Biotechnology

Britain’s Fertility Regulator has Approved 3-Parent GMO Babies

The UK’s fertility regulator has given approval for the “cautious use” of techniques to create a baby using the DNA of 3 people. [1]
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) announced its “historic” decision December 15 and said that it would begin accepting applications from fertility clinics that wish to become licensed to perform the procedure. The HFEA said 3-parent baby technique, as it is commonly called, will help prevent a small number of children from inheriting potentially fatal diseases from their mothers. [2]

EPA Recommends Deregulating Highly Invasive GE Grass

The EPA released a final environmental impact statement on December 7 giving the green light to creeping bentgrass, a highly invasive type of grass genetically engineered by Monsanto and Scotts Miracle Gro-Co. to withstand what would normally be a lethal dose of glyphosate. [1]
Source: University of Massachusetts Amherst
The agency recommended the deregulation of the plant because it “is unlikely to pose a plant pest risk.” Nothing could be further from the truth, based on past experience. [2]

Reinventing the Wheel: Nestle Reformulates Sugar

If you want to cut the amount of sugar in a particular food, it makes sense to just…add less sugar, right? I mean, isn’t that the first thing that comes to mind? You just put less sugar in whatever it is you’re making. Voila! Mission accomplished. Well, Nestle came up with a “better” idea – reformulating sugar “so it can disassemble easily in your mouth with less going into your gastrointestinal tract.” [1]