On December 6, 2018 environmental advocate Erin Brockovich published a high-profile opinion piece in The Guardian. The piece was laced with scientific inaccuracies and inflammatory rhetoric about glyphosate, indicating in no uncertain terms that it causes cancer and is present in just about all food. None of these claims are supported by peer-reviewed literature. Further examination shows that Brockovich is a consultant for the law firm that is managing the class action against one company that ...
Dec 15, 2018•16 min•Ep. 164
Dr. Thomas Zinnen has worked with the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service for almost three decades. His principal job has been sharing information about technology with the state through creative programs and activities. He shares his thoughts on communication with the public, along with some excellent examples of how to get non-scientists to implement scientific reasoning. Follow Tom on Twitter @tmzinnen # COLABRA Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platf...
Dec 08, 2018•50 min•Ep. 163
Gary Nolan works in marketing, but enjoys science podcasts, including Talking Biotech. He also frequently blogs about politics, social trends, and science. He finds that he still wrestles with some of the concepts around genetic engineering. This week’s podcast is dedicated to Gary and folks like him– those that want to ask their questions and get honest answers. This week Dr. Kevin Folta answers Gary’s questions about gene editing, transgenic plants and a host of other issues. Follow Gary Nolan...
Dec 01, 2018•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 162
Plant breeding is an important discipline, and the foundation of plant genetic improvements. While modern techniques like gene editing sometimes steal the spotlight, the foundational varieties must have outstanding performance before such amendments are remotely relevant. Today plant breeders are in high demand, both in industry and academia. Drs. Patricio Muñoz and Marcio Resende are two early-career plant breeders, working on blueberry and sweetcorn, respectively. Both implement the most moder...
Nov 24, 2018•32 min•Ep. 161
The term “Conflict of Interest” is thrown around a lot these days, mostly to sully reputations or cast doubt on quality research. That perception of what a conflict of interest is, is quite different than what it actually is. Dr. Chris MacDonald is an expert in Conflict of Interest, disclosure and transparency at Ryerson University. We had a great discussion about what a conflict of interest is, how to avoid them, and how to operate in a climate where the term is so frequently misapplied. Follow...
Nov 17, 2018•34 min•Ep. 160
They are farmers. They also own A&C Liquid Assets, a liquor store in Hoxie, Kansas. Allison and Cole Nondorf saw the Smirnoff commercial where they proudly proclaim that they reject “GMO” seed technology, the same seeds that the Nondorf’s (and most of their community) use on their farms. The idea of selling Smirnoff products when the company brazenly rejects the technology your community depends on, seemed to be incompatible ideas. A&C Liquid Assets pulled all of the products and hopes t...
Nov 10, 2018•15 min•Ep. 159
The future gets closer every day, and many argue that technology will radically change the world for the better in the next 20 years– if we have the courage to let it. Matt Ward is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor and host of the Fringe FM Podcast. He shares his provocative view of how technology is shifting life and priorities, and how the strangling force of regulation stands to slow progress. # COLABRA Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your la...
Nov 03, 2018•45 min•Ep. 158
What do we use to feed our food? From cattle to fish, livestock require substantial inputs to thrive, and a substantial part of that is their feed. This has measurable impacts from the environment to producer costs. Sam Glickstein of Biotrophics has a solution. Sustainability might be surprising, but he offers an excellent solution. # COLABRA Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more ...
Oct 27, 2018•33 min•Ep. 157
The mango is an incredibly important fruit worldwide, yet little is known about its precise origins or domestication. Today’s podcast explores this important fruit with Dr. Emily Warschefsky, who studied this fruit during her doctoral training. She reveals a surprising background story about this popular fruit. # COLABRA Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more at https://www.colabra...
Oct 20, 2018•35 min•Ep. 156
Today’s episode is where Kevin Folta answers common questions from listeners. In the second half, we discuss the recent lawsuit against LaCroix and the alleged insecticides used as ingredients. # COLABRA Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more at https://www.colabra.app/ # TALKING BIOTECH Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotech Website: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-b...
Oct 13, 2018•44 min•Ep. 155
Nitrogen is required for plant growth, and is a significant input in terms of cost and environmental impact. While plants are literally surrounded by nitrogen, it is present in the atmosphere in an unusable form. Some plants (like legumes) have the ability to fix nitrogen, converting it from a gas into a form the plant can use. The idea of somehow moving this important trait from legumes (or microbes) to grain crops has long been considered a holy grail of plant biotechnology. However, the probl...
Oct 06, 2018•36 min•Ep. 154
The drug thalidomide was developed with tremendous promise in managing a variety of disorders, such as anxiety and morning sickness. However, a few years after its common use it became linked to a suite of birth defects, primarily defects in limb development. For almost sixty years scientists have tried to unravel the molecular basis of its action. Dr. Katherine Donovan is a postdoctoral researcher at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard University. She was the primary author on recent wo...
Sep 29, 2018•26 min•Ep. 153
There is a vanilla crisis. The familiar flavor agent is a mixture of chemicals from an orchid- and there’s not enough being produced to satisfy demand. But Dr. Alan Chambers knows that crisis and opportunity travel together. He is currently engaging in breeding of vanilla orchids, hoping to improve yields and product quality. In this episode he covers vanilla’s natural history, its current challenges in cultivation and future outlook. # COLABRA Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R...
Sep 22, 2018•26 min•Ep. 152
In framing effective discussions about any subject it is important to understand human psychology, and the mistakes we make in debate. It also is important to understand how ingrained human tendencies shape our perceptions and skew our willingness to accept new information. In this episode Itamar Schatz discusses these concepts, concepts that are the basis of his website Effectiviology . We discuss critical thinking and the issues that cloud discussion like confirmation bias, logical fallacy, an...
