Yes, let's label all genetically modified foods ("Battle over GMO food labels in its final stages," Jan. 24). Let's begin with common wheat. The crop in those "amber waves of grain," Triticum aestivum ...

The rise of gene-edited embryos has raised a myriad of ethical questions. It involves altering DNA to prevent disease or even to choose specific traits using a method known as CRISPR. In 2018, Chinese ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American In this month’s issue of Scientific American, ...

Humans have selectively bred animals and crops since the beginning of agriculture, but advances in biotechnology have provided genetic tools to select specific traits. First applied to animals in the ...

Spider silk—six times tougher than Kevlar and stronger than steel—has now been produced by an unexpected source. Spider silk is a biological protein fiber spun by spiders. Many of these fibers have ...

Thanks to great strides in fundamental research, biology is becoming ever more programmable. Two recent scientific advances show just how powerful the possibilities could be. The genetic modification ...

Altering a mosquito's gut genes to make them spread antimalarial genes to the next generation of their species shows promise as an approach to curb malaria. Altering a mosquito's gut genes to make ...

Researchers have developed a way to improve crop quality without needing to create special genetically modified plants. The new technique relies on a spray that introduces bioactive molecules into ...

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