Event description
*This event has been cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions*
What’s the difference between a selectively bred banana and a banana that has been genetically engineered?
From enhanced nutrition to pesticide resistance, genetic modification (GM) has the potential to transform agriculture. As the world’s population balloons and the impacts of climate change become keenly felt by farmers, we will need tools that help us nourish more people more efficiently. Will GM be one of them?
While the science may be sound, the practicalities of GM evoke diverse public opinions: from philosophical considerations about changing DNA to concerns about the involvement of multinational corporations.
Separate fact from fiction with two leading experts on the science and ethics of GM. We will learn about the cutting-edge GM research currently happening in Australia alongside perspectives on ethics and safety.
Dr Surinder Singh FAA is a world-leading researcher in plant oil engineering based at CSIRO. He and his team made a breakthrough by genetically engineering a canola crop that has the same oil profile as fish oil—creating a sustainable source of healthy omega-3.
Professor Rachel Ankeny is an interdisciplinary researcher at the University of Adelaide. Her work intersects with bioethics, food studies, science policy and the history and philosophy of science. Rachel’s major ongoing project is called ‘Organisms and us: How living things help us to understand our world’.
Tickets include refreshments at 5.30pm, followed by the talks at 6.00pm - 7.00pm.
This is the first event in a six-part series. For more information about the series, please visit the Academy website.
Please note: By purchasing tickets and attending this event, you agree to adhere to the Australian Academy of Science Participant Code of Conduct.