(Press-News.org) Populations of canola plants genetically engineered to be resistant to herbicides can survive outside of farms, but may be gradually losing their engineered genes, reports a new study led by Cynthia Sagers of Arizona State University, US, published May 22 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.
The hypothesis has been put forward that if any genetically engineered crop plants escape farm fields, they will be short-lived. This would make them unlikely to take over wild areas or spread their inserted genes, called transgenes, to wild populations of closely related plants. However, there have been few studies to see if populations of these “feral” crop plants can in fact survive in the wild long term.
In the new study, researchers conducted a large-scale survey of populations of genetically engineered canola living along roadsides in North Dakota, repeating a survey they initially conducted in 2010. They found that the total number of feral canola plants in the sample had decreased and populations of the plants became less common over time. When they tested the plants for herbicide resistance, they saw that the types of herbicides the plants were resistant to had shifted over time, likely due to changes in the varieties farmers were planting. Importantly, almost one quarter of the feral plants were not resistant and did not contain transgenes – up from 19.9% in 2010 to 24.2% in 2021 – suggesting that these populations may be losing their transgenes.
The researchers hypothesize that feral canola populations may be under evolutionary pressure to shed the transgenes, which could happen if the engineered canola are at a disadvantage once they are no longer being cultivated on a farm. Further genetic analysis could help clarify the plants’ origins and yield more information on how long transgenes can persist in the environment.
Steven Travers adds: “The assumption that transgenic crop varieties will be restricted to the benign conditions of ag fields and not inter-mix with natural plant populations can be rejected. Self-sustaining, long-term feral populations of canola (some transgenic and some not) are a world-wide phenomenon and as such emphasize the need for more research on how de-domestication works, the extent to which it impacts natural populations, and the risks that the adventitious presence of transgenes might represent to agriculture.”
#####
In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS ONE: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0295489
Citation: Travers SE, Bishop DB, Sagers CL (2024) Persistence of genetically engineered canola populations in the U.S. and the adventitious presence of transgenes in the environment. PLoS ONE 19(5): e0295489. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295489
Author Countries: USA
Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.
END
Escaped GMO canola plants persist long-term, but may be losing their extra genes
US survey of roadside populations finds canola without engineered resistance to pesticides
2024-05-22
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Ancient Mycenaean armor tested by Marines and pronounced suitable for extended combat
2024-05-22
A famous Mycenaean suit of armor was not just ceremonial, but suitable for extended combat, according to a study published May 22, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Andreas Flouris of the University of Thessaly, Greece and colleagues.
One of the oldest known suits of European armor is a 3500-year-old suit found near the village of Dendra, a few kilometers away from ancient Mycenae. Since its discovery in 1960, it has been unclear if this was a ceremonial suit or if it was suitable for battle. This question has important implications for understanding ...
Health and economic benefits of breastfeeding quantified
2024-05-22
Breastmilk can promote equitable child health and save healthcare costs by reducing childhood illnesses and healthcare utilization in the early years, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Tomi Ajetunmobi of the Glasgow Centre for Population Health, Scotland, and colleagues.
Breastfeeding has previously been found to promote development and prevent disease among infants. In Scotland – as well as other developed countries – low rates of breastfeeding in more economically deprived areas are thought to contribute to inequalities in early childhood health. However, government policies ...
San Francisco study explores the growing culture of fentanyl smoking
2024-05-22
An interview-based study in San Francisco, CA, highlights individual experiences and local trends around fentanyl smoking, deepening understanding of this growing practice. Daniel Ciccarone of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues present their findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on May 22, 2024.
Use of illicitly manufactured fentanyl is associated with high risk of addiction, health issues, and exceptionally high overdose risk. Fentanyl significantly contributes to the escalating rate of drug ...
MIT scientists learn how to control muscles with light
2024-05-22
CAMBRIDGE, MA – For people with paralysis or amputation, neuroprosthetic systems that artificially stimulate muscle contraction with electrical current can help them regain limb function. However, despite many years of research, this type of prosthesis is not widely used because it leads to rapid muscle fatigue and poor control.
MIT researchers have developed a new approach that they hope could someday offer better muscle control with less fatigue. Instead of using electricity to stimulate muscles, they used ...
Smoking fentanyl, rising in SF, is a deadly new risk for overdose
2024-05-22
Now that smoking has replaced injecting as the most common way to consume fentanyl, UCSF researchers have uncovered an increased risk of fatal overdose from the residue that accumulates in smoking equipment.
The researchers found that people both shared fentanyl resin and consumed it accidentally. This may be increasing the risk of overdose, especially among those who use the equipment to smoke other drugs, like methamphetamine, and have not developed tolerance to opioids like fentanyl.
“The risk of overdose when sharing smoking devices with fentanyl resin could be seen as analogous to the risk of shared injection ...
