by Brenda Baletti, Ph.D., Childrens Health Defense:
A plan by major agrochemical companies to develop genetically engineered (GE) soil microbes, including bacteria and fungi, to act as pesticides and fertilizers is raising concerns about the unknown and potentially disastrous risks associated with the new organisms, according to a report published Tuesday by Friends of the Earth.
Bayer-Monsanto, Syngenta and BASF are among the chemical giants known to be developing the microbes which, according to the report, are fundamentally different from the already controversial genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that have existed for decades.
Perhaps more out of habit than anything else, I still read the print edition of the New York Times every morning, something I’ve done for well over forty years, though given its sharp decline in quality that may not long continue. But while it does, the editorial selection of the front-page stories provides some important insight into the thinking of the individuals who shape the coverage of America’s national newspaper of record.
