Can we engineer life? 4.8 Plant gene technology, the photosynthesis boost
Photosynthesis is one of the most important biological processes on earth, if not the most important one: no life without photosynthesis! The Rubisco enzyme plays a key role in this process. But from the viewpoint of modern agricultural science, the photosynthesis process is far from perfect. So commentators devoted much hyperbolic praise on a publication
Less input, more output and lower footprint through precision farming and digitalisation
The impact of the new technologies, such as robotics, drones and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing our food production system. Precision farming has shaken up a number of large companies to invest in the development of new solutions for future farming technologies. Which companies are part of this new wave and what technical products are
Strongest biomaterial ever
The strongest biomaterial ever has been assembled recently by Swedish, American and German researchers; it consists of cellulose, properly speaking of carefully parallel oriented cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs). The material is stronger than steel, even stronger than spider silk, regarded as the strongest biomaterial until recently. Vanderwaals forces The team, headed by Nitesh Mittal, recently published
Duchenne muscular dystrophy CRISPR cure: just for the rich and well-connected?
There’s always a time lag between the development of a new technology and a dawning awareness of its social impact. Then follows a debate among scientists, possibly followed by a public debate. This process starts by people asking difficult questions, as we are about to do on the Duchenne muscular dystrophy CRISPR cure. This technology,
Ban neonics, or not, or something else
In the first two columns in this series, I pictured the difficulties in establishing the truth on neonicotinoids (or neonics) and their effects on pollinating insects. The stakes are high. Neonics represent one third (in monetary value) of all insecticides sold globally. But NGOs have waged a war on them. Do we have to ban
We proudly present… More with Less
For us, April 21st was a day to remember. A month ahead of schedule we presented our new book: More with Less, welcome to the Precision Economy. The scene was a conference in Groningen where the latest results of modern research on carbohydrate chemistry were presented. A scene where the major players in the Dutch
Nanocomposites, precision materials
In nature, many materials excel in precision. They perform very precise tasks – and as researchers delve into their functions, they discover that complexity is at the bottom of this precision. Almost all natural materials are composites, intricate mixtures of pure compounds in order to arrive at the desired result. Nanocomposites are crude but effective
Review: biostimulants for sustainable crop production
This book is what a review should be all about: lengthy (365 pg), thorough, several tables and hundreds of references. Overall, this is a complete book on a highly relevant topic. Biostimulants: natural substances supporting vegetative growth, uptake of nutrients, tolerance to abiotic stress by roots and plant tolerance to drought and salt stress. Feeding
on: 15 September 2020