Distrutto! Vandals destroy experimental rice field in Italy

Read it on Medium (preferred).

“As public scientists, we express dismay and sadness at having suffered unjustified destruction, a result of obscurantism and anti-scientific knee-jerk reactions.”

Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901), the prolific composer of Italian opera, frequently explored themes of destruction in his works. His 28 operas often delve into the profound emotional and physical devastations experienced by his characters. Verdi’s focus on devastation came to mind in the last few days as vandals, presumably anti-technology protesters, destroyed Italy’s first field trial of gene-edited (GE) crops on the night of June 21, 2024. Launched on May 18 by our collaborators at the University of Milan, this trial was meant to pave the way for sustainable agriculture. “Distrutto il campo sperimentale di riso RIS8imo,” said the headline. Destroyed!