pronald

My 12 year old daughter agrees: People don't want T-shirts of glowing plants. They want glowing plants.

pronald — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 20:37:45 +0000

My 12 year old daughter agrees: People don't want T-shirts of glowing plants. They want glowing plants.

The Kickstarter Fight Over Genetically Modified Plants - TIME.

pronald Sat, 08/17/2013 - 16:37

Petition | Global scientific community condemns the recent destruction of field trials of Golden Rice in the Philippines | Change.org

pronald — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 20:06:55 +0000

Petition | Global scientific community condemns the recent destruction of field trials of Golden Rice in the Philippines | Change.org

Petition | Global scientific community condemns the recent destruction of field trials of Golden Rice in the Philippines | Change.org.

pronald Mon, 08/12/2013 - 16:06

Can GMO corn cause allergies? Don’t believe Elle’s scary story. - Slate Magazine

pronald — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 18:09:19 +0000

Can GMO corn cause allergies? Don’t believe Elle’s scary story. - Slate Magazine

Can GMO corn cause allergies? Don’t believe Elle’s scary story. - Slate Magazine.

pronald Wed, 08/07/2013 - 14:09

Navigating the agricultural biotech minefield: When an MIT study is not an MIT study | Genetic Literacy Project

pronald — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:31:08 +0000

Navigating the agricultural biotech minefield: When an MIT study is not an MIT study | Genetic Literacy Project

The Genetic literacy project continues to publish well-informed, science-based articles about plant genetics and farming. Here ist he latest: Navigating the agricultural biotech minefield: When an MIT study is not an MIT study | Genetic Literacy Project.

pronald Wed, 05/22/2013 - 17:31

Spring in California: Saturday is Fascination of Plants Day

pronald — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:33:31 +0000

Spring in California: Saturday is Fascination of Plants Day

On Saturday, May 18, the second international "Fascination of Plants Day" will take place under the umbrella of the European Plant Science Organization (EPSO). Join in to see for yourself how fascinating plant are. Show your support for plant science, which is critical for sustainable food production, biobased medicines, and energy. There are 54 countries participating in the Fascination of Plants Day, with over 650 institutions involved and 950 events planned!

Check out this interactive map that shows all of the participating countries.

Here at the University of California, Davis, the renowned Botanical Conservatory will be open from 10am – 1pm on the 18^th of May to celebrate Fascination of Plants Day 2013. The conservatory is home to the titan, or Amorphophallus titanium, a truly fascinating plant that takes 15 years to bloom, and has only been known to flower about 100 times around the world, including 7 times at UC-Davis!

Two more exciting events are plants in California, one at the Plant Biology Department at the Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford and the other at the Livermore Art Association. At Stanford, middle school students from East Palo Alto will use advanced imaging technologies to observe fluorescence and luminescence in plant materials. Further details about this event can be found here on the Fascination of Plants Day website. At the second event in Livermore, local artists and children will celebrate the impact of plants on our lives by decorating bicycle wheels with creative plant themes. On May 18th the wheels will be displayed by participating businesses in downtown Livermore along the path of the Amgen Tour of California. Details about this event can be found here.

The Fascination of Plants Day has attracted a lot of attention all over the world, with the Ministers of Agriculture in the Czech Republic, Norway and Slovakia officially serving as national patrons. The nearly 1000 events internationally will showcase about 250,000 plant species! Details about the various events and lots of fun facts and information can be found on Twitter.

pronald Thu, 05/16/2013 - 14:33

The Ruminant Podcast episode 19: Does the concept of "GMO" advance sustainable agriculture?

pronald — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:30:40 +0000

The Ruminant Podcast episode 19: Does the concept of "GMO" advance sustainable agriculture?

My interview with Jordan at the Ruminant. Does the concept of "#GMO" advance sustainable agriculture? http://theruminant.ca/2013/04/17/ruminant-podcast-episode-19-pam-ronald-genetic-engineering-plant-breeding/

The Ruminant Podcast episode 19: Pam Ronald on Genetic Engineering in Plant Breeding | the ruminant...sharing good ideas for farming and gardening.

pronald Thu, 04/18/2013 - 10:30

On GMOs, New York Times foodie Mark Bittman is a dark cloud in the brightening sky of reason Genetic Literacy Project

pronald — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:17:43 +0000

On GMOs, New York Times foodie Mark Bittman is a dark cloud in the brightening sky of reason Genetic Literacy Project

It’s challenging to name a more influential food writer than The New York Times‘ Mark Bittman—nor one less informed and more damaging to the public weal on the issue of genetically modified crops and foods. Simply said, he is a scourge on science.

Those are strong words, and not written lightly. However, when a journalist carries the imprimatur of the world’s most influential newspaper, he/she has standards to uphold, not the least of which is to know the basic facts about what one writes about. Bittman freely and often engages the debate over GMOs in food, from lobbying for government-mandated labeling to, most recently, attacking the biotechnology industry in a piece on the so-called Monsanto Protection Act (the debate about which the GLP deconstructed).

....

Like a climate-denying archconservative, Bittman and hasn’t altered his views for years even as science has long since passed him by. As Keith Kloor, one of the world’s sharpest commentators on the politics of agricultural biotechnology journalism, recently noted in a response to Bittman’s latest, he couches his nutty views in reasonable-sounding verbiage that disguises the reality that his opinions are almost fact- and science-free.

....

Bittman and his ilk may score points at foodie dinner parties, but increasingly they are becoming the butt of jokes in science circles. Even worse, their shrill but influential voices are making it increasingly challenging for federal and state regulatory agencies to follow the science when it comes to promoting good nutrition and public health.

Read the entire article here: On GMOs, New York Times foodie Mark Bittman is a dark cloud in the brightening sky of reasonGenetic Literacy Project | Genetic Literacy Project.

pronald Mon, 04/15/2013 - 14:17

Why Label Genetically Engineered Food? - NYTimes.com

pronald — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:15:53 +0000

Why Label Genetically Engineered Food? - NYTimes.com

"Whole Foods Market caused a stir last week when it announced that it would require all products sold in its stores in the United States and Canada to carry labels indicating whether they contain genetically modified ingredients by 2018."

Today the NYT published an editorial concisely summarizing the issues and pointing out that there is little reason to make labeling compulsory.

TEDxDeExtinction on Livestream

pronald — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:32:36 +0000

TEDxDeExtinction on Livestream

TEDxDeExtinction on Livestream.

pronald Mon, 03/11/2013 - 20:32

Crop Wars: Discover magazine and the anti-GMO movement

pronald — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:49:48 +0000

Crop Wars: Discover magazine and the anti-GMO movement

A Rebuttal : Collide-a-Scape.

Keith Kloor;: "When I drew attention to the piece via Twitter yesterday, there was near instantaneous shock and outrage to it from some scientists. Others also shook their heads in disbelief. "

Read on

pronald Fri, 03/08/2013 - 12:49