San Antonio College Library

Includes interviews from both sides of the (farmyard) fence; from biologists to farmers and nutritionists to activists, Good Enough to Eat? charts the history of GM foods from the laboratory to the global dinner plate. Equally informative and entertaining, Godwin chronicles the social, political and philosophical arguments for and against GM crops, and the science and knowledge behind the battle for global food security and sustainability.

An on-the-ground research biologist tells a clear-eyed story of modern plant genetics, the human manipulation of biology, and the reality of genetically engineered plants worldwide. Annotation. Largely celebrating the use of biotechnology in agriculture, although at times critical of some of the most cynical machinations of the large biotech companies, Luquin (genetics, Washington State U.) presents a layman's introduction to the basic science and...

"Fifteen years after the first genetically modified seeds and food, only four genetically modified plants have achieved significant market positions: corn, cotton, rapeseed and soybeans. Most of the other new constructs have caused unsolved problems or are only at the project stage, demonstrating the complexity of the task facing biotech companies. Doubts are also emerging about the real economic and agronomic benefits of genetically modified organisms....

Overview: Plant molecular biology came to the fore in the early 1980s and there has been tremendous growth in the subject since then. The study of plant genes and genomes and the development of techniques for the incorporation of novel or modified genes into plants eventually led to the commercialization of genetically modified (GM) crops in the mid-1990s. This was seen as the start of a biotechnological revolution in plant breeding. However, plant...

This book offers an engaging introduction to this exciting area of scientific research and technology. The text begins with a summary of current knowledge about plant genome organization and gene expression, followed by an introduction to the techniques of plant tissue culture and genetic transformation and the application to crop plants. A consideration of the design of constructs for plant genetics manipluation precedes a series of chapters covering...

Since 2002 Indian agriculturalists have replaced almost all of their native seeds with genetically modified varieties due to intense campaigning by biotechnology giant Monsanto. Monsanto's proprietary BT cotton now occupies 90 percent of India's crop lands, having been sold with the understanding that it would improve yields and cut farmers' costs. But critics are questioning Monsanto's claims, and the farmers themselves report problems-their plants...

"While European restaurants race to footnote menus, reassuring concerned gourmands that no genetically modified ingredients were used in the preparation of their food, starving populations around the world eagerly await the next harvest of scientifically improved crops. Mendel in the Kitchen provides a clear and balanced picture of this tangled, tricky (and very timely) topic "--HTML title screen

Plants have long been genetically modified through crossbreeding and other basic agricultural techniques to make crops more resilient, nutritious, and profitable. In recent decades, however, advances in genetic engineering-including the ability to blend genetic material from animals with that of plants-have allowed farmers to grow crops that resist insect pests, weeds viruses, and drought; provide increased iron or beta carotene; deliver vaccines...

What's cooking in the Silicon Valley? This program looks at how scientists are using biotechnology to create new food sources.

"Science, Seeds and Cyborgs is a detailed examination and critique of the DNA-centric paradigm in molecular biology, and of the biotech industry it has spawned. It argues that the genetic manipulation of organisms is proceeding along a perilous path, where even the successes of the new genetic technologies produce corrosive cultural effects, making it progressively easier to think of organisms - including the human one - as disposable artefacts. Exploring...