Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Coca-Cola, Clarins, DivSeek & Canada win Biopiracy Awards at the COP 13
by Friends of the Earth International Coca-Cola, Clarins, DivSeek and the governments of Canada and Brasil, were the winners of the 6th “Captain Hook Awards” ceremony that honored the five most important actors of the world of biopiracy this year and in which in which Friends of the Earth International participated. The show was organized […]
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The Captain Hook Awards reveal ‘biopirate’ villains and celebrate biodiversity defenders at UN Biodiversity Convention
CANCUN – The Coalition Against Biopiracy (CAB) hosted the 6th Captain Hook Awards ceremony at the Thirteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 13) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on December 9, 2016. The public action in the main lobby of the Conference “celebrated” five biopirates – corporations, governments, and organizations that play a […]
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Victory! GE mosquitoes will not be let loose on Florida community
by Friends of the Earth US Citizens/environment will not be impacted by novel experiment releasing millions of GE mosquitoes WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Food and Drug Administration announced that it will not move forward with the controversial release of millions of genetically engineered mosquitoes in the community of Key Haven in Monroe County, Florida. The […]
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160 Global Groups Call for Moratorium on New Genetic Extinction Technology at UN Convention
CANCUN, MEXICO – This week, international conservation and environmental leaders are calling on governments at the 2016 UN Convention on Biodiversity to establish a moratorium on the controversial genetic extinction technology called gene drives. More resources on gene drives and campaigns at CBD COP13 Gene drives, developed through new gene-editing techniques- are designed to force […]
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Syn Bio & Related Events at CBD COP13
There’s an exciting program of events covering synthetic biology, GMO 2.0, biosafety, gene drives and lots more at the Convention on Biological Diversity COP13 in Cancun over the next 2 weeks. If you’re going to be in Cancun it’s well worth checking these out! Download the flyer MON, DEC 5 @18:15/BUSINESS GROUP MEETING ROOM, SUNRISE […]
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Podcast: Synthetic Biology & Gene Drives – Should We Be Concerned?
“Genetic engineering is passé. Today, scientists aren’t just mapping genomes and manipulating genes, they’re building life from scratch – and they’re doing it in the absence of societal debate and regulatory oversight.” – Pat Mooney, Executive Director of ETC Group, whose mission is to access the consequences and impacts of new technologies. Listen to the […]
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SynBio, Gene Editing and Other New Stuff: Same Concerns, Supersized
by Mary Lou McDonald (Safe Food Matters) New words like “synthetic biology”, “GMOs 2.0”, “CRISPR”, and “new biology” are being heard. And new compounds are in our fragrances, flavourings, cosmetics and foods. The new words are for new techniques of genetic engineering. What are the techniques and their products, and should we be concerned? New […]
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The 2016 Captain Hook Awards for Biopiracy – submit your nominations now!
The Coalition Against Biopiracy (CAB) will host the 6th Captain Hook Awards ceremony at the Thirteenth Conference of the Parties (COP13) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Cancun, Mexico, 4-17 December 2016. Nominate your least-favourite pirate for a 2016 Captain Hook Award, and your most admired biopiracy resistors for a 2016 Cog Award […]
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Stop industry writing the rules on GM – Australia action
Documents revealed under Freedom of Information laws show that the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has been colluding with industry for years to deregulate a range of new genetic modification (GM) techniques. And now the rest of us have just 6 weeks to make the case why they should be regulated! If the […]
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Gene Editing and Seed Stealing
by Chee Yoke Ling and Edward Hammond (Project Syndicate) AUSTIN, TEXAS – Four hundred years ago, John Rolfe used tobacco seeds pilfered from the West Indies to develop Virginia’s first profitable export, undermining the tobacco trade of Spain’s Caribbean colonies. More than 200 years later, another Briton, Henry Wickham, took seeds for a rubber-bearing tree […]
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