Dec 5, 2025 09:31 PM
(This post was last modified: Dec 5, 2025 09:44 PM by C C.)
Glyphosate safety article retracted eight years after Monsanto ghostwriting revealed in court
https://retractionwatch.com/2025/12/04/g...stwriting/
INTRO: A review article concluding the weed killer Roundup “does not pose a health risk to humans” has been retracted eight years after documents released in a court case revealed employees of Monsanto, the company that developed the herbicide, wrote the article but were not named as coauthors.
The safety of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is hotly debated and currently under review at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, in 2015 declared glyphosate “possibly carcinogenic.” (MORE - details)
“Gain of Function” research is misunderstood – and that is a problem
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/gain-of...a-problem/
INTRO: “Gain of function” (GoF) research refers to genetic modification that deliberately enhances the abilities of an organism — often a virus or bacterium — to study how such changes affect its function, transmissibility, or virulence. In simple terms, it means imparting a new or stronger function that the organism didn’t previously have.
Such modifications, which have been performed for decades, have been extraordinarily important, from inducing bacteria to synthesize pharmaceuticals to imparting pest-resistance to crop plants. Despite the importance of GoF modifications, they have sometimes faced misplaced concerns or opposition that could lead to their being overregulated or even banned... (MORE - details)
https://retractionwatch.com/2025/12/04/g...stwriting/
INTRO: A review article concluding the weed killer Roundup “does not pose a health risk to humans” has been retracted eight years after documents released in a court case revealed employees of Monsanto, the company that developed the herbicide, wrote the article but were not named as coauthors.
The safety of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is hotly debated and currently under review at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, in 2015 declared glyphosate “possibly carcinogenic.” (MORE - details)
“Gain of Function” research is misunderstood – and that is a problem
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/gain-of...a-problem/
INTRO: “Gain of function” (GoF) research refers to genetic modification that deliberately enhances the abilities of an organism — often a virus or bacterium — to study how such changes affect its function, transmissibility, or virulence. In simple terms, it means imparting a new or stronger function that the organism didn’t previously have.
Such modifications, which have been performed for decades, have been extraordinarily important, from inducing bacteria to synthesize pharmaceuticals to imparting pest-resistance to crop plants. Despite the importance of GoF modifications, they have sometimes faced misplaced concerns or opposition that could lead to their being overregulated or even banned... (MORE - details)