Efficiency is the main challenge in prime editing in maize. In research involving mammalian cells and rice, prime editing efficiency was significantly improved through prime editing guide RNAs (pegRNAs) that led to optimizing the primer editor (PE) protein and modifying cellular determinants of prime editing. Thus, the research team tested the same strategy in maize using a system called ePE5.

A project that will generate high-quality reference genomes for the nearly 1,000 known species of euglenoids was launched in November by the Euglena International Network (EIN), a network of scientists who believe that the initiative has the potential to drive breakthroughs ranging from new biofuels and sustainable foods to cancer medicines.

As future scientific experts and scholars on the subject of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), students of life sciences became the subject of a study that was meant to assess the correctness of their knowledge of GMOs and GM foods. The results of the study further emphasized the need for robust science education to understand both topics better.

A new public-private partnership project, Feed the Future Striga Smart Sorghum for Africa (SSSfA), has been launched in Kenya and Ethiopia. SSSfA is a project that utilizes CRISPR genome editing technology to develop new sorghum varieties resistant to Striga. Striga is a parasitic weed responsible for up to 100 percent yield loss in Africa's staple cereals, thus posing a great danger to the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers on the continent.

Researchers from the Amrita School of Biotechnology in India created a flexible CRISPR-Combo platform for simultaneous genome editing and gene activation in plants. The results of their study are summarized in Science Open. Plant genome engineering has benefited from CRISPR-Cas9, its derived base editors, and CRISPR activation systems. However, these systems are commonly applied separated, and thus their combined potential is not realized.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has released Gene Editing and Agrifood Systems, a science- and evidence-based Issue Paper that presents a balanced discussion of the key aspects of gene editing, including the consequences for human hunger, human health, food safety, effects on the environment, animal welfare, socioeconomic impact and distribution of benefits.

With every record-breaking summer or unprecedented weather event, the need to understand and reduce our carbon emissions grows increasingly urgent. But not all greenhouse gases come from smokestacks and exhaust pipes. From methane bubbles to carbon dioxide diffusion, our planet’s freshwater systems are a significant, if under recognized, source of carbon. How can we better quantify these freshwater emissions? And is there anything we can to do to mitigate them?

November 2022 was a watershed moment when the world population crossed 8 billion. In 2011 the world population was 7 billion and by 2050 it is expected to touch 9.8 billion. The world’s population more than tripled between 1950 and 2020. More than half of the projected increase in the global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania. Countries of sub-Saharan Africa are expected to contribute more than half of the increase anticipated through 2050.

Over the past 40 months, the international visibility and reputation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has continued to increase, amid major global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other protracted conflicts, economic downturns, and the intensifying climate crisis. FAO has given priority to providing its expertise, including knowledge products, tools and policy recommendations, such as the Food Price Index, Briefing Notes and Policy Proposals, which have been in high demand not only by Members, but also by the United Nations (UN) Secretariat in New York and other specialized agencies.

Greater participation of women in the workforce can increase a household’s income and allow them to purchase a more diverse food basket. The generally held belief is that when women take up work outside the home, it can increase their time burden and leave them with less time for cooking and producing other food items. Consequently, it could impact the nutritional intake of their households because fewer food items would be prepared.