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The Forty-Second Session of WIPO's Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) took place in Geneva, Switzerland from February 28 to March 4, 2022 in hybrid form – with delegates and observers attending physically in Geneva, Switzerland, and via remote participation from around the world.
Copyright: WIPO. Photo: Emmanuel Berrod. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 IGO License.
A quick camera phone video showing the completed Genetic Stair in four dimensions.
Caliper Studio 2009
Conceptual illustration of DNA in PNG format. This is just meant to be decorative and not scientifically accurate.
Sketches for an article about Nature vs. Nurture. Depicting obesity as a something that people may be genetically predisposed to having, but through education and self control they can conque nature. We ended going a completely different direction, but I really liked how these looked.
Scott planting tanoak seedlings. Field trial to examine genetic variation in resistance to Sudden Oak Death (Phytophthora ramorum) in tanoak, Douglas-fir, coast redwood, and Port-Orford-cedar. Established near Brookings, Oregon.
More about the project from Richard Sniezko:
A field trial was established in southern Oregon, near Brookings, in March 2019 to examine genetic variation in resistance to Phytophthora ramorum (pathogen causing Sudden Oak Death) in tanoak, as well as susceptibility of conifers Douglas-fir, coast redwood, and Port-Orford-cedar. The trial was a joint effort between USFS (Dorena Genetic Resource Center, FHP), OSU, and ODF.
900 tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) seedling ‘families’ from 55 Oregon parent trees (and bulked lots) were planted in a field trial to assess genetic resistance to Phytophthora ramorum (pathogen causing sudden oak death, SOD), and to correlate with results of seedling inoculation testing done at Oregon State University. Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), and Port-Orford-cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) seedlings were also planted to test conifer susceptibility. Contact Richard Sniezko (richard.sniezko@usda.gov), Megan Lewien (mlewien@fs.fed.us), and Jared LeBoldus (Jared.LeBoldus@oregonstate.edu), for more information.
Photo by: Richard Sniezko
Date: March 19, 2019
Credit: USDA Forest Service, Region 6, Umpqua National Forest, Dorena Genetic Resource Center.
Source: Richard Sniezko collection; Cottage Grove, Oregon.
For more about the Dorena Genetic Resource Center see: www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/landmanagement/resourcemanageme...
Image provided by USDA Forest Service, Region 6, State and Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection: www.fs.usda.gov/main/r6/forest-grasslandhealth
The Human Genetics department is a broadly oriented research department, zooming in on the genetic aspects of monogenous, multifactorial, and acquired diseases. Translating basic scientific findings into clinical relevance is pivotal to the department’s translational focus. Leiden, The Netherlands
The work of CIAT's Genetic Resources Unit to regenerate bean seeds, at a field site near Popayan, Colombia.
Credit: ©2017CIAT/NeilPalmer
Credit: ©2017 CIAT/Neil Palmer
Please credit accordingly and leave a comment when you use a CIAT photo.
For more info: ciat-comunicaciones@cgiar.org
This beautiful image belies the fact that this crop is probably genetically engineered and certainly designed for large, pesticide-ridden monocultures. Central planning anyone? Meanwhile, the tiny organic demonstration gardens nearby seem unfunded and underrepresented. At the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa. See: Family farming and
Small-scale agriculture vs. Factory Farms (2). Sustainable agriculture organizations in Canada (2) (3) including the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network.
Central Farm or Central Planning?
Work as part of CIAT's Genetic resources program.
Credit: ©2010CIAT/NeilPalmer
For more info: ciat-comunicaciones@cgiar.org
By negotiation, the Creative Commons licence for this picture has been temporarily suspended pending imminent publication.
Von Hippel-Lindau disease, or von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, is a rare genetic disorder characterized by visceral cysts, benign masses, and the potential for malignant transformation in multiple organ systems.
von Hippel–Lindau VHL, the manifestations of the syndrome are protean; therefore, imaging plays a key role in identification of abnormalities and subsequent follow-up of lesions.
von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) disease is a rare, inherited, multisystem disorder that is characterized by development of a variety of benign and malignant tumors.
The spectrum of clinical manifestations of the disease is broad, About 40 different lesions in 14 different organs have been described.
The diagnostic criteria for VHL disease include:
(a) more than one CNS hemangioblastoma,
(b) one CNS hemangioblastoma and visceral manifestations of VHL disease, and
(c) any manifestation and a known family history of VHL disease.
Although genetic testing is available, imaging plays a key role in the identification of abnormalities and their subsequent follow-up, in the screening of asymptomatic gene carriers, and in their long-term surveillance.
The importance of screening is emphasized because the lesions in VHL disease are treatable; thus, early detection enables more conservative therapy to be performed and may enhance the patient’s length and quality of life.
A multidisciplinary approach to screening is emphasized; the team, which is led by a geneticist, includes urologists, gastroenterologists, neurologists, ophthalmologists, and radiologists
Because VHL varies so widely, there is not a consistent set of symptoms in each person. Every incidence of the disease has its own diagnostic evaluation. Being multi -ordinal disorder getting help for treatment of a VHL person is pie in the sky.
My pennyworth experience with VHL
I have been suffering Von Hippel Lindau (VHL) Syndrome since my early childhood. This disorder results in excess blood flow due to hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) resulting in repeated tumor growths in different organs of my body. VHL is a lifetime disease. Patients need to be constantly checked and treated/operated for the tumors and cysts that develop at various sites in the central nervous system and visceral organs throughout their lifetime. Because of the complexities associated with management of the various types of tumours in this disease, treatment is multidisciplinary.
VHL, LIVER TRANSPLANT,MDR-TB , neurologic complications
Very often timely aggressive surgical intervention is the only cure. As a VHL liver transplant patient, I have undergone and 9 surgeries one brain tumor removal, recent cyber knife at Medanta on 18th June 2013 besides grappling with MDR-TB which was diagnosed in 2010.
I developed MDR-TB. Manifestation of my latent TB happened under immune compromised situation, confirmed by a radiological conference facilitated by Dr Randeep Guleria at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). I developed pulmonary, bone and lymph involvement, to such an extent that it gnaws my bones and I walk with help of a four-toed stick.
Why VHL and MDR TB
I often face the question regarding significance of prolonged TB treatment and VHL, as VHL is not directly linked with TB.
Pre- transplant evaluation of Whole Body PET City Scan mentions:
A subcentimetric size lymph node is seen in the right posterior triangle
region which shows markedly increased FDGuptake (1 significance):- dated 21/9/07
8th July 2008:- A tiny non FDG avid, subcentimetre sized, subpleural nodule is noted in the apicoposterior segment of left upper lobe. Compared to previous PET CT, the left lung nodule is a new finding.
Tuberculosis was not detected and my long strife without repository began. Disseminated MDR TB manifested under immunocompromised situation though currently not active.
This is significance of TB aside from VHL, underdiagnosis and lowered immunesystem:- lowered immune system makes it almost impossible to survive the pandemic, I’m lucky to respond but there’s no guarantee it won’t comeback.
Chronological Medical events:
Date of surgery
Site
diagnosis
15/3/1993
Left foot
fibrolipomatous hamartoma (?)cavernous hemangioma
no proper diagnosis
20/12/1994
Right knee
Hamartomatous Malformation(?) cavernous hemangioma / no proper diagnosis
Jan 2005
toncills
Toncillectomy due to multinodular toncills evidence of which remains in multiple nodules in Esophagus in mid and lower third section (definitive inference from the pre-transplant endoscopy performed by Dr.Sanjiv Saigal)
6/2/2006
thyroid
Thyroidectomy 6th Feb 2006 (Multinodular goitre with retrosternal extension and a prominent cavernoma)
8/12/2006
Brain
Craniotomy (haemorrhaged brain tumor) due to cavernous haemangia
6/8/2008
Liver
Liver Transplant due to vascular malformation performed by Dr.A.S.Soin and team with proper diagnosis of VHL
26/7/2009
Left fore-arm
Dr.A.S.Soin removed a cavernous hemangioma from left fore-arm
3/8/2010
. After long painful suffering within 15 days of my Father’s demise on 6/4/2010 in a penniless condition, whatsoever, I survived to know on 3/08/2010 That I got Tuberculosis. Line Probe Assay (HAIN Test) for TB yielded Positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis( 22/12/2010)
Hence I fell into MDR TB category. This was detected by Dr.Himanshu Garg.
Prior TB treatment was performed by Dr. Sainjiv Saigal with normal prophylactic drugs.
