out this work, and find out more about on-going research in this area. view more (1999-06-14)
Strong decrease in field trials with genetically modified plants in the EU
The number of field trials with genetically modified plants has fallen by about 80 per cent since 1998 in the countries of the European Community. This is shown by a survey of the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI, Karlsruhe, compiled together with the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, Seville (Spain), and... view more... (2003-04-14)
How does dioxin affect human health?
In an EU-funded project involving four partners , a study was made of 159 Austrian chemical workers who had been exposed to dioxin when producing herbicide between 1969 and 1973. Mortality and morbidity were analysed in 1996. All had exhibited chloracne, and analysis of related health-insurance data revealed 30 deaths, significant time off work... view more... (1999-11-10)
Low Level Herbicide Use Can Damage Potato Reproduction
Currently, plant testing in the United States to determine potential ecological risks from chemical pesticides to nontarget plants requires two tests, both of which use immature plants. view more (2009-01-07)
GM CROPS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), as well as other research bodies, is investigating possible impacts of GMOs on the environment. For some crops and for some types of genetic modification we have a clear understanding of the risks. For others, further work is needed to reduce uncertainty. view more (1999-02-22)
What farmers think about GM crops
Farmers are upbeat about genetically modified crops, according to new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). view more (2008-02-25)
Ants, not evil spirits, create devil's gardens in the Amazon rainforest, study finds
For the first time, scientists have identified an ant species that produces its own natural herbicide to poison unwanted plants. view more (2005-09-22)
Exposure to dioxins influences male reproductive system, study of Vietnam veterans concludes
A dioxin toxin contained in the herbicide Agent Orange affects male reproductive health by limiting the growth of the prostate gland and lowering testosterone levels. view more (2006-11-16)
Clarifying the GM Debate
A Cambridge scientist has claimed the debate on genetically modified crops could be made much clearer if people were made aware that there are different types of genetically modified organisms. Dr Mark Tester, of the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, voiced concerns that the issues surrounding the use of GM crops have been... view more... (1999-12-09)
GM Debate Must Not Neglect Developing Countries
Launch of Discussion Paper: the use of genetically modified crops in developing countries There is an ethical obligation to explore the benefits that genetically modified (GM) crops could offer people in developing countries, according to the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. "The possible costs, benefits and risks associated with particular GM... view more... (2003-12-28)
Pesticides in the nation's streams and ground water
Today, the U.S. Geological Survey released a report describing the occurrence of pesticides in streams and ground water during 1992-2001. view more (2006-03-03)
Real Threats To Countryside Ignored In GM Furore, Ecologists Warn
*PLEASE NOTE THIS IS EMBARGOED UNTIL 16 OCTOBER* The UK should be cautious in developing GM technology in agriculture, the British Ecological Society (BES) has said. However, scientists, policy makers and environmental campaigners should beware that by focussing solely on GM crops, the real threats to the British countryside are being ignored.... view more... (2003-10-15)
How Are Herbicides Discovered?
A new interactive web lesson teaches upper-level undergraduate students and graduate students how herbicides are developed. view more (2008-09-09)
Will intensive forest practices impact water quality?
In order to increase productivity, forest practices have become more intense in recent decades. Forest fertilization increased by 800% in the southeastern United States from 1990 to 1999, and the total acreage fertilized in the Southeast exceeds the forest area fertilized in the rest of the world. view more (2008-01-08)
'Plant-eating predator to fight superweed is not magic bullet'
Plans to introduce plant-eating predators to fight a superweed spreading throughout Britain should not be seen as a 'magic bullet', says a world expert on Japanese knotweed at the University of Leicester. view more (2008-10-15)
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