French uphold ban on genetically modified seed corn

Darkfrog submitted, created time 9 months 2 weeks (www.nytimes.com)

The top French court just upheld a ban on the use of genetically modified corn, a month after its inception. It had been challenged by farmers. This article does a good job of showing the clash between economic (and environmental) interests and organic and environmental interests. (Yes, I said "environmental" twice. One camp is pleased to use less pesticide and the other is worried about contamination.)

Genetically modified, or at least selectively bred, corn has been used in the U.S. for some time now

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Researchers Map Corn Plant's Genome

Genetic discovery can boost the provitamin A content of Africa's maize

jane2007 submitted, created time 11 months 2 weeks (www.news.cornell.edu)

A new discovery could change health disorders caused by lack of provitamin A. Using genetic and statistical tools, researchers have identified a set of genetic variants in maize that accounts for levels of vitamin A precursors among varieties.

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Genetic engineering approaches to improve bioethanol production from maize

Dolly submitted, created time 1 year 6 months (www.sciencedirect.com)

Compared to other crops with biofuel potential, maize can provide both starch (seed) and cellulosic (stover) material for bioethanol production. However, the combination of food, feed and fuel in one crop, although appealing, raises concerns related to the land delineation and distribution of maize grown for energy versus food and feed. To avoid this dilemma, the conversion of maize biomass into bioethanol must be improved. Conventional breeding, molecular marker assisted breeding and genetic engineering have already had, and will continue to have, important roles in maize improvement

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FSU anthropologist finds earliest evidence of maize farming in Mexico

BIOBOSS submitted, created time 1 year 8 months (www.eurekalert.org)

A Florida State University anthropologist from Tallahassee, Fla., has new evidence that ancient farmers in Mexico were cultivating an early form of maize, the forerunner of modern corn, about 7,300 years ago -- 1,200 years earlier than scholars previously thought.

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Genetically Modified Maize Is Toxic -- Greenpeace

Paramecium submitted, created time 1 year 9 months (www.sciam.com)

It appears that a variety of genetically modified maize produced by Monsanto is toxic for the liver and kidneys. What's worse, Monsanto knew about it and tried to conceal the facts in its own publications. Greenpeace fought in court to obtain the data and had it analyzed by a team of experts. MON863, the variety of GM maze in question, has been authorized for markets in the US, EU, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, and the Philippines. Here are Greenpeace's brief on the study and their account of how the story was unearthed (both PDFs).

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