18/july/2011
Cervical lymph gland
Von Hippel Lindau With MDR Kochs cervical lymphadenopathy 20011 at Medanta the Medicity by Dr.K.K . Handa
18/June/2013
Cyber knife Brain
extra dural based well defined nodular lesion adjacent to rt cavernous sinus
Planned for SRS cyber knife to a total dose of 1500cGy to the two lesions, by Dr.Aditya Gupta
The underdiagnosis happened in past as doctors were not well informed.
My general Financial condition:
1. My Father has left nothing, no repository to carryon my treatment
2. We are homeless. I’m living in a crummy rented place with narrow stairs, without ventilation
3. Initial support was provided by my friends and well-wishers but I need support on a larger scale due to multiple problems already narrated
4. Friends and income of younger brother who is a freelancer can no longer pull the economy of my diseases together
5. I’ve no property or any financial assets to pull me through.
Current Situation:-
1. VHL is multidisciplinary, can happen in visceral and Central Nervous System manifestations genetically, which are outwardly not visible. Hence MRI of whole spine and brain/body (CT?) is required -bi annually (as decided by neurosurgeon) Plasma free metaephrines and urinary metaephrines by HPLC method not ELISA method- for tachycardia.
2.Opthalmic by retinal specialist check ups are required(bi- annually)
3.I am Currently undergoing gingival excision and treatment due to initial cyclosporine(immunosuppressant) treatment side-effects.
4.Livertransplant, biannual tests and my current immunosuppressant( Sirolimus) level going up for past year requiring monitoring.
5.CECT of neck and chest/ USG of neck, chest xray often required.
6.Bimonthly LFT,Sirolimus,RFT,CBC
7.Biannual CBC, LFT, Na, K, Bun, Creatinine, Uric Acid,Hb1C, Lipid profile, Chest Xray, Urine Routine/Microscopic, Urine Culture/ sensitivity, Ultrasound whole Abdomen +liver Doppler (MHV showing monophasic flow in the liver graft suddenly from triphasic requiring repeated test for explanation)
All this is Way too expensive for me to bear with my younger brother( 4 yrs younger) being the sole earning member.
My mother is just a pensioner which doesn’t even suffice our accommodation and victuals.
My experience tells me VHL is seldom understood, and discrimination against disease exists. I’m a survivor not sufferer, I guess my strife with a rare disease shall be taken in good stride and help me in my spirited fight against a lifelong disease.
I don’t flinch and Cyber knife now performed, I need to deal with other complexities; but lack of funds and understanding makes the feelings worse. Please help me live the joyous life with a rare disorder as I am a survivor and not merely a sufferer. I’ve not lost the verve to life- help me lead a very happy life with VHL.
“The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.”- Hence I appeal to exercise my fundamental right to health of a minority individual being discriminated.
Using genetic manipulation to modify the activity of a plant, Brookhaven biologists have converted an unsaturated oil in the seeds of a temperate plant to the more saturated kind usually found in tropical plants. Engineered oils could be used to produce feedstocks for industrial processes in place of those currently obtained from petrochemicals.
Members of congress and National Institutes of Health officials look on as President George W. Bush signs H.R. 493, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) of 2008, in the Oval Office on May 1, 2008.
Eric Draper, The White House.
This was jointly inspired by a very funny kids program called "Ooglies" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7JQiY_uqVk) and my photo clubs monthly competition theme of "food"
I was messing about with the kids with bits of fruit and veg and sticking them together with cocktail sticks... and them giving them googly eyes... and this creation desrerved to be captured for posterity.
Strobist Info : 580EXII @ 1/4 power camera right triggered by Cactus V4, very old 380EZ flash @ full power to blow the seemless paper background, triggered by PC cord.
The banana is obscuring hte play doh holding the whole thing upright. Post processing in Lightroom and Photoshop with some dodging and burning to increase the shadow and highlight areas. Catchlight added to left eye. The legs are celery, the body a potato, head a bulb of garlic with a slither of apple for a mouth and grape for a nose... the eyes are "googlies" Arms are carrot sticks.
This shot was another option for the Food theme competition
O geneticista Crodowaldo Pavan em sua residência, em 14 de outubro de 2001.
Foto: Cely Carmo
Abaixo, confira a edição das três entrevistas que fiz, em outubro de 2001, com os geneticistas Crodowaldo Pavan, Antônio Brito da Cunha e Osvaldo Frota-Pessoa, colaboradores diretos de André Dreyfus durante anos. Eles relatam como foi o início da Genética no Brasil e falam da vida, do trabalho e da personalidade do mestre André Dreyfus.
Como vocês se interessaram por Biologia e como conheceram André Dreyfus?
Crodowaldo Pavan – Conheci Dreyfus em 1937, de forma muito interessante. Eu estava fazendo o “pré” da Escola Politécnica, curso de dois anos, logo após o ginásio. Antes de existir colegial, era assim. O curso era duro, puxado, mas consegui me sair bem. Queria fazer Engenharia Geológica, pois meu pai, Henrique Pavan, era industrial de porcelana e, na empresa, ele precisava trabalhar com materiais brasileiros, como argila, feldspato e caulim. Mas havia um problema no Brasil: os métodos de extração usados na Europa não funcionavam para esses materiais, e eu queria estudar novas técnicas.
Eu estava muito animado com o curso, mas quando assisti ao filme sobre a vida do Pasteur, A Vida de Louis Pasteur, com Paul Muni, fiquei apaixonado pelo trabalho desse cientista. Uma semana depois de ver o filme, fui a uma palestra do André Dreyfus na Biblioteca Municipal, na qual ele falava sobre vários temas, inclusive genética. Dreyfus era um conferencista muito conhecido e suas palestras eram extraordinárias, ficavam cheias de gente.
No fim da palestra, fui conversar com ele. Falei: “quero fazer o que o Pasteur fazia”. Ele perguntou o que eu estava cursando, e contei que estava na Politécnica, mas queria mudar de área. Ele disse que, para fazer o que Pasteur fazia, eu deveria fazer Medicina. Como fiz uma cara meio atrapalhada e disse que Medicina eu não queria fazer, ficamos conversando, e o Dreyfus disse: “você tem uma possibilidade de fazer História Natural, um curso novo da Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras, com uma vantagem: além de Biologia, o curso também tem Mineralogia, Petrografia, Geologia e Paleontologia. Se você desistir dessa área, pode voltar para a Politécnica e continuar a Engenharia”.
Prestei vestibular no mesmo ano, tirei o segundo lugar e comecei o curso em 1938. Praticamente só havia professores estrangeiros, exceto Dreyfus, que era meu ídolo. Logo nos primeiros anos, fui estagiário dele, depois me tornei assistente. Infelizmente tive apenas 11 anos de contato direto com Dreyfus, como seu assistente, porque ele morreu em 1952. Fui contratado como funcionário do Departamento de Biologia da USP em 1951.
Antônio Brito da Cunha – Comecei a me interessar pela Biologia aos 12 ou 13 anos, com leitura de dois livros: A Ciência da Vida, dos dois Wells, pai e filho, e do Julian Huxley, que foi publicado pela José Olympio; e depois “Caçadores de Micróbios”, do Paul de Kruif, uma biografia dos grandes microbiologistas, em especial Louis Pasteur.
Fiquei sabendo da existência do curso de História Natural e resolvi fazer. Meu pai, Antônio Paulo da Cunha, era advogado e estranhou muito a escolha, porque naquela época a pessoa tinha que ser ou médico ou advogado ou engenheiro. Então ele foi conversar com o Julio de Mesquita Filho, um dos criadores da USP. O Julio lhe indicou o professor Paulo Sawaya, da Biologia, o qual lhe recomendou que me deixasse fazer o curso e, se eu não gostasse, teria tempo de sobra para fazer outra coisa.
Prestei vestibular, entrei na universidade em 1941, aos 15 anos, e foi aí que conheci Dreyfus, como aluno da História Natural. Depois fui estagiário dele e, quando me formei, tornei-me assistente do laboratório, trabalhando ao lado do Pavan e da Rosina de Barros.
Nessa época, ainda não havia o Regime de Tempo Integral para os professores, de modo que Dreyfus lecionava também na Escola Paulista de Medicina, na Faculdade de Odontologia, na Escola Livre de Sociologia e Política, além da Faculdade de Filosofia da USP, onde desenvolvia diversas pesquisas.
O Regime de Tempo Integral só foi criado em 1947, quando o biólogo José Reis era diretor do Departamento de Administração de Serviços Públicos (Dasp), órgão do Estado que se ocupava do funcionalismo público. Até então, os professores, para sobreviver, precisavam dar aulas em diversos lugares, o que dificultava as pesquisas. Com o Tempo Integral, André Dreyfus largou as outras faculdades e se concentrou apenas na Faculdade de Filosofia da USP, para se dedicar à pesquisa.
