Hot Topics

Biotechnology

One of the wonders of science is the amazing world of biotechnology. When scientists ask questions, the new tools of technology offer them answers they never dreamed of in the past.

The UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is taking this field in many exciting directions. Here is just a sample of the work being done.

Impact Statements

Review these reports on biotechnology issues from CAES faculty in research, teaching and Extension. For more reports, visit the searchable database.

2007 Reports

• Assessment of Chemicals Using Sensors
• Microalgae Production System for Biofuels
• Precisely Manage Cotton Nematodes

2006 Reports

• Developing Stem Cells for Drug Discovery
• DNA Technology Tackles Termites
• Improving Finger Millet
• Producing Value-Added Animal Products
• Pyramided Insect Resistant Crops
• Resistance to Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
• Sequencing of the Simplest Cotton Genome
• Soybean Germplasm Lines Released
• Stem Cell Training for Scientists and Students
• Teaching Biotechnology in Griffin

Georgia FACES Articles

Here's just a sample of biotechnology issues in the news generated by the college. For the latest news, visit Georgia FACES.

• New use for stem cells found in war on terror
  September 20, 2007 — For more than a decade, Steve Stice has dedicated his research using embryonic stem cells to improving the lives of people with degenerative diseases and debilitating injuries. His most recent discovery, which produces billions of neural cells from a few stem cells, could now aid in national security.
  Read the news release >>

• Funding, other barriers hinder stem cell research
  

  February 15, 2007 — The old adage, "one man's trash is another man's treasure," rings true in today's stem cell research. Steve Stice finds the promise of a cure for debilitating human injuries and diseases in the waste from fertility clinics.
  Read the news release >>

• Georgia lawmakers hear case for stem cell research
  February 15, 2007 — In testimony Feb. 8 before the Georgia General Assembly's Joint Committee on Health and Human Services, Steve Stice explained the value of stem cells in developing treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and Lou Gehrig's diseases, muscular atrophy disease and spinal cord injuries.
  Read the news release >>

• Cloned cow adds Moonshine to the mix
  January 26, 2006 — Since her unusual start in a Petri dish, KC has matured into a very normal cow. And on the last day of 2005, she routinely gave birth to Moonshine, her second calf. "KC has done just like every other cow out there and produced a calf within 12 to 13 months of her last calf," said Steve Stice, the University of Georgia scientist who directed the team of scientists who cloned KC.
  Read the news release >>

• New variety is a 'less beany' soybean
  January 19, 2006 — The soybean is a major crop worldwide. But not in Georgia. Crops like peanuts, vegetables and cotton are kings here. University of Georgia research into a new variety with a "less-beany" taste, however, could change all that.
  Read the news release >>

• Chickens rise from cutting board to cutting edge
  October 7, 2003 — Chicken isn't just for dinner anymore. As a new university textbook shows, biotechnology has taken this lowly bird from the cutting board to the cutting edge.
  Read the news release >>

• 'Genes for Georgia' links biotechnology, economy
  July 16, 2002 — A new University of Georgia research project will focus on the practical benefits of biotechnology, uniting genetic research with economic growth. Aptly named "Genes for Georgia," this effort will allow UGA scientists to map out genes of plants and animals important to Georgia agriculture.
  Read the news release >>

• Second wave of biotechnology products on horizon
  October 11, 2001 — Vaccine shots may soon be as comforting as eating mashed potatoes, as tasty as snacking on a banana or as refreshing as eating a salad.
  Read the news release >>

• Ag technology wave keeps industry on toes
  October 12, 2000 — It's hard to believe that in today's high-tech world, more than 4 billion people don't have access to refrigerated milk. And more than 400 million people worldwide, including 180 million children, suffer from vitamin A deficiency. All that could change quickly.
  Read the news release >>

 

Southscapes Magazine

Here's an article on biotechnology that appeared in the Fall issue, 2006.

• ‘Failed’ Experiment changes the future of biological pesticides
  

  The experiments had gone terribly awry. Mike Adang had expected the hornworms to be ready and waiting to devour more plants. They weren't supposed to have died. But to Adang, an entomology professor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, there is no such thing as a failed experiment. What he had, instead, was a "eureka" moment.
  Read the article >>

top