Biotechnology Bill: deadline for public feedback extended
Parliamentary committee has extended date till August 25; activists demand public consultations across the country in regional languages
Diabetes on the rise in India
White paper at national summit emphasises capacity building, training of healthcare workers
The new Money plant
The seeds of a plant called jatropha yield oil that, after processing, makes biodiesel. It can reduce India's burgeoning oil import bill. And …
Should smallpox virus specimens be destroyed or retained?
World Health Assembly to take a call on two remaining specimens in upcoming meet even as some scientists urge against their destruction; two …
GM or organic: The choice before African nations
An African Development Bank report pushes for GM technologies for achieving food security, while some African nations are showing the way with …
Moily bats for GM trials
After he revives regulatory body for GM crops, industry demands removal of state clearances
Parliamentary committee slams regulatory system on GM crops
Says the crops have an impact on health and the environment and that these aspects were overlooked while approving Bt Brinjal trials in India
‘Stem cells – more hype than hope’
Scientific community calls for more stringent regulation of basic stem cell research and clinical trials
Disclosure-shy industry
Pharma and biotech firms are lobbying hard to block disclosure of origin of genetic material used in inventions, but they also raise thorny issues
Cotton conundrum
The powers that be are hanging fire on Bt cotton despite long and intensive research. Indira Khurana delves into the baffling issue
Scientists’ panel calls for 10-year moratorium on GM field trials
Supreme Court-mandated expert committee recommends new tests in thorough overhaul of India’s regulatory regime
The GM maize rats
Findings of the Seralini lab on effect of Monsanto’s GM maize on rats set off a global furore
Probiotics market thrives sans regulations
Indian food safety authority yet to specify deadline for notifying regulations for food products containing 'friendly' microorganisms
How competent is Indian science?
A shoddy inter-academy report on GM crops casts a shadow on the integrity and competence of Indian science, while a US expert finds approval for …
Dengue grips Delhi: virus strain circulating this year more deadly
Serotype DENV 2 has returned after a gap of a few years, which could be a reason for higher number of cases this year
Fair farming
The European Union buckles under the pressure of the developing countries to reduce agricultural subsidies
Trade truce
It was neither a victory for the North nor a defeat for the South. Environment took centrestage as the main bargaining chip, but the discussions …
Rogue GM crops wreak havoc
Monsanto’s unauthorised GM wheat in the US has spooked the world, but contamination is widespread
Monsanto told to quit India
Farmers from 20 states to present national flag made from non-Bt organic cotton to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for Independence Day
We give them complete mentorship
IN a special programme to help industry, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has created Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Programme …
'There is a conflict in gene patenting in India and abroad'
ASIS DUTTA, a senior biologist at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, is the first Indian scientist to have applied for a gene patent in …
'In genetics, the ethical choice lies with the people'
A professor of molecular biology and virology at the Salk Institute at La Jolla, USA, Dr Inder M Verma is also the chairperson of the Scientific …
'The world's entire gene-pool is open for manipulation'
INDRA VASIL was one of the first scientists to successfully manipulate wheat plants using genetic engineering techniques. Before he came in, …
The many ways of GM contamination
Doug Gurian-Sherman, a senior scientist in the food and environment programme at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), is among the most …
Chhattisgarh will not allow GM crops
Chandrasekhar Sahu, agriculture minister of Chhattisgarh, is passionate about making farming a viable proposition for farmers. He has written …