Osvaldo Frota-Pessoa – Tive a oportunidade de conhecer Dreyfus em 1943, com a vinda do Dobzhanshy ao Brasil. O primeiro trabalho que eles realizaram juntos, com a participação do Pavan, foi um levantamento das espécies de Drosophila existentes no Brasil, identificando as espécies já conhecidas e classificando as que eles iam descobrindo, por meio da Sistemática. Eles descobriram várias espécies novas.
Esse episódio explica porque acabei vindo para São Paulo. Eu havia terminado os cursos de Biologia, em 1938, e de Medicina, em 1941, na Universidade do Distrito Federal, no Rio de Janeiro. O Dreyfus era amigo dos pesquisadores de Manguinhos, entre eles o Lauro Travassos, professor de Zoologia, que ajudou o grupo do Dreyfus e do Dobzhansky na classificação de Drosophila. Eles fizeram uma chave de classificação para identificação das espécies e, então, queriam pessoas não pertencentes ao grupo para verificar se aquela chave funcionava bem. O Travassos, então, indicou o meu nome e do meu colega Luiz Emydio de Mello Filho (mais tarde professor de Botânica da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro), porque já trabalhávamos com Sistemática de insetos no Rio de Janeiro. Viemos para São Paulo e passamos quinze dias no prédio da USP na alameda Glete, trabalhando no laboratório do Dreyfus, com ele, Dobzhansky e Pavan.
Como eram as aulas do Dreyfus no curso de História Natural da USP?
Pavan – Ele era extraordinário, sob todos os aspectos: como professor, como ser humano, como pesquisador...
Brito da Cunha – Dreyfus era um professor fantástico e suas aulas, absolutamente perfeitas: estive em muitos lugares e nunca vi um professor tão bom. Ele tinha muito conhecimento e era capaz de expor os problemas com uma clareza fantástica. Nas aulas de Histologia, por exemplo, ele não só dava anatomia microscópica dos tecidos, mas também explicava o funcionamento do órgão e sua origem embrionária. Ou seja, dava uma visão completa do órgão, expondo tudo com uma facilidade impressionante. Nunca deu uma aula sequer sem se preparar antes, marcando trechos dos livros e separando ilustrações para projetar. Foi o melhor professor que tive, um professor apaixonado pela arte de lecionar.
Como se deu a criação do primeiro grupo de pesquisas em Genética?
Pavan – Ironicamente, o Brasil teve sorte com uma desgraça mundial, a Segunda Guerra. A Fundação Rockefeller, por causa da guerra, não podia dar auxílio para a Ásia, para a África e muito menos para a Europa, então decidiram ajudar a América Latina. Em 1942, veio ao Brasil um representante da Fundação, Harry Miller Jr, diretor de Ciências Biológicas do órgão, e pude acompanhar de perto os primeiros contatos dele com Dreyfus. Recém-formado, eu trabalhava como assistente de Dreyfus e participei de dois almoços com o Miller, realizados no Automóvel Clube de São Paulo, na rua Formosa, do qual Dreyfus era sócio.
Lá, o Miller explicou que a Rockefeller estava disposta a ajudar o Departamento de Biologia da USP, e o primeiro passo era uma bolsa para que o Dreyfus fosse para os Estados Unidos, para uma temporada de um ano em laboratórios de seu interesse, tudo bancado pela Fundação. Dreyfus ficou animado, e eu muito mais, pois pensei: “o Dreyfus vai agora e, depois, quem vai sou eu”.
No dia seguinte, porém, o Dreyfus chega ao laboratório e diz: “um ano é muita coisa, não dá para passar tanto tempo fora, isso não vai dar certo”. Como ele era solteiro, tentamos todo jeito demovê-lo dessa idéia, dizendo que essa viagem seria importante para ele e para o laboratório.
Nesse dia, o Miller havia ido à Argentina e, na volta, fizemos um novo almoço no Automóvel Clube para que o Dreyfus desse sua resposta. O Miller quis saber o porquê da recusa, e ele respondeu: “O Pavan, que está aqui, e a Rosina, minha primeira-assistente, são muito jovens, e eles não podem tomar conta do laboratório durante um ano. Um semestre a gente pode ajeitar, mas um ano não dá”.
O Miller fez uma série de considerações e disse: “Vamos fazer o seguinte: tem um americano, na verdade um russo naturalizado americano, que está interessado em vir para a América Central, para ver a mata amazônica. Se vocês facilitarem a vida dele na Amazônia, talvez eu consiga que ele venha para cá por seis meses”. O Dreyfus disse: “Isso é ótimo. Muito bem: quem é esse russo?”. O Miller respondeu, para surpresa do Dreyfus: “É o Theodosius Dobzhansky”.
Nós tínhamos acabado de dar um curso sobre o livro que ele havia publicado, Genetic and the Origin of Species, uma das obras mais célebres e polêmicas da época. Então o Dreyfus disse ao Miller: “Se você mandar o Dobzhanshy para cá, eu não preciso ir para os Estados Unidos”. Ficou combinado assim: o Dobshansky viria passar seis meses no Brasil, depois o Dreyfus passaria uma temporada nos Estados Unidos. No ano seguinte, 1943, o Dobzhansky chegou ao Brasil, dando início à pesquisa em Genética e Evolução.
Frota-Pessoa – Antes da vinda do Dobzhansky, não existia pesquisa genética no Brasil. O Dreyfus conhecia o assunto somente com base nos livros. Mesmo assim, ele já havia inaugurado o Departamento de Biologia da USP dando ênfase à Genética. Tenho a impressão de que a Genética era, naquele tempo, como a Biologia Molecular é hoje: fica todo mundo assanhado com as novas possibilidades.
A Genética foi criada em 1900, com a redescoberta dos trabalhos de Mendel, mas as pesquisas propriamente ditas só começaram a deslanchar no início dos anos 1940. O Dobzhansky era um líder internacional na área, de modo que o Brasil reuniu o que havia de melhor – Dreyfus e Dobzhansky – no momento certo, para o estabelecimento da primeira escola de Genética e Evolução, com estudos de moscas de gênero Drosophila.
Dreyfus já fazia algum estudo em Genética antes da vinda do Dobzhansky?
Brito da Cunha – Sim. Em 1937, por exemplo, publicou um trabalho sobre o verme parasita Rhabdias fulleborni, intitulado “Contribuição para o estudo do cyclo chromosomico e da determinação do sexo de Rhabdias fulleborni”. Mas, embora Dreyfus tenha sido “o pai da Genética Animal” no Brasil, criando uma escola científica da área, seu trabalho acadêmico mais importante não foi em Genética: foi com uma vespa chamada Telenomus fariae, que parasita o ovo do barbeiro transmissor da Doença de Chagas e, por isso, tinha grande interesse para a Medicina e a Saúde Pública. Dreyfus descobriu coisas muito interessantes sobre essa vespa: por exemplo, que a fecundação das fêmeas pelo macho é feita ainda dentro do ovo do barbeiro, de modo que, quando a vespinha sai do ovo do barbeiro – que morre –, ela já sai fecundada. Esse trabalho foi desenvolvido junto com a assistente Marta Breuer.
Pavan – Esse foi um trabalho extraordinario, com repercussão internacional. A Marta era uma pessoa interessantíssima: havia sido membro da Escola Bauhaus e mulher do Marcel Breuer, o arquiteto mais famoso dessa escola. Infelizmente, vários trabalhos do Dreyfus se perderam na biblioteca do Instituto de Biologia da USP, acho que inclusive esse. Certa vez, uma bibliotecária resolveu jogar fora uma porção de trabalhos “velhos”. O material ficou jogado no corredor do Instituto, quando o Brito da Cunha soube e foi lá fazer um escândalo, mas já tinham levado muita coisa, muitos trabalhos do Dreyfus.
Que trabalhos Dreyfus desenvolveu junto com Dobzhansky?
