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bacillus thuringiensis (Bt): a soil bacterium used widely in agriculture - especially in organic farming and GE crops. Different strains of Bt are toxic to different insects. Farmers carefully match the target pest species with a Bt toxin protein that is specific for that insect. Bt crops genetically engineered to contain these specific toxins greatly reduce the application levels of toxic pesticides, and thus help maintain populations of beneficial insects, which are not harmed by the toxin.
biopharming: the use of genetic engineering to insert genes coding for pharmaceuticals into plants that would otherwise not express those genes. GE plants make the pharmaceuticals (recombinant proteins or their metabolic products) in large quantities. Sometimes it's even possible for the drug to be taken by eating the plant itself (e.g. vaccination by bananas).
biotechnology: the collection of industrial processes that involve the use of biological systems - biotech is commonly used to brew beer, produce antibiotics, and improve food crops and livestock through breeding. For some industries, these processes involve the use of genetically engineered organisms.
genetic engineering (GE): a change in an organism's genes made using recombinant DNA technology. A genetically modified/engineered organism is called a GMO. (More often than not, GE crops are referred to as GM crops, but this is a bit of a misnomer, since all GE crops are GM, but not all GM crops are GE!)
organic agriculture: a farming system that relies on ecological processes, biodiversity, and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of synthetic inputs. In the US, current organic certification standards consider GMOs to be intrinsically harmful, even when they're grown using organic farming.
precision breeding (marker assisted selection): a technique involving the use of genetic markers to track the inheritance of genes when closely related plants are crossed. Plants produced using this technique are, by definition, not transgenic; therefore, the compliance costs involved in developing cultivars suited to local conditions in developing countries are minimized.
sustainable biotechnology: uses biotechnology applications in industry (e.g. producing fuel, making manufacturing processes cleaner) and agriculture in ways that support a sustainable future.
allergy | amino acids | assisted reproductive technology (ART) | basic research | biofuels | biopharmaceuticals | biomass | bt corn | bt cotton | carbon footprint | carbon neutral | carbon sequestering | classical plant breeding | clean energy | clean energy biotechnology | clean energy economy | climate-neutral agriculture | cloning | coordinated framework for biotechnology | digestibility tests | dna | environmentalism | gasification | genes | genetically engineered crop | genetic marker | genetic modification (GM) | genetic selection | genetic testing | genetic use restriction technology (GURT) | glyphosate | greenhouse gasses | homology tests | hybrid breeding | integrated pest management | intellectual property | kyoto protocol | mammalian tests | mutagenesis | mycotoxins | natural chemical | no-till | patents | pesticide | plant patent act of 1930 | plant utility patents | plant variety protection act of 1970 | recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) | recombinant DNA technology | red, green, and white GE | renewable energy | stem cell technology | sustainability | sustainable agriculture | synthetic chemical | systems agronomy | terminator hoax | transgene | transgenic variety
Click here to view an Adobe pdf document of these terms.
The Agricultural Biotechnology Communicators (ABC) website, created by a consortium of Land Grant Universities, makes information about agricultural biotechnology available to the public and provides a venue for dialogue concerning benefits and risks. The website inlcudes links to 18 Q&A style information sheets about topics ranging from GE food allerginicity to pollen contamination.
Conversations About Plant Technology has put together an online video in which a Canadian farmer discusses his experience with growing canola engineered to be herbicide resistant.
What's happening and how does it affect me? A fact sheet about GM crops prepared by the ORB. Dave Harry. 2007
10 things about GE crops to scratch from your worry list. A PDF version of a blog posting by Pamela Ronald, University of California, Davis. 2008. http://pamelaronald.blogspot.com
GMO safety: Genetic engineering, plants, and the environment, supported by Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research, provides extensive, easy to follow information about plant biotech.
South Africa's Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) runs a program for the Public Understanding of Biotechnology (PUB). PUB's website offers extensive information and resources, including illustrative posters, teaching modules, and animated cartoons.
