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Genetic and biotechnology can improve food security, the environment and public health. Yet dramatic innovation can lead to unintended consequences and present ethical challenges. In theory, the study of genetics and related cutting edge sciences are widely celebrated. But in practice, the words "gene" and "genetic engineering" often stir fear and misunderstanding when applied to biomedicine and farming. Intricate science scares people who don't understand risk and complexity. What is the potential of agricultural and human genetics? The commitment of the GLP is to promote public awareness of genetics and science literacy.

 In one of the first successful attempts at genetically engineering mosquitoes, HHMI researchers have altered the way the insects respond to odors, including the smell of humans and the insect repellant DEET. The research not only demonstrates that mosquitoes can be genetically altered using the latest research techniques, but paves the way to understanding why the insect is so attracted to humans, and how to block that attraction. "The time has come now to do genetics in these important disease-vector insects.

GMOs are organisms that have had their DNA modified through genetic engineering. This is often done by taking a gene from one organism and putting it into another one to alter it in a desirable way. For example, when genetic engineers want to create a corn crop that is resistant to pests, they seek out the trait in Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) soil bacteria that naturally acts as a pesticide. From there, engineers isolate the gene responsible for that trait and directly insert it into the corn's DNA. This corn is then bred with other corn until it's ready to be produced for consumption.

"A lot of people are still suspicious of genetically engineered foods," Profita said. "But they're also concerned about the environmental impacts of making them. A lot of the time, genetically engineered plants are engineered so that you can put more chemicals on the plants. And a lot of people don't want to be engaged in eating those types of foods." Environmentalists have worried about putting genetically modified fish in facilities near rivers, fearing the fish could escape into the wild. The company takes pains to say that these salmon are meant to be raised in tanks on land - not in netted pens in open waters. Otherwise, the operations are similar, Profita said.

Federal regulators on Thursday approved a genetically engineered salmon as fit for consumption, making it the first genetically altered animal to be cleared for American supermarkets and dinner tables. The approval by the Food and Drug Administration caps a long struggle for AquaBounty Technologies, a small company that first approached the F.D.A. about approval in the 1990s. The agency made its initial determination that the fish would be safe to eat and for the environment more than five years ago.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or genetically engineered (GE) foods have the potential to cause a variety of health problems.  For example, they may produce new allergens and toxins, and spread harmful traits to non-GMO crops. In addition, at least one major environmental impact of genetic engineering has already reached critical proportions: overuse of herbicide-tolerant GE crops has spurred an increase in herbicide use and an epidemic of herbicide-resistant "superweeds," which will lead to even more herbicide use. The long-term impacts of GMOs are unknown, and once released into the environment they cannot be recalled.  

Human-engineered microbes are workhorses of the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, churning out biofuels, drugs, and many other products. But they can cause big problems if they become contaminated by other microbes or viruses or escape into the environment. Now, a new type of microbe that can survive only on artificial nutrients promises better security against such mishaps. The strategy, described in two papers in this week's issue of Nature, might ultimately be used to control genetically engineered plants or other organisms released into the wild to create products or clean up pollution.

"CRACKING THE CODE"/"Cloning Paper Plasmid" activities can (1) serve as a review of the "genetic code" and the role it plays in our life; and, (2) to help students see how genes may be manipulated for genetic research, namely, gene cloning/genetic engineering. The laboratory time, the specialized equipment and expertise to carry out recombinant DNA experiments may be lacking in the high school. Activity 2 will help students conceptualize the mechanics involved in cutting and ligating DNAs into a plasmid vector with "sticky ends" of complementary DNA base pairs.

Genetically modified foods have been demonized in recent years by health advocates and environmentalists alike. If we look at the history of food cultivation, however, it is apparent we've been eating them all along. SA editor Eric R. Olson explains.

DNA is an interactive Web site where students can learn about DNA and its structure and function, the scientific history of its discovery and its development into a powerful tool in biology, technology, and medicine, and about the Human Genome Project, genetic engineering, and some of the implications and ethical issues surrounding genetic technology.

Chinese scientists say they've genetically modified human embryos for the very first time. The team attempted to modify the gene responsible for beta-thalassaemia, a potentially fatal blood disorder, using a gene-editing technique known as CRISPR/Cas9. Gene editing is a recently developed type of genetic engineering in which DNA is inserted, replaced, or removed. Here, experts weigh-in with ethical questions and considerations.

For at least 10,000 years, humans have been cultivating plants and selectively breeding them for fast growth, pest resistance, long-term survival in storage, and bigger and better fruit. We've been domesticating animals for just as long, selecting for traits that suited our needs, such as size, appearance, or even personality. For a few decades, we've also had genetic engineering methods for getting the characteristics we want in plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Officials in Panama have ruled that AquaBounty Technologies' has been operating in violation of environmental regulations as it experiments with genetically engineered (GE) salmon in that country. In a decision that could challenge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) ongoing safety assessment of AquaBounty's GE salmon, Panamanian officials fined the company $9500. Food & Water Watch, Center for Food Safety and Friends of the Earth called on the FDA today to terminate its regulatory review and deny AquaBounty's pending regulatory application to sell the company's GE fish in the United States.

Séguin, a research scientist in forest genomics with the Canadian Forest Service, inserted bacterial DNA into spruces that effectively made them immune to spruce budworm, a pest that can chew needles off tens of millions of hectares of trees in a single outbreak. While there is controversy over genetic engineering, some scientists say it could also help fight climate change by creating trees that grow bigger, faster, resist disease and can even turn carbon into a stable white powder that falls to the ground - in other words, trees that would be better at pulling carbon from the atmosphere.

Researchers led by Terra D. Barnes of Washington University discovered that their genetically-engineered mice stutter due to DNA defects in a humdrum "housekeeping" gene. This gene codes for a protein that simply places a "routing tag" on certain enzymes that shred cellular trash. The tag ensures that the shredding enzymes end up in chambers called lysosomes, basically the cell's garbage disposal. It's a mundane cellular activity, yet mutations in the same process in humans have also been linked to stuttering-a bizarrely specific condition for such a general gene. And, so far, scientists have no idea why the two are linked.

The Food and Drug Administration just approved the AquAdvantage Salmon, a fish genetically engineered to grow more quickly than its conventional counterparts. It's the first GMO animal for human consumption approved for sale in the United States.

Designer babies, the end of diseases, genetically modified humans that never age. Outrageous things that used to be science fiction are suddenly becoming reality. The only thing we know for sure is that things will change irreversibly.

More than 1,600 people worldwide have been infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, and complications from it have resulted in nearly 600 deaths. But in the three years since scientists identified the disease, they haven't been able to discover a way to treat or prevent infection. Now a team of international researchers has used genetically modified cows to create antibodies that combat the disease, which could mean that a vaccine might soon be possible. The research was published today in Science Translational Medicine.

Animation showing genetic engineering for insulin

Overview of genetic engineering and business assessment of scientific feasibility.  Good overview of past gene therapy attempts.