Four genetically modified (GM) maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids (coleopteran resistant, coleopteran and lepidopteran resistant, lepidopteran resistant and herbicide tolerant, coleopteran and herbicide tolerant) and its non-GM control maize stands were tested to compare the functional diversity of arthropods and to determine whether genetic modifications alter the structure of arthropods food webs. A...

Genetically modified (GM) rice KMD1, TT51-1, and KF6 are three of the most well known transgenic Bt rice lines in China. A rapid and sensitive molecular assay for risk assessment of GM rice is needed. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), currently the most common method for detecting genetically modified organisms, requires temperature cycling and relatively complex procedures. Here we developed a ...

European resistance to GM crops — the result of one of the most highly effective environmental campaigns and ongoing worries about environmental damage — is set to be challenged by soaring food prices and a new enthusiasm on the part of farmers. A new study finds European farmers who grow genetically modified crops enjoy higher yields and revenues than conventional growers. A team from the Join...

Genetic modifications are known by many different names including gene splicing, transgenics, DNA manipulation, recombinant DNA, and genetic engineering. These terms refer to the process of isolating genes of a known function from one organism, and then transferring a copy of that gene to a new host to introduce a desirable trait. In particular, genetically modified (GM) crops have been enginee...

Terrestrial locomotion can take place on complex substrates such as leaf litter, debris, and soil that flow or solidify in response to stress. While principles of movement in air and water are revealed through study of the hydrodynamic equations of fluid motion, discovery of principles of movement in complex terrestrial environments is less advanced in part because describing the physics of lim...

The potential impact of GM crops on biodiversity has been a topic of interest both in general as well as specifically in the context of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Agricultural biodiversity has been defined at levels from genes to ecosystems that are involved or impacted by agricultural production (www.cbd.int/agro/whatis.shtml). After fifteen years of commercial cultivation, a subs...

Genetically-modified (GM) varieties of crops, notably soybean, maize, rape (canola) and cotton were first grown commercially in 1996. In 2010 they occupied 148 million ha in 29 countries, mostly in the Americas and Asia but with an obvious absence in Europe where their introduction has been controversial due to concerns about environmental impairment and adverse impacts on human health. This pa...

Maize is the major crop in Europe and the second most widely-cultivated genetically modified (GM) crop in the world after soybeans. Maize is one of the only GM crops commercially grown in Europe (along with potato). Since maize is a cross-pollinated crop relying on wind for the dispersal of its pollen, pollen flow between neighboring maize fields is one of the major potential on-farm sources of...

Genetic engineering of food is the science which involves deliberate modification of the genetic material of plants or animals. It is an old agricultural practice carried on by farmers since early historical times, but recently it has been improved by technology. Many foods consumed today are either genetically modified (GM) whole foods, or contain ingredients derived from gene modification tec...