How the world has changed—II
The above (carried in the first part of this two-part article) appears to paint a rather bleak picture of the future for investors. However, in the continuum of human history…
Amazing genetics
With the world population expected to reach nine billion by 2050, and with limited cultivable area on our planet, there is an increasing probability of droughts and mass famines in…
Role of biotechnology in mitigating impacts of climate change on agriculture
Today, one of the biggest threats to world's agriculture in general and Pakistan's in particular is climate change because rainfall volatility, increased drought and rising temperatures - all signs of…
Necessary change
All the assets are safe" came the TV news headline amid a smouldering Karachi airport on a sizzling afternoon on June 9. “The aircraft and airport were mostly unharmed”. What…
Genetically intoxicated in agriculture
Pakistan first started its biogenetics institute at Faisalabad in 1983 as National Institute of Biogenetic Engineering (NIBGE). I was there in the Planning Commission and I was told that to…
China rolls out GMO corn planting, starts small
China will likely plant less than 1% of its corn fields with genetically modified varieties this year, said two people familiar with the plans, dashing hopes for a full market…
Rock of ages
IT’S been quite a year for science, what with the launch of the James Webb telescope, the Mars landings and a probe practically ‘touching’ the sun. And as we launch…
Response to Covid-19 challenge: a lab deserves immense praise
The genetic code of an organism is a collection of all the characteristics it possesses. If we were to draw parallels, the genetic code is similar to a book. It…
Delta calling
Ancient Greek alphabets, alpha, beta, gamma, delta…. are once again being used widely worldwide – this time recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to refer to different variants of…
Higher education reforms
The single most important factor that determines the quality of both undergraduate and postgraduate education is the quality of faculty. At present, only about 25 percent of the faculty members…
