Golden Rice: The Imperiled Birth of a GMO Superfood

Author:   Ed Regis
Publisher:   Johns Hopkins University Press
ISBN:  

9781421433035


Pages:   256
Publication Date:   03 December 2019
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Our Price $77.99 Quantity:  
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Golden Rice: The Imperiled Birth of a GMO Superfood


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Overview

"The first book to tell the shocking story of Golden Rice, a genetically modified grain that provides essential Vitamin A and can save lives in developing countries—if only they were allowed to grow it. Ordinary white rice is nutrient poor; it consists of carbohydrates and little else. About one million people who subsist on rice become blind or die each year from vitamin A deficiency. Golden Rice, which was developed in the hopes of combatting that problem by a team of European scientists in the late '90s, was genetically modified to provide an essential nutrient that white rice lacks: beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the body. But twenty years later, this potentially sight- and life-saving miracle food still has not reached the populations most in need—and tens of millions of people in India, China, Bangladesh, and throughout South and Southeast Asia have gone blind or have died waiting. Supporters claim that the twenty-year delay in Golden Rice's introduction is an unconscionable crime against humanity. Critics have countered that the rice is a ""hoax,"" that it is ""fool's gold"" and ""propaganda for the genetic engineering industry."" Here, science writer Ed Regis argues that Golden Rice is the world's most controversial, maligned, and misunderstood GMO. Regis tells the story of how the development, growth, and distribution of Golden Rice was delayed and repeatedly derailed by a complex but outdated set of operational guidelines and regulations imposed by the governments and sabotaged by anti-GMO activists in the very nations where the rice is most needed. Writing in a conversational style, Regis separates hyperbole from facts, overturning the myths, distortions, and urban legends about this uniquely promising superfood. Anyone interested in GMOs, social justice, or world hunger will find Golden Rice a compelling, sad, and maddening true-life science tale."

Full Product Details

Author:   Ed Regis
Publisher:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Imprint:   Johns Hopkins University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.20cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.499kg
ISBN:  

9781421433035


ISBN 10:   1421433036
Pages:   256
Publication Date:   03 December 2019
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

"Preface Chapter 1. Child Killer Chapter 2. Proof of Concept Chapter 3. GR 0.5 and Beyond Chapter 4. The Protocol Chapter 5. What Is a GMO? Chapter 6. Safe to Eat? Chapter 7. Golden Rice 2 Chapter 8. Better Than Spinach Chapter 9. The Mistake Chapter 10. The ""Crime against Humanity"" Chapter 11. The Approvals Epilogue. The Proactionary Principle Acknowledgments Appendix. L'affaire Schubert Bibliography Index"

Reviews

Golden Rice is a thoughtful and carefully documented tale of how difficult it can be to take something that works in the laboratory and get it to the people who stand to benefit from it. -- Andrew J. Wight * Science *


Author Information

Ed Regis is a science writer whose work has appeared in Scientific American, Harper's, Wired, Nature, Discover, and the New York Times, among other publications. He is the author of ten books, including What Is Life? Investigating the Nature of Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology.

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