Butterfly safety
When Cornell University researchers published in Nature last May that pollen from Bt corn posed a risk to Monarch butterflies, the laboratory study was used as an emotional rallying point for anti-biotech activists. Further research suggests a negligible risk of butterfly toxicity from the genetically modified crop. But despite the overall conclusion of last week's Monarch Butterfly Research Symposium in Rosemont, Ill., that Bt pollen is not a significant risk, the case is not yet airtight.
On the other hand, U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers and colleagues showed that some types of Bt pollen are not significantly toxic to Monarch larvae. The USDA research also suggested that Monarch butterflies avoid leaves coated with Bt pollen in the first place, as fewer larvae were found on coated leaves compared to uncoated leaves...