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). A well organized website with information on all aspects of biotechnology. Visit the science news page of this website for the most current news on biotechnology issues.
GEO-PIE. This Cornell University site contains a wide range of information, from genetic engineering, to GE foods in the marketplace, to resources for educators.
UC Biotech. UC Berkeley's biotechnology site has two searchable databases of scientific information, a searchable glossary of terms, and materials for educators.
Glossary of Terms from the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) can be searched or browsed, and is available in English, French, and Spanish.
Agriculture Biotechnology in California Series White Paper, Genetic engineering and pollen flow, from the biotechnology impacts center at the University of California Riverside. Norman C Ellstrand, ANR publication 8182. 2006
Perspective on creeping bentgrass, a White Paper prepared by the USDA/APHIS/BRS. B MacBryde. 2005
Fact sheet on Roundup Ready Creeping Bentgrass prepared by the ORB. 2005.
Agriculture Biotechnology in California Series White Paper, Genetic engineering and testing methodologies, from the biotechnology impacts center at the University of California Riverside. Alan McHughen, ANR publication 8190. 2006
What are the issues? - a brochure about agricultural biotechnology produced by UC Davis available as a PDF or a PowerPoint. 2002.
Genetic Engineering in California Agriculture, an award wining video produced by UC Biotech. 2006.
Yummy DNA Lab - Grades K-2. Source: ORB.
Study Guides to the Food for Thought lecture series - for university undergraduates and high school students grades 10-12. Source: ORB.
Biotechnology Curriculum Units - Grades 4-12. Source: Iowa State University, Office of Biotechnology.
Biotechnology Lab Modules - Grades 7-12. Source: CityLab, Boston University School of Medicine.
Bacillus thuringiensis: Sharing its Natural Talent with Crops - Grades 9-12 or adult audiences. Source: Iowa State University.
DNA - The Instruction Manual for All Life - slides from an ORB presentation at the Corvallis Linus Pauling Middle School. 2004
The Ethical Dilemmas Presented by Genetically Engineered Crops - slides from an ORB high school-level presentation. 2005.
Future Directions for Agricultural Biotechnology - slides from an ORB presentation to an Oregon State University Crop and Soil Sciences class. 2005
South Africa's Public Understanding of Biotechnology (PUB) program offers a multitude of teaching aids and resources, including educational cartoons, experiments, illustrative posters, information sheets, presentations, and teaching modules.
The Biotechnology Institute is an independent, national nonprofit organization based in Arlington, VA that provides educational resources, including teacher guides.
American Society of Plant Biologists Biotechnology News Page. Science-based news on biotechnology applications and research.
AgBioWorld. An international discussion by mostly pro-biotech scientists.
AgBios. See "Latest Crop Biotech News" for up-to-date features and news articles.
The Science and Development Network. Provides information on science- and technology-related issues that impact the economic and social advancement of developing countries.
AgBioForum Magazine. Publishes short, non-technical articles reporting on current research relating to the agbiotech management and economics.
The GMO Crop (mis)Information Page. The University of Georgia provides useful (and sometimes funny) info about GMO crops.
BIOS - Biological Innovation for Open Society - a new initiative of CAMBIA to extend the metaphor and concepts of Open Source to biotechnology and other forms of innovation in biology.
Bioforge - the internet based-platform for the use of new "public-good binding licenses" (the Biology Open Source, or BiOS license) a dynamic protected commons in which projects can be initiated and developed toward enabling technology for biological innovations of all kinds.
PIPRA, Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture - An initiative by universities, foundations and non-profit research institutions to make agricultural technologies more easily available for development and distribution of subsistence crops for humanitarian purposes in the developing world and specialty crops in the developed world.
Information Systems for Biotechnology. An extensive annotated database of Web sites pertaining to agricultural & environmental biotechnology.
US Biotech Database. This database covers crop plants developed through the use of modern biotechnology that have completed the recommended or required reviews for planting, food, or feed use in the United States.