Frota-Pessoa – Dobzhansky dedicava-se à Genética de Populações, ciência que une aspectos da Genética com a Teoria da Evolução. Para se estudar um animal ou uma planta por essa ciência, é preciso estudar a variabilidade da espécie, ou seja, como os genes de indivíduos da mesma espécie variam em diferentes locais. Dobzhansky havia trabalhado com moscas Drosophila nos Estados Unidos, primeiro na Califórnia, depois ao longo das regiões montanhosas: estudava as diferenças genéticas que a espécie ia apresentando, e as relacionava com o mecanismo de evolução. O convite para visitar o Brasil veio a calhar para esse estudo, pois ele poderia avaliar a variabilidade genética de Drosophila da América do Sul. Já havia um estudo prévio de Sistemática de Drosophila da América do Sul, feita por um cientista alemão, e essa bibliografia era um bom começo para ajudá-lo a identificar as espécies brasileiras.
Brito da Cunha – Com a chegada do Dobzhansky e a decisão de estudarmos Drosophila, o primeiro passo foi a descrição de dezenas de espécies dessa mosca no Brasil e, então, a seleção das que potencialmente tinham mais interesse para os estudos de evolução. Drosophila willistone foi a mais estudada: eu e o Pavan começamos com estudos de variabilidade genética e, mais tarde, de variabilidade cromossômica. O Pavan estudava a parte genética e eu, a citológica, e fizemos descobertas interessantes. Descrevemos também novas espécies, como D. miller e D. dreyfusi, batizadas em homenagem a Harry Miller e a Dreyfus.
Paralelamente, o Pavan também estava desenvolvendo sua tese de doutoramento, sobre evolução dos bagres cegos, sob a orientação do Dreyfus. Antes de sua pesquisa, publicada em 1945, os bagres cegos eram descritos como sendo de gêneros diferentes do bagre comum. Pavan mostrou que o bagre cego nada mais é do que o resultado de uma mutação do bagre comum: eles sobrevivem em rios de cavernas, onde a visão não é necessária, sendo naturalmente selecionados pelo processo evolutivo.
Dobzhansky então veio uma segunda vez ao Brasil...
Pavan – Sim, mas antes disso o Dreyfus foi para os Estados Unidos, onde atuou no laboratório do Dobzhansky, em Nova York, na Universidade Columbia.
Brito da Cunha – O Dobzhansky voltou ao Brasil entre 1948 e 1949. Ficou aqui por um ano, dirigindo pesquisas sobre populações naturais de Drosophila. Pesquisadores de vários lugares do Brasil vieram para a USP nessa ocasião, para aprender com o Dobzhansky, todos com bolsa da Rockefeller: o Cordeiro, do Rio Grande do Sul, o Hans Burla (da Suíça, mas que atuou também no Brasil), a Shana Malagovkin e o Lagden Cavalcanti, da UFRJ, além de Newton Freire-Maia, que acabou se dedicando mais à Genética Humana, montando um laboratório em Curitiba, com grande produção científica nessa área. No prédio da alameda Glete, as condições físicas eram precárias: não cabia mais gente nos laboratórios. A Biologia ocupava até o sótão do prédio, que havia sido moradia dos empregados do industrial Jorge Street. Então, para receber o Dobzhansky dessa vez, eu e o Pavan conseguimos verba para escavar o porão, montando um laboratório lá, para que o Dobzhansky pudesse trabalhar com tanta gente.
Frota-Pessoa – Eu estava no Rio de Janeiro nessa época e visitei o Dobzhansky em São Paulo, mas não fiquei trabalhando com o grupo. Quando ele voltou para os Estados Unidos, daí começou uma série de viagens de pesquisadores brasileiros para lá, todos com bolsa da Fundação Rockefeller: Pavan (1945-46), Brito da Cunha (1949-51), Lagden Cavalcanti e muitos outros tiveram essa oportunidade. Eu fui em 1953, após a morte de Dreyfus, e fiquei um ano e meio no laboratório do Dobzhansky, ainda trabalhando com Drosophila.
Brito da Cunha – A Fundação Rockefeller também financiou a montagem dos laboratórios desses pesquisadores. Uma das exigências que ela fazia aos laboratórios em que aplicava recursos era a de que os professores deveriam trabalhar em Regime de Tempo Integral, para que pudessem se dedicar à pesquisa. Antes disso, só a USP tinha o Tempo Integral e, diante dessa exigência, os Estados do Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul e Rio de Janeiro passaram a adotar esse regime, o que foi um ganho para a ciência.
Dreyfus também foi um dos primeiros pesquisadores a defender a importância da divulgação científica. Qual foi sua contribuição nessa área?
Pavan – Quem conviveu com o Dreyfus sabe que ele foi um dos mais extraordinários divulgadores da ciência no Brasil. E fez mais: como diz o Frota-Pessoa, Dreyfus divulgou a divulgação da ciência. Ele não perdia um oportunidade de divulgar o que sabia. De vez em quando, ia engraxar os sapatos só para conversar com o engraxate: contava as coisas mais incríveis do mundo, inclusive teorias de Genética, de uma forma que o sujeito entendia. Quando tinha uma novidade qualquer, contava pro ascensorista, dava uma aula para os garçons dos restaurantes que freqüentava, e todo mundo o admirava muito.
O que ele gostava mesmo era de dar aulas e fazer palestras. Era convidado para falar em todo canto do país, e estava sempre à disposição. Essa também é uma forma de divulgação científica, em que o cientista se expõe ao grande público. Dreyfus era capaz tanto de fazer uma palestra especializada, como fazia no Instituto Biológico e na própria Faculdade de Filosofia, quanto uma palestra popular, em linguagem para leigos. Um exemplo é que ele era apaixonado pela Psicanálise, e dava belas aulas sobre o assunto, discutindo as idéias de Freud com maestria, mesmo sem nunca ter a intenção de atuar na área. Era fantástico: sua vocação natural era explicar as coisas, transmitir conhecimentos.
Na imprensa, ele fazia muitos artigos para a Revista Anhembi, entre outras publicações de divulgação científica, mas não teve oportunidade de escrever regularmente para a grande imprensa – o que começou efetivamente com José Reis. No primeiro número dessa revista, em 1951, ele escreveu um belo artigo chamado “Amas de Sangue”, no qual discorreu, pela primeira vez na história da ciência brasileira, sobre a possibilidade das barrigas de aluguel.
Frota-Pessoa – Dreyfus escreveu para dois grandes jornais nas décadas de 30 e 40: em 1938, publicou o primeiro artigo de divulgação científica do país em um jornal popular: “Por que os filhos se parecem com os pais”, no Jornal do Brasil, em uma coluna chamada “A Ciência em Marcha”. Em 1948 e 1949, publicou diversos textos no jornal A Manhã , que contava com um suplemento chamado “Ciência para Todos”, no qual vários pesquisadores publicavam artigos sobre assuntos diversos.
Professor Frota-Pessoa, sua especialidade hoje é a Genética Médica. Esse interesse surgiu na época em que trabalhou com Dreyfus?
Frota-Pessoa – Não, foi depois de sua morte. Mas, sem dúvida, sem a base apreendida com o Dreyfus, eu não teria me interessado pela Genética humana. Quando voltei dos Estados Unidos para o Rio, aparentemente iria continuar a trabalhar com Drosophila. Mas com o início das pesquisas sobre cromossomos humanos, junto com o Paulo Henrique Saldanha, na USP, acabei me voltando para a Genética Médica. Estudamos doenças causadas pela falta, pelo excesso ou por alterações nos cromossomos, como a Síndrome de Down e a Doença do X Frágil, descrita por mim e que hoje continua sendo estudada na USP.
OGM Pioneer Brand products GMO (Genetically modified organisms) cornfields in Ontario Aug.28, 2005,
38W36, near sign reading- Bradford West Guillimbury Line 4 4348 4346.Photo © Linda Dawn Hammond '05
If it's safe for human consumption, then why don't they want us to know when we're eating it? We have no choice in Canada and the USA. DEMAND LABELLING OF GMOs- write to your political leaders!
Monsanto GMO Round-Up Ready Corn Can Cause Damage to Liver & Kidneys & Severe Hormonal Disruption bit.ly/1mYm37M
July 9, 2014 |
A scientific study that identified serious health impacts on rats fed on 'Roundup ready' GMO maize has been republished following its controversial retraction under strong commercial pressure. Now regulators must respond and review GMO and agro-chemical licenses, and licensing procedures
The pollen from these GMO corn plants may be in part responsible for the "unexplained" drop in Monarch butterfly populations, and possibly bees as well. This link was suspected years ago.
READ
www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4682.cfm
Catastrophic Bee Population Decline May Be Related to Bt-Spliced GMO Crops
www.informationliberation.com/?id=25045
Thursday March 27th, 2008 informationliberation.com
Death of the Bees: GMO Crops and the Decline of Bee Colonies in North America
GM Pollen Can Kill Butterflies
Alex Kirby
Date: Wednesday, May 19, 1999, BBC
The monarch caterpillars feed on the milkweed plant.
