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Solar plane lands in New York City

A solar-powered airplane finished crossing the United States on Saturday, landing in New York City after flying over the Statue of Liberty during its historic bid to circle the globe, the project team said.  The spindly, single-seat experimental aircraft, dubbed Solar Impulse 2, arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 4 a.m. local time after it took off about five hours beforehand at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania, the team reported on the airplane's website.  Such a pleasure to land in New York! For the 14th time we celebrate sustainability," said the project's co-founder Andre Borschberg on Twitter after flying over the city and the Statue of Liberty during the 14th leg of the trip around the globe. The Swiss team flying the aircraft in a campaign to build support for clean energy technologies hopes eventually to complete its circumnavigation in Abu Dhabi, where the journey began in March 2015. The solar cr...
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US scientists bred a genetically modified (GM) mosquito that can resist malaria infection

If the lab technique works in the field, it could offer a new way of stopping the biting insects from spreading malaria to humans, they say.  The scientists put a new "resistance" gene into the mosquito's own DNA, using a gene editing method called Crispr.  And when the GM mosquitoes mated - their offspring inherited the same resistance, PNAS journal reports.  In theory, if these mosquitoes bite people, they should not be able to pass on the parasite that causes malaria.  About 3.2bn people - almost half of the world's population - are at risk of malaria.  Bed nets, insecticides and repellents can help stop the insects biting and drugs can be given to anyone who catches the infection, but the disease still kills around 580,000 people a year.   Scientists have been searching for new ways to fight malaria. The University of California team believe their GM mosquito could play a pivotal role - breeding resistant offspring to replace endemic, malaria...
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Australia will trials of a genetically modified insect to control a destructive crop pest

The engineered Mediterranean fruit flies possess a gene that prevents female flies from reaching adulthood.  When released into the environment, they mate with wild members of the same species and pass on the gene to their offspring, which die before they can cause damage to crops.  The flies have been produced by the British-based company Oxitec.  This invasive species causes millions of dollars in damage to Australian crops each year. The Department of Agriculture and Food in Western Australia (DAFWA) has now announced it will conduct an indoor assessment of the engineered fruit flies.  Eggs were imported from the UK and reared at DAFWA research facilities. Their potential for pest control will now be assessed in glasshouse trials. In Western Australia, the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata), also known as the Medfly, is a major problem for commercial orchards and householders.  It feeds on more than 250 types of fruit, including citrus,...
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US approves genetically modified salmon for food

Salmon Fish The Food and Drug Administration said it had given approval on the grounds that "food from the fish is safe to eat".  The biotech company behind the fish, AquaBounty, first submitted its application almost 20 years ago.  Opponents say consumers do not want to eat genetically engineered seafood.  They have also expressed concern that the salmon could pose risks to other fish if it were to escape into the environment.  Dr Bernadette Dunham of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine said: "The FDA has thoroughly analysed and evaluated the data and information submitted by AquaBounty Technologies regarding AquAdvantage Salmon and determined that they have met the regulatory requirements for approval, including that food from the fish is safe to eat."The FDA ruled that the salmon must be raised in tanks on land at only two facilities in Canada and Panama. It will not be bred or raised in the US.  Safety measures include producing fish that are ste...
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