August 26, 2014 edition
Monsanto has been involved in Indonesia for more than 25 years, beginning in 1987 with the Roundup brand of agricultural herbicide. Our business has since expanded to include DEKALB hybrid corn varieties: DK77, DK979, DK85, DK95, DK888 and DK999, offering farmers with superior yield performance and served to more than 650,000 farmers across Indonesia," the company boasts on its website.
But it had looked suspicious when the highly praised seeds, 40 tons genetically modified Bollgard cotton seed, some 12 years ago arrived for the first time with a Russian Ilyusin transport plane in Makassar under the heavy guard of Indonesian military personnel. Reporters were asked to back off. "People should not worry about the negative impact of the crops," Monsanto's communications manager Tri Soekirman said. "There have been no complaints from the U.S., South Africa, China and Argentina (where genetically modified cotton has been grown)."
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More Science & Technology articles in other editions
August 5, 2014 edition
Five students from Brawijaya University in Malang, East Java, have discovered that a cure for diabetes might be obtained by processing a substance called anthocyanin found in the peel of purple yam.
"This waste product provides abundant raw material for medical purposes through extraction," said Akbar Setyo Pambudi, an agricultural engineering major. Along with Yani Rahmawati, Ajeng Nawangwulan, Nabillah Hisyam and Kinanti Mahmud Pradita, Akbar has successfully extracted anthocyanin from purple yam peelings.
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January 1, 1970 edition
Every summer, the scenic Bavarian town of Lindau, Germany, plays host to the geniuses of the world, as they hold a week-long scientific dialogue known as the Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting. This year, no less than 600 scientists from around 80 countries and 37 Nobel laureates participated in the program, from June 29 to July 4, dedicated to the science of Physiology and Medicine. Tempo was invited to report on this prestigious event and had the chance to talk to some of the brightest minds in their fields.
Franoise Barr-Sinoussi
Nobel Laureate in Medicine (2008)
Brought to worldwide fame by her discovery of HIVshared with colleague Luc MontaignerBarr-Sinoussi now barely has time to herself, as her schedule is fully booked until 2017. In addition to her continuing pursuit of an AIDS cure, she is also a prominent AIDS activist. The French native virologist currently presides over the International AIDS societythe leading association of HIV/AIDS researchers. The following are excerpts of an interview with Barre-Sinoussi.
People in the developing world have very limited access to antiretroviral treatments. Some who had access had to stop treatments due to a shortage of supplies. This could lead to a reemergence of the HIV epidemic. What would be the best way to resolve this issue?
Nobel Laureate in Medicine (2008)