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| News Around World |
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| As scientists are beginning to turn to genetically modified plants to solve the world’s food shortage, and alleviate hunger in developing countries, the race is on to find an ideal plant for such noble intentions. Researchers in the US are looking at the starchy roots of the cassava for such solutions. With the help of a bacterial gene which affects starch production, they are able to balloon the size of the plant to 2.6 times bigger its original size. |
| A better pig. That is what researchers at the Iowa State University have been dedicating themselves to producing in the search for safer and tastier pork from healthier pigs. The US$10 million federal grant provided for such research is aimed at taking the guesswork out of their breeding process by mapping the pig genome. Just as with chicken and cow genomes, the procedure is aimed at finding and exploiting the genetic variations of the best pigs. |
Type 1 diabetes affects more than 700,000 people in the US alone and causes various complications such as blindness, kidney failure, heart disease and nerve damage. Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh has formulated gene therapy treatment which may just prevent the onset of elevated blood sugar. |
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