Pubic Research Initiative. A foundation with the objective to involve the public research sector in regulations and international agreements that are relevant for biotechnology. For more information on the initiative, view the FAQs page.
United State Regulatory Agencies Unified Biotechnology. This website gives information concerning the regulatory oversight of agricultural products made using biotech. This website also has a searchable database with information on genetically engineered crops that have meet all the US governments regulations for food, feed, or planting use.
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The home page of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is maintained as part of the Convention on Biological Diversity website. The Protocol pages contain information on ratification of the Protocol, meeting details and documents, and highlights of the program of work of the Conference of the Parties.
Nature Biotechnology. The world's foremost academic journal covering the science and business of biotechnology, published by Nature Publishing Group in London.
Science Magazine. The international weekly science journal, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
American Scientist. The magazine of Sigma XI, the Scientific Research Society.
MedBio World. Links to Genetics, Genomics & Biotechnology Journals
UCBiotech scientific literature database. With over 1000 scientific publications relating to agricultural biotechnology. Searchable. Click on database in the navigational bar.
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications. The ISAAA is a non-profit international organization co-sponsored by public and private sector institutions that facilitates the acquisition and transfer of agricultural biotechnology applications from industrial countries to developing countries, particularly proprietary technology from the private sector.
FAO Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture. Visit the FAOBioDeC site and search the database of member country profiles for information on research, patents, policies, products and more.
World Health Organization. The WHO Biotechnology Site provides information on genetically modified foods in regards to food safety.
Golden Rice - Resources and Opinions. AgBioWorld has a thorough collection of articles and links on Golden Rice.
Golden Rice Online Video. Interviews with The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture and the two inventors of Golden Rice. Available online or on a free DVD.
Agriculture Biotechnology in California Series White Paper, Some food and environmental safety issues with GE products: A scientific perspective, from the biotechnology impacts center at the University of California Riverside. Peggy G Lemaux, ANR publication 8187. 2006
International Survey of Herbicide Resistant Weeds. This website, maintained by global collaboration between weed scientists, monitors the evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds and assess their impact throughout the world.
Herbicide Resistance Action Committee. A website for farmers, advisors and researchers for information on which herbicides are best suited to combat specific resistant weeds.
Exploring the Moral and Ethical Aspects of Genetically Engineered and Cloned Animals. 2005 Workshop Proceedings offered by the Pew Initiative on Biotechnology.
Animal Genomics and Biotechnology. UC Davis. Contains information on genomics, biotechnology, cloning, transgenics, concerns, and marker-assisted breeding in animals as well as specific information on cattle, poultry, pig, sheep, goats, and aquatic animals.
Animal Biotechnology Website. Coordinated by the Federation of Animal Science Societies
Cloning – a life of Dolly. The Roslin Institute, the cloners of Dolly, provides information on Dolly, as well as general info on cloning, animal welfare, animal breeding, and genetic modification.
Eurobarometer. A website for the Public Opinion Analysis sector of the European Commission.
Council for Biotechnology Information. Updates on commercial benefits, funded by biotech companies and associations.
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). A website with information on all aspects of biotechnology created by the trade organization of biotech companies.
Union of Concerned Scientists. UCS does not support or oppose genetic engineering entirely, but encourages the use of caution and regulation to assess new technologies on a case-by-case basis. Contains useful information on the issues surrounding biotechnology.
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Oregon Chapter. The group behind a bill to place a four-year moratorium on biopharmaceuticals in Oregon.
Greenpeace. This organization opposes all outdoor planting of GE crops without regard to benefit or risk of specific applications.
Sierra Club. America's oldest and largest environmental organization opposes GE foods.
Friends of the Earth. A British organization that opposes the use of GM crops.
Organic Consumers Association. Contains links to news articles and resources relating to biotechnology. It opposes all GE crops.
The Campaign to Label GM Foods. Strongly anti-GE; home of a nation-wide effort to lobby the federal government to stringently label GE products.
