Tag Archives: pesticides

No, Glyphosate Is Not a Threat to Bees

Posted on June 11, 2018 by

Glyphosate is a herbicide, in other words, it is toxic to plants. Its target enzyme is not found in insects or other animals, so it is generally not very harmful to them – and as confirmed by a recent study, even … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, environment | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Measures of Toxicity

Posted on May 7, 2018 by

This article is co-written by biologist Iida Ruishalme (yours truly at Thoughtscapism) and neuroscientist Alison Bernstein, aka Mommy PhD from SciMoms. We live amidst a mind-bogglingly rich sea of molecules. Nowadays, we also have astonishingly sophisticated methods of chemical detection … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, chemistry, health, methods, science communication | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Risk In Perspective: Zero Risk Is an Impossible Dream

Posted on March 19, 2018 by

This series is a collaboration between neuroscientist Alison Bernstein and biologist Iida Ruishalme. Errors in risk perception are at the core of so many issues in science communication that we think this is a critical topic to explore in detail. … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, alternative medicine, energy, environment, health, psychology | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

New Study Finds Neonicotinoids May Have Harmful, Beneficial, or No Effects on Bees

Posted on July 2, 2017 by

Two new bee papers were published just a few days ago. Below I will take a closer look at one of them, the larger European study, partly funded by pesticide companies but performed by an independent research lab, and it was … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, biology | Tagged , | 33 Comments

From Ideas to Evidence, an Interview: My Organic Crisis and the Birth of This Blog

Posted on June 26, 2017 by

In four short years, since I started looking at the science of farming more closely, the topic of organic vs conventional has felt very worn out to me, several times. I already know how it will go: some people have … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, chemistry, environment, health, meta, nutrition, organic, science communication | Tagged | 1 Comment

No, The UN Did Not Dismiss Pesticides as Unnecessary

Posted on March 9, 2017 by

The authors of this report unfortunately do the discussion on pesticide use a disservice by relying on hyperbole from activist organisations rather than focusing on peer-reviewed sources. Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, biotechnology | Tagged , | 4 Comments

IARC Under Fire from Scientists: Mission Outdated, Methods Lacking

Posted on November 6, 2016 by

Considering recently published scientific reviews on the International Agency on Cancer Research (IARC) concerning their methods and overall mission, as well as their specific conclusion on glyphosate, I thought the topic deserved an update of its own. I have written … Continue reading →

Posted in health, science, society | Tagged , , | 3 Comments