All the food we eat, whether Brussels sprouts or pork bellies, has been modified by mankind. Genetic engineering is only one particularly powerful way to do what we have been doing for eleven thousand years.

The most blatant forms of denialism are rarely malevolent; they combine decency, a fear of change, and the misguided desire to do good - for our health, our families, and the world. That is why so many physicians dismiss the idea that a patient's race can, and often should, be used as a tool for better diagnoses and treatment.

There has never been a verified scientific report that chelation therapy, a gluten-free diet, or anything else can cure autism.

If there is anything more frightening than the threat of global nuclear war, it is the certainty that humans not only stand on the verge of producing new life forms but may soon be able to tinker with them as if they were vintage convertibles or bonsai trees.

The history of agriculture is the history of humans breeding seeds and animals to produce traits we want in our crops and livestock.

The history of agriculture is the history of humans breeding seeds and animals to produce traits we want in our crops and livestock.