David Tribe

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Field testing genetically modified crops is a necessary step of the process, but who makes sure it’s all safe? Andreas Beer/Flickr

Setting the standards: who regulates Australian GM food?

David Tribe, The University of Melbourne

In this second instalment of GM in Australia – a series looking at the facts, ethics, regulations and research into genetically modified crops – David Tribe walks us through the bodies responsible for…
Finding a tasty strawberry can be a bit of a lucky dip at times, but now the tasty gene’s identified it may be easier to consistently get satisfying strawberries. JD Hancock/Flickr

Genetics link found in search for sweet strawberries

Madeleine Martiniello, The Conversation

If you’ve ever bitten into a strawberry and wondered why it doesn’t taste as sweet or as good as others in the punnet, you could blame the fruit’s genetics. Two studies, published today in BMC Genomics…
In places like Indonesia, where white rice is a staple food, vitamin deficiency is a serious problem – especially for children. Shreyans Bhansali

For GM food and vaccinations, the panic virus is a deadly disease

David Tribe, The University of Melbourne and Richard Roush, The University of Melbourne

Most readers are aware of the benefits of using vaccines to boost the immune system and prevent infectious disease. Many readers will not be aware of a very different disease prevention tool: supplementing…
The shiny surface of an apple is often courtesy of the wax of a Brazilian palm tree. Micah Taylor

No need to get browned off – edible films keep fruit fresh

David Tribe, The University of Melbourne

Packaged green salad items, such as lettuce, coleslaw, or spinach sold ready to toss in the salad bowl, are now a frequent item in supermarket trolleys. With the ongoing popularity of such convenience…
Bird flu has devastated poultry stocks and killed hundreds in Asia. http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegatling/

Silencing the bird flu gene: scientists prep live hen trials

Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation

Researchers hoping to produce modified chickens hatched with in-built resistance to bird flu will conduct trials on live hens later this year, an Australian scientist said on Tuesday. CSIRO research scientist…
There’s a great disparity between how different foods are labelled in Australia. Mathew Sanders

Calls for labelling GM food reveal attempts at market domination

Richard Roush, The University of Melbourne and David Tribe, The University of Melbourne

Australia has one of the more rigorous food labelling systems in the world for genetically modified (GM) attributes. All foods with more than 1% GM in any ingredient are required to be identified as “genetically…
Science is a battleground with areas that are bitterly contested by special interests that sometime stoop to trickery. JD Hancock

Modifying the message: how tricks masked home truths about anti‑GM science

Richard Roush, The University of Melbourne and David Tribe, The University of Melbourne

Well-established science is highly reliable and serves us well. Modern medicine, the airline industry, and the internet all show what science can achieve in terms of healthier, more interesting and wealthier…
Many people continue to worry about unexpected changes to food when it is genetically engineered. asian farmer/Flickr

Frankenfood or crops of the future? Gaps in the perception of GM food safety

David Tribe, The University of Melbourne

Humans have always faced tricky safety problems with food because we eat plants, which are the most ingenious pesticide chemists on the planet. Plants produce an amazing panoply of chemicals to deter animals…
Genetically modified crops have allowed pesticide spraying to be reduced by almost half a million kilograms in the last 15 years. Eric Constantineau

Genetically modified crops shrink farming’s pesticide footprint

Richard Roush, The University of Melbourne and David Tribe, The University of Melbourne

Recent news reports claim one in ten Australians believe the world will end on December 21, 2012, based largely on internet gossip about the meaning of ancient stone carvings from the Mayans of Central…

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