Pollen from one of the most successful genetically-modified (GM) crops in the US can kill the larvae of monarch butterflies, scientists say. Their study, published in the journal Nature, shows how the new GM technology might have unwanted consequences for biodiversity. The Cornell University researchers say their results "have potentially profound implications for the conservation of monarch butterflies" and believe more research on the environmental risks of biotechnology in agriculture is essential. Their experiments looked at Bt-corn which has been modified to incorporate a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This makes the plant tissue toxic to the European corn borer, a significant pest that hides in the stalks of the plant, making it difficult to control with chemical sprays. Although the Bt-corn plant itself is harmless to humans and other creatures such as ladybirds and bees, the researchers found pollen from the GM crop could have a lethal effect on the larvae of monarch butterflies if it lands on the plant on which they feed -milkweed. This is commonly found around cornfields and is the exclusive food of monarch caterpillars.
Dead caterpillars
In the laboratory, Monarch caterpillars fed on milkweed leaves dusted with Bt-corn pollen ate less, grew more slowly and suffered a higher mortality rate than those fed on leaves with normal pollen, or with no pollen at all. Nearly half of the GM pollen-fed caterpillars died, while all the rest survived the study. The scientists say the GM pollen enters the caterpillar's gut, where it binds to specific sites. The gut wall then changes from a protective layer to an open sieve, allowing pathogens normally contained in the gut and then excreted to enter the insect's body. Last year more than seven million acres of Bt-corn were planted in the US. Before its development, borers used to cause an average annual loss of $1.2bn. The technology offers significant potential for reducing pesticide use and increasing yields. Any negative effects therefore need to be balanced against these benefits, says Assistant Professor of Entomology John Losey, the lead researcher on the Nature paper. "We need to assess the risks from this Bt pollen and then balance those with the proven benefits and then decide, objectively, what is better for the environment," he told the BBC. "We want to look at the plants that are common around cornfields and the different butterflies whose caterpillars would feed on those plants. By putting those together, we can start to get a sense of what the total impact of this pollen might be." Novartis Seeds were the first biotechnology company to sell Bt-corn and their products are now grown commercially in the US, Canada, Argentina and Spain. "This study does not give any basis for a change in our marketing of Bt-corn," their spokesperson Sheena Bethell told BBC News Online. "Bt-corn has been extensively studied and we already have several years of growing experience in the US - one lab experiment does not change that. We follow and exceed all the requirements made by regulatory authorities which are very rigorous. "Even if there are unwanted effects on the Monarch butterfly, you still have to put that into the context of comparison with other forms of control." However, English Nature, the UK Government's wildlife advisor is using the publication of the report to renew its call for a delay in the commercial planting of insect-resistant crops in Britain. "This new research confirms the views put forward by English Nature last year that there are serious concerns about the commercial introduction of GM crops before research has been done on their potential effects on biodiversity," it says.
Pioneer Pays Fine in Biotech Corn Mix-Up
(April 25, 2003) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fined biotech company Pioneer $72,000 for failing to immediately report crops that tested positive for genetic material from last year's (2002) controversial planting error of experimental corn. The Iowa-based company has found that 12 corn plants at a site in Kauai, Hawaii had traces of a crop it had genetically designed to resist rootworm. As part of its accord with EPA, Pioneer tested the new seed corn in the buffer zone - about 300,000 plants. That's when the company discovered traces of the latest mix-up.
Pioneer was cited in December, 2002 for growing rootworm-resistant corn beyond its allotted field in a 1,260-foot buffer zone - too close to other corn fields. After EPA officials found the error, the company destroyed the corn in the buffer strip and planted regular seed corn in its place.
However, EPA believes experimental corn grown in another Pioneer-owned plot is to blame for the contamination. That crop, which also is rootworm-resistant, is monitored by the Agriculture Department because the plot is smaller than 10 acres. EPA is in charge of regulating fields 10 acres or larger.
Pioneer doesn't believe it broke any laws, said Courtney Chabot Dreyer, a company spokeswoman.
Greg Jaffe, biotechnology director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, applauds the EPA's decision but at the same time said the incident with Pioneer reveals significant gaps in regulations. "Any level (of contamination) is unacceptable," Jaffe said. "Both the company and the government did not meet their obligation to contain experimental plots."
Jaffe added, "To truly deter such bad corporate behavior in the future, fines ten or twenty times higher may be more appropriate. Neither the industry nor the government is doing enough to contain biotech field trials."
64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:oFuhL5_F1BQJ:www.mindfully....
E Street SE #200, Washington DC 20003 • phone 202-543-5450 • fax 202-543-4791 • info@beyondpesticides.org
US-based DuPont, one of the market leaders in pesticides, acquired Pioneer HiBred, the world’s largest seed company that controls 42 percent of the seed market in the US and 65 percent in the Philippines. In December 1998, Germany's Hoechst and France's Rhone-Poulenc merged to form Aventis -- "the world's biggest life science company." With combined sales of $20 billion per year, Aventis becomes a global powerhouse spanning the markets of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and veterinary medicines. Aventis’ research and development budget will reach $3 billion -- roughly 40 percent of all funding for agricultural research in the private sector.
64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:0vvSdpftGn0J:www.pan-uk.org...
PioneerGMOCorn_20050828_01sm
Pioneer Brand products GMO (Genetically modified organisms) cornfields in Ontario Aug.28, 2005,
38W36, near sign reading- Bradford West Guillimbury Line 4 4348 4346.Photo © Linda Dawn Hammond '05
If it's safe for human consumption, then why don't they want us to know when we're eating it? We have no choice in Canada and the USA. DEMAND LABELLING OF GMOs- write to your political leaders!
The pollen from these GMO corn plants may be in part responsible for the "unexplained" drop in Monarch butterfly populations, and possibly bees as well. This link was suspected years ago.
READ
www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4682.cfm
Catastrophic Bee Population Decline May Be Related to Bt-Spliced GMO Crops
www.informationliberation.com/?id=25045
Thursday March 27th, 2008 informationliberation.com
Death of the Bees: GMO Crops and the Decline of Bee Colonies in North America
GM Pollen Can Kill Butterflies
Alex Kirby
Date: Wednesday, May 19, 1999, BBC
The monarch caterpillars feed on the milkweed plant.
Pollen from one of the most successful genetically-modified (GM) crops in the US can kill the larvae of monarch butterflies, scientists say. Their study, published in the journal Nature, shows how the new GM technology might have unwanted consequences for biodiversity. The Cornell University researchers say their results "have potentially profound implications for the conservation of monarch butterflies" and believe more research on the environmental risks of biotechnology in agriculture is essential. Their experiments looked at Bt-corn which has been modified to incorporate a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This makes the plant tissue toxic to the European corn borer, a significant pest that hides in the stalks of the plant, making it difficult to control with chemical sprays. Although the Bt-corn plant itself is harmless to humans and other creatures such as ladybirds and bees, the researchers found pollen from the GM crop could have a lethal effect on the larvae of monarch butterflies if it lands on the plant on which they feed -milkweed. This is commonly found around cornfields and is the exclusive food of monarch caterpillars.
Dead caterpillars
In the laboratory, Monarch caterpillars fed on milkweed leaves dusted with Bt-corn pollen ate less, grew more slowly and suffered a higher mortality rate than those fed on leaves with normal pollen, or with no pollen at all. Nearly half of the GM pollen-fed caterpillars died, while all the rest survived the study. The scientists say the GM pollen enters the caterpillar's gut, where it binds to specific sites. The gut wall then changes from a protective layer to an open sieve, allowing pathogens normally contained in the gut and then excreted to enter the insect's body. Last year more than seven million acres of Bt-corn were planted in the US. Before its development, borers used to cause an average annual loss of $1.2bn. The technology offers significant potential for reducing pesticide use and increasing yields. Any negative effects therefore need to be balanced against these benefits, says Assistant Professor of Entomology John Losey, the lead researcher on the Nature paper. "We need to assess the risks from this Bt pollen and then balance those with the proven benefits and then decide, objectively, what is better for the environment," he told the BBC. "We want to look at the plants that are common around cornfields and the different butterflies whose caterpillars would feed on those plants. By putting those together, we can start to get a sense of what the total impact of this pollen might be." Novartis Seeds were the first biotechnology company to sell Bt-corn and their products are now grown commercially in the US, Canada, Argentina and Spain. "This study does not give any basis for a change in our marketing of Bt-corn," their spokesperson Sheena Bethell told BBC News Online. "Bt-corn has been extensively studied and we already have several years of growing experience in the US - one lab experiment does not change that. We follow and exceed all the requirements made by regulatory authorities which are very rigorous. "Even if there are unwanted effects on the Monarch butterfly, you still have to put that into the context of comparison with other forms of control." However, English Nature, the UK Government's wildlife advisor is using the publication of the report to renew its call for a delay in the commercial planting of insect-resistant crops in Britain. "This new research confirms the views put forward by English Nature last year that there are serious concerns about the commercial introduction of GM crops before research has been done on their potential effects on biodiversity," it says.
