biotechnology news stories on Newser

Environmentalists Fear New Biotech Corn

Matt Cantor — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:33:05 CDT

Debate is raging over a new biotech corn engineered by Dow Chemical. The corn, called "Enlist," is intended to solve farmers' struggle against tough weeds; that's because it's resistant to a powerful herbicide, also made by Dow. But environmentalists fear that wind, heat, and humidity would carry the herbicide toward...

We Should Pay for Drugs Only If They Work

Kevin Spak — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:56:28 CST

Medical costs, and especially drug costs, are scandalously high in the US, but just capping them isn't the answer, biotech exec Samuel Waksal writes in the New York Times . "Individuals and insurance companies should be willing to pay—and pay a lot—for drugs when they work," he argues. "The...

Genetically Engineered Crops Cover 10% of Farmland

Kevin Spak — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:15:43 CST

The amount of land being used to grow genetically modified crops ballooned 10% last year, as countries like Brazil and Argentina got in on the game. A full 10% of the world’s farmland now grows these so-called “biotech crops,” which were essentially non-existent 15 years ago, USA Today reports. Last...

Farmers Sour on Genetically Modified Seeds

Nick McMaster — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 09:07:30 CDT

Genetically-modified crops are pervasive—last year 86% of America's farm acres were planted with biotech crops—but some farmers are beginning to sour on the technology. They say that the advantages are not worth the soaring prices charged by seed giants like Monsanto: The cost of corn seed jumped 32%...

Rights to Human Gene Patents Go on Trial

Jane Yager — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:52:18 CST

A Manhattan judge yesterday heard arguments on whether human genes should be covered by patents. A company called Myriad Genetics is being sued over its patents on two genes linked to an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer—BRCA1 and BRCA2. The suit alleges that women's health is harmed...

Rich May Evolve Into Own Species

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:41:59 CDT

The super wealthy will have such access to high levels of health care, biotechnology and robotics that they could develop into their own species of being, argues a Silicon Valley futurist. The rich will be able to grow their own organs and manipulate genetics for superior abilities and freedom from...

Drug Makers' Big Spending Pays Off on Hill

Kevin Spak — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:33:35 CDT

Drugmakers could get quite a gift from the health care reform bill. Senate and House amendments passed this summer give the makers of biologics—next-generation wonder drugs derived from living matter—12 years of exclusivity on their hyperexpensive products. That’s 7 more years than normal drugs get, and critics say...

Roche Gets Genentech in $46.8B Biotech Deal

Harry Kimball — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:00:00 CDT

Swiss drug giant Roche has succeeded in its quest to own biotech firm Genentech outright, and will purchase the 44% of shares it does not already own for $95 each, the San Francisco Chronicle reports today. The $46.8 billion deal comes after months of haggling, wherein Roche offered as...

New Robotic Arm Takes Cues From Brain

Katherine Thompson — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:50:01 CST

Artificial limbs have come a long way from the wooden legs and plastic arms of old: Today's prosthetics take messages directly from the brain. Their performance far exceeds that of the previous generation of devices, which required concentrated effort to make ungainly motions. "You think, and then your muscles move,...