%0 Book %E Fedoroff, Nina V. %E Brown, Nancy Marie %T Mendel in the Kitchen: A Scientist's View of Genetically Modified Foods %@ 978-0-309-09738-3 %D 2004 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11000/mendel-in-the-kitchen-a-scientists-view-of-genetically-modified %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11000/mendel-in-the-kitchen-a-scientists-view-of-genetically-modified %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Explore Science %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 384 %X While European restaurants race to footnote menus, reassuring concerned gourmands that no genetically modified ingredients were used in the preparation of their food, starving populations around the world eagerly await the next harvest of scientifically improved crops. Mendel in the Kitchen provides a clear and balanced picture of this tangled, tricky (and very timely) topic. Any farmer you talk to could tell you that we've been playing with the genetic makeup of our food for millennia, carefully coaxing nature to do our bidding. The practice officially dates back to Gregor Mendel -- who was not a renowned scientist, but a 19th century Augustinian monk. Mendel spent many hours toiling in his garden, testing and cultivating more than 28,000 pea plants, selectively determining very specific characteristics of the peas that were produced, ultimately giving birth to the idea of heredity -- and the now very common practice of artificially modifying our food. But as science takes the helm, steering common field practices into the laboratory, the world is now keenly aware of how adept we have become at tinkering with nature --which in turn has produced a variety of questions. Are genetically modified foods really safe? Will the foods ultimately make us sick, perhaps in ways we can't even imagine? Isn't it genuinely dangerous to change the nature of nature itself? Nina Fedoroff, a leading geneticist and recognized expert in biotechnology, answers these questions, and more. Addressing the fear and mistrust that is rapidly spreading, Federoff and her co-author, science writer Nancy Brown, weave a narrative rich in history, technology, and science to dispel myths and misunderstandings. In the end, Fedoroff arues, plant biotechnology can help us to become better stewards of the earth while permitting us to feed ourselves and generations of children to come. Indeed, this new approach to agriculture holds the promise of being the most environmentally conservative way to increase our food supply. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Science and Technology in Armenia: Toward a Knowledge-Based Economy %@ 978-0-309-09278-4 %D 2004 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11107/science-and-technology-in-armenia-toward-a-knowledge-based-economy %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11107/science-and-technology-in-armenia-toward-a-knowledge-based-economy %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %K Industry and Labor %P 135 %X An NRC ad hoc committee analyzed the current status and future development potential of Armenia's science and technology base, including human and infrastructural resources and research and educational capabilities. The committee identified those fields and institutions offering promising opportunities for contributing to economic and social development, and particularly institutions having unique and important capabilities, worthy of support from international financial institutions, private investment sources, and the Armenian and U.S. governments. The scope of the study included both pure and applied research as well as education in science-related fields. The committee's report addresses the existing capacity of state and private research institutions, higher education capabilities and trends, scientific funding sources, innovative investment models, relevant success stories, factors hindering development of the science sector, potential domestic Armenian customers for scientific results and products, and opportunities for regional scientific collaboration. An Armenian language version of the report is also available. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Animal Care and Management at the National Zoo: Interim Report %@ 978-0-309-09178-7 %D 2004 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10932/animal-care-and-management-at-the-national-zoo-interim-report %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10932/animal-care-and-management-at-the-national-zoo-interim-report %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 128 %X This interim report assesses issues related to animal management, husbandry, health, and care at the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoological Park. The report finds that there are shortcomings in care and management that are threatening the well-being of the animal collection and identifies the "most pressing" issues that should be addressed. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Biological Confinement of Genetically Engineered Organisms %@ 978-0-309-09085-8 %D 2004 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10880/biological-confinement-of-genetically-engineered-organisms %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10880/biological-confinement-of-genetically-engineered-organisms %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %K Agriculture %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 276 %X Genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) have been under development for more than 20 years while GE crops have been grown commercially during the last decade. During this time, a number of questions have cropped up concerning the potential consequences that certain GEOs might have on natural or managed ecosystems and human health. Interest in developing methods to confine some GEOs and their transgenes to specifically designated release settings has increased and the success of these efforts could facilitate the continued growth and development of this technology. Biological Confinement of Genetically Engineered Organisms examines biological methods that may be used with genetically engineered plants, animals, microbes, and fungi. Bioconfinement methods have been applied successfully to a few non-engineered organisms, but many promising techniques remain in the conceptual and experimental stages of development. This book reviews and evaluates these methods, discusses when and why to consider their use, and assesses how effectively they offer a significant reduction of the risks engineered organisms can present to the environment. Interdisciplinary research to develop new confinement methods could find ways to minimize the potential for unintended effects on human health and the environment. Need for this type of research is clear and successful methods could prove helpful in promoting regulatory approval for commercialization of future genetically engineered organisms. %0 Book %A National Academy of Sciences %T Biographical Memoirs: Volume 85 %@ 978-0-309-10363-3 %D 2004 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11172/biographical-memoirs-volume-85 %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11172/biographical-memoirs-volume-85 %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biography and Autobiography %P 384 %X Biographic Memoirs Volume 85 contains the biographies of deceased members of the National Academy of Sciences and bibliographies of their published works. Each biographical essay was written by a member of the Academy familiar with the professional career of the deceased. For historical and bibliographical purposes, these volumes are worth returning to time and again.