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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Ajit Niranjan

Nobel laureates call on EU to relax rules on genetic modification

A DNA audioradiogram, alongside a sample in a petri dish. 1,000 signatories to an open letter to the EU demanded lawmakers allow scientists to edit genetic codes so they can develop crops that can survive extreme weather events exacerbated by the climate crisis
1,000 signatories to an open letter to the EU demanded lawmakers allow scientists to edit genetic codes so they can develop crops that can survive extreme weather events exacerbated by the climate crisis. Photograph: Tek Image/Science Photo Library/Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF

The EU must “reject the darkness of anti-science fearmongering” before a key vote on gene editing, 34 Nobel prize winners have said.

In an open letter shared with the Guardian and other European newspapers, the laureates demanded that lawmakers relax strict rules on genetic modification to embrace new techniques that target specific genes and edit their code. The technology could make crops more resistant to disease and more likely to survive extreme weather events that are growing more violent as the planet heats up.

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