3,500-year-old Mycenaean armor was suitable for extended battle - study
2024-05-22
A 3,500-year-old suit of Mycenaean armour may have been used in battle - and not just for ceremonial purposes as previously thought – new research reveals.
Researchers worked with a group of Greek military volunteers who wore a replica of the Dendra armour during extended simulations of the rigours of battle.
One of the best and most complete examples of Mycenaean-era full-body armour, the bronze panoply was discovered in a tomb in the Greek village of Dendra, by Greek and Swedish archaeologists in the 1960s. But since its discovery, the question has remained ...
Charité study in Nature: How cells deal with extra chromosomes
2024-05-22
Having extra chromosomes is typically an issue for an organism and can disrupt development or cause disease. But some cells benefit instead: For example, cancer cells or pathogenic yeasts can use extra chromosomes to escape treatment and become drug-resistant. A team of researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin has now deciphered how yeasts manage to compensate for the genetic imbalance. Their findings, published in the journal Nature,* could yield new approaches to dealing ...
SwRI highlights NEXTCAR II project innovations at 2024 ARPA-E Innovation Summit
2024-05-22
SAN ANTONIO — May 22, 2024 — Southwest Research Institute will share the latest developments from its ongoing NEXTCAR Phase II project at the 2024 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in Dallas (May 22-24). The Institute’s NEXTCAR Program aims to reduce vehicular energy consumption by more than 30% using next generation connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology.
“We are demonstrating real-world next-generation automated driving technology that puts SwRI’s ongoing NEXTCAR energy efficiency research into practice,” said SwRI’s Scott R. Hotz, P.E., director of the Powertrain ...
The role of three-dimensional power doppler for detecting ovarian cancer in adnexal masses
2024-05-22
Background and Aims
Three-dimensional power Doppler (3DPD) ultrasound has been used for assessing adnexal masses, and in this study, we aimed to perform a meta-analysis to evaluate its role in the differential diagnosis of adnexal masses.
Methods
A search for primary studies assessing the diagnostic performance of 3DPD in discriminating benign from malignant masses carried out between January 1990 and May 2023 was performed in Medline (PubMed), Scopus, and Web of Science databases with study quality evaluated ...
Sewage overflows linked to increase in gastrointestinal illnesses
2024-05-22
EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 a.m. EST Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Contact:
Jillian McKoy, jpmckoy@bu.edu
Michael Saunders, msaunder@bu.edu
##
During extreme rain or rapid snowmelt, the high volume of water that enters sewer systems can cause untreated sewage to flow into waterways in US cities that have combined wastewater and stormwater sewer systems, including the Merrimack River in Massachusetts.
A new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers has found that residents living in the downstream communities that ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Microwave-induced pyrolysis: A promising solution for recycling electric cables
Cooling with light: Exploring optical cooling in semiconductor quantum dots
Breakthrough in clean energy: Scientists pioneer novel heat-to-electricity conversion
Study finds opposing effects of short-term and continuous noise on western bluebird parental care
Quantifying disease impact and overcoming practical treatment barriers for primary progressive aphasia
Sports betting and financial market data show how people misinterpret new information in predictable ways
Long COVID brain fog linked to lung function
Concussions slow brain activity of high school football players
Study details how cancer cells fend off starvation and death from chemotherapy
Transformation of UN SDGs only way forward for sustainable development
New study reveals genetic drivers of early onset type 2 diabetes in South Asians
Delay and pay: Tipping point costs quadruple after waiting
Magnetic tornado is stirring up the haze at Jupiter's poles
Cancers grow uniformly throughout their mass
Researchers show complex relationship between Arctic warming and Arctic dust
Brain test shows that crabs process pain
Social fish with low status are so stressed out it impacts their brains
Predicting the weather: New meteorology estimation method aids building efficiency
Inside the ‘swat team’ – how insects react to virtual reality gaming
Oil spill still contaminating sensitive Mauritius mangroves three years on
Unmasking the voices of experience in healthcare studies
Pandemic raised food, housing insecurity in Oregon despite surge in spending
OU College of Medicine professor earns prestigious pancreatology award
Sub-Saharan Africa leads global HIV decline: Progress made but UNAIDS 2030 goals hang in balance, new IHME study finds
Popular diabetes and obesity drugs also protect kidneys, study shows
Stevens INI receives funding to expand research on the neural underpinnings of bipolar disorder
Protecting nature can safeguard cities from floods
NCSA receives honors in 2024 HPCwire Readers’ and Editors’ Choice Awards
Warning: Don’t miss Thanksgiving dinner, it’s more meaningful than you think
Expanding HPV vaccination to all adults aged 27-45 years unlikely to be cost-effective or efficient for HPV-related cancer prevention
[Press-News.org] Escaped GMO canola plants persist long-term, but may be losing their extra genesUS survey of roadside populations finds canola without engineered resistance to pesticides