Can we engineer life? 4.7 Plant gene technology, cisgenesis
In cisgenesis, we insert new DNA in a stable form into plant DNA, just like in transgenesis. The difference being that in transgenesis, the new DNA originates from another species, in cisgenesis from a plant with which the acceptor plant can crossbreed. Researchers from Plant Research International at Wageningen UR have been arguing for almost
CCU, Carbon Capture and Utilization, even better than biomass as a feedstock
CCU, the process to capture carbon dioxide and upcycle it to valuable fuels, chemicals and materials, may become very important this century. CCU kerosene may be much better than biobased kerosene for instance, when air travel is no longer supposed to use fossil-based kerosene. And CCU chemicals may have a much lower footprint than bio-based
MaterialDistrict Rotterdam 2019: imaginative new materials
MaterialDistrict Rotterdam, the yearly exposition and conference on new materials, has 140 exhibitors this year, 200 new materials, presentations by 100 front-runner start-ups & designers, and op top of that a conference program with some 60 speakers. Rotterdam Ahoy will be the host again to wonderful, exciting, problem solving and actual materials innovations. MaterialDistrict Rotterdam
Can we engineer life? 4.6 Golden rice
Golden rice symbolizes the protracted trench war between proponents and opponents of modern biotechnology. The Swiss Ingo Potrykus of ETH Zürich is the golden man behind the golden rice. With great ardour he defends this controversial rice, and attacks the opponents of gene technology. With his colleague Peter Beyer of Freiburg University he developed the
Rob Baan (Koppert Cress): vegetables are healthy, but we’re not allowed to claim so
Five years ago, we visited the outstanding horticultural company Koppert Cress in Monster near The Hague in the Netherlands. Then already, general manager Rob Baan told us that horticulture should concentrate on fresh produce for a healthy diet; with ingredients that help overcome diseases like cancer, obesity and diabetes 2. But health claims are supposed
Can we engineer life? 4.5 Novel plant breeding techniques
Plants have large and complicated genomes. Therefore, until recently, the insertion of foreign DNA was a kind of roulette: where will DNA be modified, will the insertion work, and will there be side effects? But by now, techniques have much improved and totally novel plant breeding techniques have been developed, carrying names like ZFNs, TALENs
Can we engineer life? 4.4 Plant gene technology, modern techniques
Modern techniques are in very rapid development. We can now analyse the most complex DNAs down to the level of individual base pairs, knowledge that will enable us to continue to produce enough food in times of climate change. And we get an increasing number of techniques to our disposal that make use of this
Can we engineer life? 4.2 Plant gene technology: Bt aubergines
Anyone attached to Greece (and I am one of them) knows moussaka, one of the most traditional dishes of the Greek kitchen. I have mixed feelings on it, even though I love all ingredients of this oven dish with aubergines as main ingredient. How come? Many Greek chefs add cinnamon to the dish, in addition
