The people of Oaxaca, Mexico have been cultivating corn for nearly 10,000 years. During that time, corn varieties have developed through traditional breeding methods to both enhance nutrition and provide insurance against an unpredictable environment. The success of these varieties has established corn as the centerpiece of the Mexican landscape, diet, and culture. Many of the corn varieties we use today can be traced back to this region. In recent decades, recombinant DNA technologies have facilitated a radical transformation of the way corn is bred and cultivated. These changes may lead to a profound impact on the way of life…

Cannabis (marijuana) is among the most widely used of all psychoactive drugs. Despite the fact that its possession and use is illegal in most countries, cannabis is used regularly by as many as 25 million people in North America and Europe and by millions more in other parts of the world. There has been renewed interest in the potential medical uses of cannabis (Cannabis sativa) in recent years, with voters in several areas of Canada strongly supporting such a move. Opinion polls suggest similarly strong popular support for the reintroduction of medical cannabis in the USA, the UK, and many…

DNA is the genetic code of life – a sort of molecular instruction manual that is passed on from mother to daughter cell. This set of instructions is read by the cell and translated into proteins, which perform specific functions within the cell. The DNA molecule itself is made up of a linear sequence of four deoxyribo-nucleotides: adenine (A), guanine (G), cysteine (C) and thymine (T), which in turn form the alphabet of genetic information. The sequence of this linear code leads to the synthesis of proteins through the cellular processes of transcription and translation. To give you a general…

For thousands of years, it has been common practice for farmers to keep the best seeds from their fields for the next growing season. This has allowed them to develop breeds of high quality, high yields and nurture those adapted to the local conditions. Trading seeds with other farmers is also a secular tradition that is important for maintaining a diverse genetic background within a field. So when Percy Schmeiser, a 59 year old Saskatchewan farmer, inadvertently found that some of his canola plants that boarded a local road, were resistant to a herbicide purchased to get rid of the…