Thursday, 9 February, 2012

More than 100 million hectares are planted each year. What do we know about food safety? How is GM food doing amid the explosion in sales of organic foods?

If you convince people that a food made them sick, some will avoid the food in the future. You lie and implant a memory, and that changes behavior.

Organic farming isn’t as productive as conventional, right? Maybe not. Check these results of a 22-year study of corn and soybean yields.

Losing your sense of smell raises your chance of an accident.

Mad cow strikes United States. Government and industry try to reassure public, regulate cattle and dairy industries. And what about those deer with chronic wasting disease?

The nerve cell receptors that respond to heat and chili peppers also line the nerves of the heart.

Is bottled water safe and pure? Is bottled water better than tap water? Can you overdose on water? And where did the “8 glasses a day” myth originate?

Edible vaccines offer cheap, easy solution to halt disease in developing countries, but roadblocks remain. Is this an acceptable type of gene-modified food?

Cannibalism reconsidered. Is devouring the relatives a humane way to respond to emotions about death? Do cannibals still roam the Guyana highlands?

Genetic engineering may not be the best way to make more food; plant breeding remains vital. As grain production flattens, should we be supporting more plant breeders?