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The world is potentially headed into a serious food crisis, thanks to a combination of climate change, land degradation, and depletion of natural resources. And the solution to all this might mean taking plant species back to before their domestication. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5796003&view=rss&microfeed=true The U.S. Supreme Court has been hearing arguments on whether a genetically engineered pesticide-resistant alfalfa violates the National Environmental Policy Act. The case pits organic farmers against Monsanto, whose genetically altered alfalfa could spread its genes to neighboring crops, via cross-pollination and prevent them from being able to label them as "organic." This is the first time the Supreme Court will address the issue of GM foods. [New York Times] More »
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Your next prosthetic arm will be almost as good as the one you were born with: It will fuse with your existing skeleton. Veterinarians at North Carolina State University have developed a technique for attaching prosthetic limbs directly to the underlying bone structure in the remaining limb portion. Called "osseointegrated prosthetics," these limbs knit themselves with the patient's bone, allowing more for natural movement and avoiding some of the problems of "strap-on" prosthetics. A German Shepherd named Cassidy was the first canine patient to receive an osseointegrated prosthetic, and the researchers feel advances in fabrication and materials will allow them to shift the technology to humans in the near future. More »
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