Arguably, one of the ugliest communicat ion wars was fought over genetically modified organisms (GMOs), especially food crops. While some might still lick their wounds, the next generation of crops, bred through New Plant Breeding Technologies such as the Crispr/ Cas9 system, are already on our door step. But can these new crops be classified as GMOs? How they should be regulated is currently being discussed across the globe.

*"Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink. "*

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the Ancyent Marinere [1798]

We might not be quite as desperate as our ancient mariner yet, but those fresh drops are running low. And not only in arid regions of the world that are plagued by droughts and restricted access to fresh drinking water.

For the SEB magazine I reported on the Biomechanics session at the SEB Annual Main Meeting in Valencia. This report covers self-sowing seeds, stag beetles,frog legs, tree frogs, sucking plants and plant-made plasters.