Pioneer Pays Fine in Biotech Corn Mix-Up
(April 25, 2003) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fined biotech company Pioneer $72,000 for failing to immediately report crops that tested positive for genetic material from last year's (2002) controversial planting error of experimental corn. The Iowa-based company has found that 12 corn plants at a site in Kauai, Hawaii had traces of a crop it had genetically designed to resist rootworm. As part of its accord with EPA, Pioneer tested the new seed corn in the buffer zone - about 300,000 plants. That's when the company discovered traces of the latest mix-up.
Pioneer was cited in December, 2002 for growing rootworm-resistant corn beyond its allotted field in a 1,260-foot buffer zone - too close to other corn fields. After EPA officials found the error, the company destroyed the corn in the buffer strip and planted regular seed corn in its place.
However, EPA believes experimental corn grown in another Pioneer-owned plot is to blame for the contamination. That crop, which also is rootworm-resistant, is monitored by the Agriculture Department because the plot is smaller than 10 acres. EPA is in charge of regulating fields 10 acres or larger.
Pioneer doesn't believe it broke any laws, said Courtney Chabot Dreyer, a company spokeswoman.
Greg Jaffe, biotechnology director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, applauds the EPA's decision but at the same time said the incident with Pioneer reveals significant gaps in regulations. "Any level (of contamination) is unacceptable," Jaffe said. "Both the company and the government did not meet their obligation to contain experimental plots."
Jaffe added, "To truly deter such bad corporate behavior in the future, fines ten or twenty times higher may be more appropriate. Neither the industry nor the government is doing enough to contain biotech field trials."
64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:oFuhL5_F1BQJ:www.mindfully....
E Street SE #200, Washington DC 20003 • phone 202-543-5450 • fax 202-543-4791 • info@beyondpesticides.org
US-based DuPont, one of the market leaders in pesticides, acquired Pioneer HiBred, the world’s largest seed company that controls 42 percent of the seed market in the US and 65 percent in the Philippines. In December 1998, Germany's Hoechst and France's Rhone-Poulenc merged to form Aventis -- "the world's biggest life science company." With combined sales of $20 billion per year, Aventis becomes a global powerhouse spanning the markets of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and veterinary medicines. Aventis’ research and development budget will reach $3 billion -- roughly 40 percent of all funding for agricultural research in the private sector.
64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:0vvSdpftGn0J:www.pan-uk.org...
Monsanto GMO Round-Up Ready Corn Can Cause Damage to Liver & Kidneys & Severe Hormonal Disruption bit.ly/1mYm37M
July 9, 2014 |
A scientific study that identified serious health impacts on rats fed on 'Roundup ready' GMO maize has been republished following its controversial retraction under strong commercial pressure. Now regulators must respond and review GMO and agro-chemical licenses, and licensing procedures
PioneerGMOCorn_20050828_06xsm
Work as part of CIAT's Genetic resources program.
Credit: ©2010CIAT/NeilPalmer
Please credit accordingly and leave a comment when you use a CIAT photo.
For more info: ciat-comunicaciones@cgiar.org
Work as part of CIAT's Genetic resources program.
Credit: ©2010CIAT/NeilPalmer
Please credit accordingly and leave a comment when you use a CIAT photo.
For more info: ciat-comunicaciones@cgiar.org
Shot at The American Museum of Natural History/NYC
This pic shows a window view into the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics.
As it is said in the institute's own words: "The work of the American Museum of Natural History lies at the heart of many of science's most promising directions. Founded in 1869, the Museum's mission is to discover, interpret, and disseminate—through scientific research and education—knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe...
In the emerging field of genomic science, the Museum has a unique role—that of exploring genomics as a comparative, rather than single-species, discipline. For more than a decade, the Museum has fostered pacesetting research on the genetic makeup of a great diversity of species..."
Well, what fascinated me was the contrast between the person sitting with her laptop and the skelleton models of some links in human evolution billion of years back.
Work as part of CIAT's Genetic resources program.
Credit: ©2010CIAT/NeilPalmer
Please credit accordingly and leave a comment when you use a CIAT photo.
For more info: ciat-comunicaciones@cgiar.org
Work as part of CIAT's Genetic resources program.
Credit: ©2010CIAT/NeilPalmer
Please credit accordingly and leave a comment when you use a CIAT photo.
For more info: ciat-comunicaciones@cgiar.org
Pioneer Brand products GMO (Genetically modified organisms) cornfields in Ontario Aug.28, 2005,
38W36, near sign reading- Bradford West Guillimbury Line 4 4348 4346.Photo © Linda Dawn Hammond '05
If it's safe for human consumption, then why don't they want us to know when we're eating it? We have no choice in Canada and the USA. DEMAND LABELLING OF GMOs- write to your political leaders!
The pollen from these GMO corn plants may be in part responsible for the "unexplained" drop in Monarch butterfly populations, and possibly bees as well. This link was suspected years ago.
READ
www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4682.cfm
Catastrophic Bee Population Decline May Be Related to Bt-Spliced GMO Crops
www.informationliberation.com/?id=25045
Thursday March 27th, 2008 informationliberation.com
Death of the Bees: GMO Crops and the Decline of Bee Colonies in North America
GM Pollen Can Kill Butterflies
Alex Kirby
Date: Wednesday, May 19, 1999, BBC
The monarch caterpillars feed on the milkweed plant.
Pollen from one of the most successful genetically-modified (GM) crops in the US can kill the larvae of monarch butterflies, scientists say. Their study, published in the journal Nature, shows how the new GM technology might have unwanted consequences for biodiversity. The Cornell University researchers say their results "have potentially profound implications for the conservation of monarch butterflies" and believe more research on the environmental risks of biotechnology in agriculture is essential. Their experiments looked at Bt-corn which has been modified to incorporate a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This makes the plant tissue toxic to the European corn borer, a significant pest that hides in the stalks of the plant, making it difficult to control with chemical sprays. Although the Bt-corn plant itself is harmless to humans and other creatures such as ladybirds and bees, the researchers found pollen from the GM crop could have a lethal effect on the larvae of monarch butterflies if it lands on the plant on which they feed -milkweed. This is commonly found around cornfields and is the exclusive food of monarch caterpillars.
Dead caterpillars
In the laboratory, Monarch caterpillars fed on milkweed leaves dusted with Bt-corn pollen ate less, grew more slowly and suffered a higher mortality rate than those fed on leaves with normal pollen, or with no pollen at all. Nearly half of the GM pollen-fed caterpillars died, while all the rest survived the study. The scientists say the GM pollen enters the caterpillar's gut, where it binds to specific sites. The gut wall then changes from a protective layer to an open sieve, allowing pathogens normally contained in the gut and then excreted to enter the insect's body. Last year more than seven million acres of Bt-corn were planted in the US. Before its development, borers used to cause an average annual loss of $1.2bn. The technology offers significant potential for reducing pesticide use and increasing yields. Any negative effects therefore need to be balanced against these benefits, says Assistant Professor of Entomology John Losey, the lead researcher on the Nature paper. "We need to assess the risks from this Bt pollen and then balance those with the proven benefits and then decide, objectively, what is better for the environment," he told the BBC. "We want to look at the plants that are common around cornfields and the different butterflies whose caterpillars would feed on those plants. By putting those together, we can start to get a sense of what the total impact of this pollen might be." Novartis Seeds were the first biotechnology company to sell Bt-corn and their products are now grown commercially in the US, Canada, Argentina and Spain. "This study does not give any basis for a change in our marketing of Bt-corn," their spokesperson Sheena Bethell told BBC News Online. "Bt-corn has been extensively studied and we already have several years of growing experience in the US - one lab experiment does not change that. We follow and exceed all the requirements made by regulatory authorities which are very rigorous. "Even if there are unwanted effects on the Monarch butterfly, you still have to put that into the context of comparison with other forms of control." However, English Nature, the UK Government's wildlife advisor is using the publication of the report to renew its call for a delay in the commercial planting of insect-resistant crops in Britain. "This new research confirms the views put forward by English Nature last year that there are serious concerns about the commercial introduction of GM crops before research has been done on their potential effects on biodiversity," it says.
