Subject
5 entries
Agriculture
Bookmarks
GM Maize and Roundup Tumor Study: A Case Study in Science Communication
Coverage of the Séralini study — the 2012 paper claiming lifetime exposure to GM maize and Roundup caused tumors in rats. It was widely covered as bombshell evidence against GMOs, then retracted in 2013 after severe methodological criticism. An instructive case study in science communication failure.
The Perfect Milk Machine: How Big Data Transformed the Dairy Industry
Alexis Madrigal's Atlantic piece on how the dairy industry used decades of genetic and performance data to engineer Holstein cows into radically more efficient milk producers. The best early example of big data optimization applied to a non-tech domain.
Why Supermarket Tomatoes Tend to Taste Bland
LA Times coverage of a 2012 Nature Genetics study identifying the genetic mutation responsible for why commercial tomatoes taste bland — a breeding decision made for shelf life and appearance at the cost of flavor. The gene controls sugar production in fruits, and modern tomatoes had it bred out.
Monsanto Blamed for Bee Population Collapse, So It Buys Bee Research Firm
Monsanto's 2012 acquisition of Beeologics, a bee research firm, shortly after neonicotinoid pesticides (which Monsanto-associated products used) were linked to colony collapse disorder. A corporate capture story that generated significant public skepticism.
Hemp Is Not Pot: The Economic Stimulus and Green Jobs Case
Alternet's 2009 argument that industrial hemp — banned in the US through association with marijuana despite being a different plant with negligible THC — represents an untapped agricultural and industrial opportunity. Written during the Obama stimulus debate when green jobs were politically salient.