Guest Author • Oct 26, 2018 •
Andrea Byrom Predictably, the public debate about the pest control toxin 1080 has ramped up a notch in recent weeks and months. I say predictably, because it is no surprise to anyone involved in conservation that pest control methods – whatever they might be – are controversial. Such controversy is a global phenomenon, often with polarised debates. Why does such … Read More
Grant Jacobs • Aug 27, 2018 •
Food Evolution, the movie, is screening at Queenstown at the end of the month. If you’re in the area, check it out. It’s free: you just have to register at EventBrite. The screening and panel discussion is in the Clancy’s Meeting Room, Level 5, Rydges Lakeland Resort, from 7pm on Fri. 31 August. The film is narrated by well-known science communicator … Read More
Grant Jacobs • Nov 21, 2017 •
What if we could fix a kid’s genetic disease, cure them for their lifetime? What if we make that for all of their children, forever? Or enhance humans to be genetically better? What’s your opinion of gene editing and enhancement? A survey asked what people thought. Participants gave a green light for adult gene therapy. They were cautious … Read More
Grant Jacobs • Aug 03, 2017 •
Widely reported today is the research paper by an USA team who edited a gene that causes sudden heart failure in young adults. I’d like to take a different approach, briefly raising just two things that nagged at me while reading this work. Before I do be clear there are real technical advances reported.* I’m not denying or opposing them. Read More
Grant Jacobs • Jul 30, 2017 •
Gene editing could be a big deal. It offers some great stuff. For a few applications it also raises some interesting ethical questions. We might be able to treat some genetic disorders by convert a “broken” gene associated back to the working version of the gene, potentially providing a one-time, life-long fix for the patient. Gene therapy has a surprisingly … Read More
John Kerr • Feb 20, 2017 •
Pandemics, predators and predicting sea-level rise are just a few of the issues covered in our Sciblogs Horizon Scan special series. We asked experts across the spectrum of New Zealand science to give us their take on the big issues in their field and what might be around the corner. What does the future hold in store for New Zealand … Read More
Grant Jacobs • Feb 15, 2017 •
Just out today are the recommendations of a joint science advisory group of the USA National Academy of Science and the USA Academy of Medicine on gene editing. As an alert to any that might be interested I’ve copied their summary of their recommendations below.This post is meant as a simple heads-up, rather than an analysis of this … Read More
Helen Taylor • Feb 09, 2017 •
New Zealand is known for its bold, proactive conservation strategies. Are we ready to use advanced gene editing techniques to save native species? Imagine being able to turn genes on and off, or change their code and alter their function. This is the reality of gene editing technologies facilitated by enzymes like CRISPR-Cas9. CRISPR is essentially a pair of … Read More
Grant Jacobs • Jun 12, 2014 •
As a short addition to my previous two articles on Gene editing and GMOs in New Zealand, readers might like to read the arguments presented in an article just published, Moving Beyond the GM Debate, by Ottoline Leyser.[1] The article is one of two Perspectives in the PLoS Genetics’ The Promise of Plant Translational Research collection and is open-access (i.e. free to be … Read More
Grant Jacobs • Jun 02, 2014 •
(If you’re not a biologist, you may prefer to start with part one. There’s also a third part.) Are the GMO-related clauses of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996 out of date? Perhaps it’s time to start working on a replacement. Recently a legal ruling in New Zealand overturned a previous … Read More