Pioneer Pays Fine in Biotech Corn Mix-Up
(April 25, 2003) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fined biotech company Pioneer $72,000 for failing to immediately report crops that tested positive for genetic material from last year's (2002) controversial planting error of experimental corn. The Iowa-based company has found that 12 corn plants at a site in Kauai, Hawaii had traces of a crop it had genetically designed to resist rootworm. As part of its accord with EPA, Pioneer tested the new seed corn in the buffer zone - about 300,000 plants. That's when the company discovered traces of the latest mix-up.
Pioneer was cited in December, 2002 for growing rootworm-resistant corn beyond its allotted field in a 1,260-foot buffer zone - too close to other corn fields. After EPA officials found the error, the company destroyed the corn in the buffer strip and planted regular seed corn in its place.
However, EPA believes experimental corn grown in another Pioneer-owned plot is to blame for the contamination. That crop, which also is rootworm-resistant, is monitored by the Agriculture Department because the plot is smaller than 10 acres. EPA is in charge of regulating fields 10 acres or larger.
Pioneer doesn't believe it broke any laws, said Courtney Chabot Dreyer, a company spokeswoman.
Greg Jaffe, biotechnology director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, applauds the EPA's decision but at the same time said the incident with Pioneer reveals significant gaps in regulations. "Any level (of contamination) is unacceptable," Jaffe said. "Both the company and the government did not meet their obligation to contain experimental plots."
Jaffe added, "To truly deter such bad corporate behavior in the future, fines ten or twenty times higher may be more appropriate. Neither the industry nor the government is doing enough to contain biotech field trials."
64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:oFuhL5_F1BQJ:www.mindfully....
E Street SE #200, Washington DC 20003 • phone 202-543-5450 • fax 202-543-4791 • info@beyondpesticides.org
US-based DuPont, one of the market leaders in pesticides, acquired Pioneer HiBred, the world’s largest seed company that controls 42 percent of the seed market in the US and 65 percent in the Philippines. In December 1998, Germany's Hoechst and France's Rhone-Poulenc merged to form Aventis -- "the world's biggest life science company." With combined sales of $20 billion per year, Aventis becomes a global powerhouse spanning the markets of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and veterinary medicines. Aventis’ research and development budget will reach $3 billion -- roughly 40 percent of all funding for agricultural research in the private sector.
64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:0vvSdpftGn0J:www.pan-uk.org...
Monsanto GMO Round-Up Ready Corn Can Cause Damage to Liver & Kidneys & Severe Hormonal Disruption bit.ly/1mYm37M
July 9, 2014 |
A scientific study that identified serious health impacts on rats fed on 'Roundup ready' GMO maize has been republished following its controversial retraction under strong commercial pressure. Now regulators must respond and review GMO and agro-chemical licenses, and licensing procedures
PioneerGMOCorn_20050828_08xsm
Dorena Genetic Resource Center staff. DRGC's 50th anniversary celebration. Cottage Grove, Oregon.
Photo by: Unknown
Date: August 24, 2016
Credit: USDA Forest Service, Region 6, Umpqua National Forest, Dorena Genetic Resource Center.
Source: Richard Sniezko, Cottage Grove, Oregon.
From the news release for the event:
"The USDA Forest Service’s Dorena Genetic Resource Center is celebrating 50 years of serving as a regional service center for Pacific Northwest tree and plant genetics.
Dorena GRC houses disease-resistance breeding programs for five-needled pines and Port-Orford-cedar, a native plant development program, and a national tree climbing program for the Forest Service. Their program is known internationally as a world leader in development of populations of trees with genetic resistance to non-native diseases.
The public is invited to the 50th celebration on Thursday, August 25 at the Cottage Grove-based center located 34963 Shoreview Road. The Open House and public tours are scheduled from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tours of the center will include:
Genetic Resistance Trials
Inoculation ‘Fog’ Chamber
Tree Improvement Activities of Grafting, Pollination, & Seed Production
Port-Orford-cedar Containerized Orchards
Native Species Plant Development
Seed and Pollen Processing
Tree Climbing
A special guest at the event will be Jerry Barnes, the first manager at Dorena when established in 1966. All guests will be able to enjoy viewing informative posters about the programs and activities at the Center. ..."
For more see: www.fs.usda.gov/detail/umpqua/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD513088
Image provided by USDA Forest Service, Region 6, State and Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection: www.fs.usda.gov/main/r6/forest-grasslandhealth
A clouded leopard at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s campus in Front Royal, Va., gave birth to a genetically valuable litter of two cubs on Valentine’s Day—Sunday, Feb. 14. Staff had been on a pregnancy watch of the 3 1/2-year-old clouded leopard Jao Chu (JOW-chew) for four days. Jao Chu gave birth to the first cub at 6:04 p.m. and the second cub at 6:20 p.m. At birth, the cubs weighed a little more than a half pound.
The birth represents the third time Jao Chu and the cubs’ father, 3 1/2-year-old Hannibal, have produced offspring. On March 24, 2009, Jao Chu gave birth to two males—Sa Ming (SAH-meeng), “brave warrior,” and Ta Moon (TAH-moon), “mischievous child.” Nearly four months later, she gave birth to a female cub Baylie (BAY-lee) July 9, 2009. Jao Chu and Hannibal were born in Thailand in a collaborative breeding and research program with the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand.
The breeding of clouded leopards has been a challenge, primarily due to male aggression, decreased mating activity between paired animals and high cub mortality. In 2002, the National Zoo, in collaboration with the Nashville Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo, the Clouded Leopard Species Survival Plan and the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand created the Thailand Clouded Leopard Consortium—the largest population of confiscated clouded leopards in Southeast Asia. The Clouded Leopard SSP oversees clouded leopard populations in zoos worldwide and makes breeding recommendations for potential pairs based on the genetics of each cat. Since the cubs born in the Thailand breeding program are only one or two generations removed from the wild, their genes are especially valuable.
Due to deforestation and hunting, clouded leopards are listed as “vulnerable to extinction.” National Zoo scientist Dr. JoGayle Howard and colleagues have been working with clouded leopards at the Front Royal campus since 1978, with the goal of creating a genetically diverse population. In the past 30 years, more than 76 clouded leopards have been born here.
Little is known about clouded leopards. They are native to Southeast Asia and parts of China in a habitat that ranges from dense tropical evergreen forests to drier forests.
As adults, clouded leopards weigh between 30 and 50 pounds and measure about five feet in length. Their short legs, large paws and long tail (which accounts for half their length) help them balance on small branches, and their flexible ankles allow them to run down trees head first.
The clouded leopards at the Front Royal campus need a new home. They currently live in a facility that was built in 1911. In 2009, the National Zoo kicked off a campaign to raise $2 million to build a facility that will include indoor homes with adjacent arboreal habitats. The habitats for each breeding pair will include a climate-controlled and quiet indoor area attached to two 20-foot-tall towers furnished with climbing structures that will simulate their natural forest environment. For more information about the campaign, visit the Zoo’s Web site at nationalzoo.si.edu/support/annualappeal/cloudedleopards.
Visitors may get an up-close treetop view of two clouded leopards—a male named Tai and a female named Mook—at Asia Trail at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
View the cubs on the Zoo’s clouded leopard web cam: nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AsiaTrail/CloudedLeopard/cam.cfm.
Photo Credit: Mehgan Murphy/Smithsonian's National Zoo
Deutschland / Nordrhein-Westfalen - Lippstadt
Lippeauenweg
Barnacle geese
Weißwangengänse
The barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) belongs to the genus Branta of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species. Despite its superficial similarity to the brant goose, genetic analysis has shown it is an eastern derivative of the cackling goose lineage.
The barnacle goose was first classified taxonomically by Johann Matthäus Bechstein in 1803. Branta is a Latinised form of Old Norse Brandgás, "burnt (black) goose" and the specific epithet is from the Ancient Greek leukos "white", and opsis "faced".
The barnacle goose and the similar brant goose were previously considered one species, and were formerly believed to spawn from the goose barnacle. This gave rise to the English name of the barnacle goose and the scientific name of the brant. It is sometimes claimed that the word comes from a Celtic word for "limpet", but the sense-history seems to go in the opposite direction. The barnacle myth can be dated back to at least the 12th century. Gerald of Wales claimed to have seen these birds hanging down from pieces of timber, William Turner accepted the theory, and John Gerard claimed to have seen the birds emerging from their shells. The legend persisted until the end of the 18th century. In County Kerry, until relatively recently, Catholics abstaining from meat during Lent could still eat this bird because it was considered as fish.
