Bio-Bites!

soon to be approved gM salmon can mate with wild trout AquaBounty, a biotech company headquar-tered in Maynard, MA, is in the process of gaining FDA approval for their transgenic salmon, potentially making them the first GM animals to be approved for human consumption. AquAdvantage® salmon include a gene from the Chinook salmon, which provides the fish with the potential to grow to market size in half the time of conventional salmon. In all other respects, AquAdvantage® Salmon are identical to other Atlantic salmon. In a recent publication, Krista Oke and her team from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, mated GM fish with brown trout in the lab, reporting that about 40% of the hybrid offspring carried the trans-gene for a growth hormone engineered into AquAdvantage® Salmon. Taking this into account, AquAdvantage® salmon are designed for contained, land-based growing facilities operated under strict FDA requirements. In addition , AquAdvantage® Salmon are sterile females, thus eliminating possibilities for cross-breeding. Hybridization between genetically modified Atlantic salmon and wild brown trout reveals novel ecological interactions. Nature special issue Thirty years after the introduction of the first transgenic plant, Nature dedicated a special issue to GM crops, their use and the polarized debate about their safety. In " GM crops: A story in numbers, " there is a graphical representation of the share GM crops have in agriculture, as well as what types of crops and which traits are the most widespread. 1 Of the 1.5 billion hectares of arable land worldwide, 170 million hectares (about 12%) are planted with GM crops, mostly soybean, cotton, maize and canola. Of the ~30 different traits, herbicide tolerance and insect resistance are most popular. In " Case studies: A hard look at GM crops, " Natasha Gilberts gives a summary of the most controversial issues surrounding GM crops: the growth of herbicide-resistant super-weeds, farmers driven to commit suicide and the spread of transgenes to wild plants. 2 In another article, Daniel Cressey discusses a new generation of GM crops, which not only benefit farmers but have a directly positive impact on consumers, including increased nutrient levels, etc. On May 13, 2013, the US Supreme Court ruled that Monsanto, an agricultural biotechnology company, will retain its patent rights over soybeans descended from the company's seeds and planted by an Indiana farmer. Farmers that buy Monsanto seeds sign a contract stating that they will not save seeds from …