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New Gene Drive Technology Reverses Insecticide Resistance in Pests

Geneticists from the University of California San Diego developed gene drive technologies to combat insecticide resistance by replacing resistant genes in insects with genes that restore susceptibility to pesticides. The researchers say that this new genetic system has the potential to protect valuable crops and vastly reduce the use of chemical pesticides.

“We have developed an efficient biological approach to reverse insecticide resistance without creating any other perturbation to the environment,” said Prof. Ethan Bier, a professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, of the self-eliminating allelic drive, or “e-Drive.” “The e-Drive is programmed to act transiently and then disappear from the population,” he added.

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Verbio | Anaerobic Digestion on the Farm Virtual Tour

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VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG (VERBIO AG), headquartered in Leipzig, Germany, is a leading independent manufacturer of biofuels and bioenergy in Germany and Europe. The company began producing biofuel in 2001 and today has approximately 1,000 employees at its locations in six countries producing biodiesel, bioethanol and renewable natural gas, as well as feed, bio-fertilizers and other highvalue by-products for the nutrition, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. The Verbio North America site, located in Nevada, IA, is committed to the principle of sustainability and treats natural resources in a socially responsible and ethical manner. Using the latest technologies developed in-house, the Verbio team is creating sustainable alternatives for a world whose desire is to move away from fossil fuels. Verbio’s business model attempts to ignite change and create platforms where the path to green energy is contagious.