Nontarget Effects of Bt Crops Database [1]

Nontarget Effects of Bt Crops Database
In conjunction with a paper published this month in Science [2], this database [3] and its accompanying metadata are now available to the public through a searchable web interface.

Insertion of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) genes into crop DNA is a genetic engineering technique that confers resistance to insect pests. Although specific Bt crop varieties are designed to target specific groups of insect pests, many scientists have asked whether transgenic Bt crops adversely affect other "nontarget" invertebrates as well. The Nontarget Effects of Bt Crops Database [3] brings together methodological details and results from a large collection of experimental and observational research studies on this topic. NCEAS makes this and other data sets available to the public with the intention that future analyses by the broader scientific community will yield important new insights.

M. Marvier, C. McCreedy, J. Regetz, and P. Kareiva. A meta-analysis of effects of Bt cotton and maize on non-target invertebrates. Science