The barnacle goose is a medium-sized goose, 55–70 cm (22–28 in) long, with a wingspan of 130–145 cm (51–57 in) and a body mass of 1.21–2.23 kg (2.7–4.9 lb). It has a white face and black head, neck, and upper breast. Its belly is white. The wings and its back are silver-gray with black-and-white bars that look like they are shining when the light reflects on it. During flight, a V-shaped white rump patch and the silver-gray underwing linings are visible.
Barnacle geese breed mainly on the Arctic islands of the North Atlantic. The three main populations, with separate breeding and wintering ranges, from west to east, are:
Breeding in eastern Greenland, wintering on the Hebrides of western Scotland and in western Ireland, population about 40,000
Breeding on Svalbard, wintering on the Solway Firth on the England/Scotland border, population about 24,000
Breeding on Novaya Zemlya, wintering in the Netherlands, population about 130,000
A new fourth population, derived from the Novaya Zemlya population, has become established since 1975 breeding on the islands and coasts of the Baltic Sea (Estonia, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden), and wintering in the Netherlands. Its population numbers about 8,000.
Small numbers of feral birds, derived from escapes from zoo collections, also breed in other Northern European countries. Occasionally, a wild bird will appear in the Northeastern United States or Canada, but care must be taken to separate out wild birds from escaped individuals, as barnacle geese are popular waterfowl with collectors.
Barnacle geese frequently build their nests high on mountain cliffs, away from predators (primarily Arctic foxes and polar bears), but also away from food. Like all geese, the goslings are not fed by the adults. Instead of bringing food to the newly hatched goslings, the goslings are brought to the ground. Unable to fly, the three-day-old goslings jump off the cliff and fall; their small size, feathery down, and very light weight helps to protect some of them from serious injury when they hit the rocks below, but many die from the impact. Arctic foxes are attracted by the noise made by the parent geese during this time, and capture many dead or injured goslings. The foxes also stalk the young as they are led by the parents to wetland feeding areas.
(Wikipedia)
Der Lippeauenweg (L1) führt über 11 Kilometer durch den Lippstädter Westen. Start ist am Rathausplatz, vorbei an der Stiftsruine, entlang der Lippe durch den westlichen Teil Lippstadts. Zu einer der Attraktionen auf dem "Lippeauenweg" zählt, wie der Name es bereits verrät, das Auengebiet. Die Wanderung führt durch das Naturschutzgebiet Hellinghäuser Mersch, wo die Lippeaue umfangreich renaturiert ist. Mit etwas Glück können hier Wildpferde, Heckrinder und seltene Vogelarten (Eisvogel, Klapperstorch, etc.) beobachtet werden.
(lippstadt.de)
Die Weißwangengans oder Nonnengans (Branta leucopsis) ist eine Art der Gattung Meergänse (Branta) in der Familie der Entenvögel (Anatidae). Sie wird nicht in Unterarten, jedoch in drei getrennte Populationen aufgeteilt.
Die Weißwangengans brütete früher ausschließlich an der russischen Eismeerküste. Seit den 1970er Jahren hat sie auch den Ostseeraum besiedelt und zählt mittlerweile zu den Brutvögeln Mitteleuropas. Sie ist nach wie vor jedoch überwiegend ein Wintergast, der meist als Einzelvogel oder in kleinen Trupps in Gesellschaft von Saat- und Blässgänsen beobachtet werden kann. Zu Beginn des Zuges sammeln sie sich dagegen zu gewaltigen Schwärmen, die bis zu 50.000 Tiere zählen können.
Zu den Merkmalen dieser Gänseart zählt eine enge Bindung an die Meeresküsten, die besonders im Winter ausgeprägt ist, sowie das Brüten in Kolonien unterschiedlicher Größe auf Felsvorsprüngen an der Meeresküste und an Flüssen. Die Kolonien finden sich dabei häufig in unmittelbarer Nähe von Greifvogelhorsten.
Die Weißwangengans ist mit einer Größe von 58 bis 69 Zentimetern eine mittelgroße Gans; ihr Gewicht beträgt etwa 1,5 bis 2 Kilogramm. Typische Merkmale sind das weiße Gesicht und die weiße Stirn; Schnabel und Hals sind schwarz. Die Körperunterseite ist silbrigweiß. Die Flügel sind schwarzweiß quergebändert. Der Kontrast zwischen weißem Gesicht zum schwarzen Scheitel, Nacken und Hals, erinnerte früher an die traditionelle Tracht katholischer Nonnen und war namensgebend. Auffallend sind außerdem der verhältnismäßig kurze, rund wirkende Hals und Schnabel. Beide Geschlechter sind farbgleich.
Weißwangengänse sind sehr stimmfreudig. Ihr Ruf ist überwiegend ein einzelner schriller und einsilbiger Ruf, der bellend wirkt. Er klingt wie „rrak“, „Kak“, „guak“ oder „gock“. Aus der Ferne kann der Ruf mit Hundegebell verwechselt werden. In den Trupps halten die Weißwangengänse mit leisen gedämpften „wachau“ oder „mach-mal“ miteinander Kontakt.
Fliegen Weißwangengänse auf, so ist als Instrumentallaut ein schnarrendes Schwingengeräusch zu hören.
Die Weißwangengans ist ein Zugvogel, der für gewöhnlich im Herbst aus seinen arktischen Brutrevieren nach Süden zieht und bei uns in Mitteleuropa überwintert. Die Flugrouten der Weißwangengans sind nicht genetisch fixiert, sondern werden in den verschiedenen Teilpopulationen tradiert.
Weißwangengänse sind gesellig, außerhalb der Paarungs- und Brutzeit leben sie in mehr oder weniger großen Schwärmen. Dabei schließen sie sich oft anderen Gänsearten an. Im Flug zeigen Großschwärme keine besondere Formation, kleinere Schwärme von 20 bis 40 Tieren bilden dagegen die gänsetypische V-Formation aus. Während des Flugs sind ständig Kontaktrufe zu hören, die wie "gäk gäk gäk" klingen und entfernt an Hundegebell erinnern können.
Weißwangengänse leben im Winter vorwiegend von kurzem Gras, fressen aber auch andere Pflanzen, die in Salz- und Brackwasserwiesen heimisch sind, insbesondere Andel und Queller. Im Frühjahr werden auch die Knospen und Kätzchen von Weiden genommen, tierische Lebewesen wie verschiedenen Crustaceen, Wasserinsekten und wahrscheinlich auch Mollusken ergänzen das Nahrungsspektrum.
Während der Sommermonate ernähren sie sich vorwiegend von polaren Flechten und Moosen, die sie mit Hilfe einer scharfkantigen Wölbung am Schnabelende von den Oberflächen der Steine schaben.
Verbreitungsgebiet der Weißwangengans sind Teile der Westpaläarktis. Insgesamt werden drei Populationen unterschieden: a) Spitzbergen, b) Grönland und c) Russisch-Baltische Population. Letztere brüten in großen Kolonien in einem weiten Areal zwischen Nowaja Semlja, Kolgujew und der Kanin-Halbinsel, haben sich aber seit den 1970er Jahren zudem auf Gotland und Öland angesiedelt und seit Ende der 1990er Jahre in Schleswig-Holstein, Niedersachsen und den Niederlanden. Mitteleuropa ist damit die vierte Region und die einzige der mittleren Breiten, die mit 2.200 bis 2.800 Brutpaaren eine nennenswerte Brutpopulation aufweist.
(Wikipedia)
Work as part of CIAT's Genetic resources program.
Credit: ©2010CIAT/NeilPalmer
Please credit accordingly and leave a comment when you use a CIAT photo.
For more info: ciat-comunicaciones@cgiar.org
Work as part of CIAT's Genetic resources program.
Credit: ©2010CIAT/NeilPalmer
Please credit accordingly and leave a comment when you use a CIAT photo.
For more info: ciat-comunicaciones@cgiar.org
Work as part of CIAT's Genetic resources program.
Credit: ©2010CIAT/NeilPalmer
Please credit accordingly and leave a comment when you use a CIAT photo.
For more info: ciat-comunicaciones@cgiar.org
Work as part of CIAT's Genetic resources program.
Credit: ©2010CIAT/NeilPalmer
Please credit accordingly and leave a comment when you use a CIAT photo.
For more info: ciat-comunicaciones@cgiar.org