"Bringing Biotechnology to Life," a resource for science educators and others interested in learning more about biotechnology and its role in food production is now available.

Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are affected by the bacterial pathogen Chlamydia pecorum. Studies have shown that natural killer (NK) cells, components of the immune system, are involved in the immune response to chlamydial infections in humans. Scientists from various universities in Australia led by Katrina M. Morris characterized genes belonging to the NK cluster in the koala genome.

The ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has submitted a plan to the government that seeks to develop a Vietnamese rice brand name by 2020. Vietnam has been one of the top three rice-exporting-nations but it lacks brand names that are known in the global market, the ministry said in its proposal. Around 90% of the country’s rice exports comes from the Mekong Delta. Last year, delta provinces exported 3.2 million tons of high-quality rice, accounting for 52% of total exports, and 44% higher than in 2013.

Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) developed a strain of dulse, a red seaweed, to taste like bacon. This new strain of dulse has twice the nutritional value of superfood kale. According to the Chris Langdon, one of the researchers, aside from its nutritional value and favorable flavor, the new strain grows more rapidly than wild dulse.

Scientists from the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) have successfully completed the trials of Golden Rice in the screen house, and are now set for the next step—confined field trials.

Scientists from Mikocheni Agricultural Research Institute and partners uncovered the genomes of devastating viruses causing cassava brown streak disease. The results are published in Plos One journal.

The Zero Hunger Challenge (ZHC) was launched by the United Nations Secretary-General at the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil in June 2012. It called on all societies in the world to join forces to end hunger and achieve sustainable development with the five objectives (i) 100% access to adequate food all year round,(ii) Zero stunted children under 2 years,

In adopting the sustainable development goals (SDGs) at the United Nations summit held last month in New York City, world leaders made it very clear what agricultural research must accomplish in the years to come. By 2030, this research must, among other things, help reach goal 2 – “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture” – which has been central to the work of CIAT and other CGIAR centers since their inception.

When organisms face a challenging environment, they may respond by adapting along different potential evolutionary paths. Each potential path will likely correspond to a different biological mechanism for fitness increase, and which of these alternative mechanisms will evolve depends on a number of factors, including the relative fitness benefits and costs of a given mechanism,

This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry was given to three scientists who made vital contributions in the study of how cells repair DNA and maintain genomic integrity. Dr. Tomas Lindahl from Francis Crick Institute had discoveries in base excision repair, the pathway that constitutes the bulk of DNA restoration during the cell cycle from alkylation, methylation, and oxidative stress.