Sep 15, 2018•38 min•Ep. 151
The herbicide glyphosate has been in use for over 40 years. It is non-selective (kills all plants), it is inexpensive and has extremely low toxicity. These attributes made it an important tool for municipalities, farmers, and homeowners. Use increased starting in 1996 with the advent of glyphosate-tolerant (marketed under the brand name “Roundup Ready”) crops, which have expanded in acreage ever since. Rob Saik (@rsaik) is an agronomist with significant experience and accolades in Canadian agric...
Sep 08, 2018•34 min•Ep. 150
This last week podcast host Kevin Folta found himself in a difficult predicament. There was palpable outrage by those affiliated with a science website where he participated in some of their activities. Turns out that Folta also did paid work outside of his university job, which is normal. He was retained by a law firm as a special matters expert, someone to analyze some data in a private mediation. He was bound my confidentiality to not discuss the details of the case. The folks from the scienc...
Sep 01, 2018•31 min•Ep. 149
Malaria is a tremendous world health problem, affecting the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the developing (and industrialized) world. One of the most effective therapies is derived from a natural compound produced in the plant Artemisia annua. In this week’s podcast Dr. Ian Graham from the University of York describes the problem of malaria, historical treatments, the use of artemesia and the isolation of artemisinin. Breeding and engineering of plants and microbes to enhance product...
Aug 25, 2018•41 min•Ep. 148
The chicken is by far the most abundant animal farmed on earth, grown for meat and eggs. But where did it come from? What kinds of birds were domesticated? When? Where? What were the traits that came from wild jungle fowl that give us today’s familiar bird? These questions and more are answered by Dr. Greger Larson from Oxford University. Dr. Larson combines data from genomics, archaeology, and anthropology to reconstruct the ancient history of various animals, illuminating how they became part ...
Aug 18, 2018•39 min•Ep. 147
Plant disease resistance is a complicated arms race between the plant and pathogens. Bacteria, viruses and fungi evolve in lock-step with plants, creating new ways to overcome new disease resistance strategies. Resistance to disease has a foundation in the gene-for-gene model, a model that hypothesizes that plants and pathogens have a molecular relationship with each other that mediates pathogenicity. Today’s podcast features Drs. Lida Derevnina and Chih-Hang Wu, postdoctoral researchers with So...
Aug 11, 2018•36 min•Ep. 146
Dr. David Just studies human behavior and how psychology ties in with economic decisions. His work at Cornell examines the interesting overlays that cause consumers to behave how they do. In this podcast we examine consumer decisions in food, including a discussion about soft drinks, ketchup, meat, and ingredients from genetically engineered crops. We also touch on the “GMO labeling” issue. Follow Dr. Just: @DavidJust1 Also follow his podcast discussions at @MadHatEconomics And download here. # ...
Aug 04, 2018•38 min•Ep. 145
Alfatoxins are a significant threat to human health and world food security. They are naturally-occurring toxic compounds produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus and other species. These fungi thrive on corn, peanuts, wheat, rice and other food staples, and grow well in stored food supplies. The compounds are potent carcinogens, and it is estimated that billions of people suffer from chronic exposure. Today’s guest is Dr. Peter Ojiambo from North Carolina State University. He describes the cur...
Jul 28, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 144
The 2016 World Food Prize went to a group that coordinated the breeding, promotion and distribution of the orange-fleshed sweet potato in Africa. One of person on the team was economist Dr. Jan Low. The sweet potato grows well in many parts of Africa. It is not the sweet potato known to westerners. It is white and dry, and more like bread than the well known Thanksgiving sweet potato. At the same time there is widespread vitamin A deficiency, especially among children. Could the orange sweet pot...
Jul 21, 2018•36 min•Ep. 143
Barley is an important grain, with prominent roles as the foundation of bread and beer. Dr. Sheila Adimargono shares the interesting stories around barley’s history, the traits that early domesticators found useful, and information about its modern production. The discussion covers everything from the evidence of barley’s origin to modern genomic analysis. Follow Sheila: @seminisa # COLABRA Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing r...
Jul 14, 2018•35 min•Ep. 142
When social scientists examined messaging in new media around GE crops, a few trends became apparent. Surprising evidence emerged that showed that the Russian Federation is actively participating in a campaign, here in the USA, to malign GE crops with a goal of influencing public opinion. In this week’s episode Dr. Shawn Dorius from Iowa State University talks about the recent findings. He describes a literal propaganda campaign designed for English-speaking countries. The apparent goal is to er...
Jul 07, 2018•48 min•Ep. 141
Mark Lynas believed in his heart that he was doing the right thing. He was joining others in tearing out field trials of GE crops, and effectively arrested research and development around crop biotechnology. He participated in a movement that significantly shaped public opinion that influences policy to this day. But Mark is a scientific author, and when writing about climate change understood the need for rigorous evaluation of scientific evidence. When he applied the same thinking to GE crops,...
Jun 30, 2018•34 min•Ep. 140
The race to determine the structure of DNA has a dark subtext that is frequently ignored when discussing this seminal discovery in biology. Competing groups at Cambridge and King’s College set their sights on resolving this important question. King’s College recruited a bright young x-ray crystalographer, a scientist that used energy to examine molecular structure. Her name was Dr. Rosalind Franklin. While teams in this old-boy’s network pushed forward, Franklin used her skills to generate data ...
Jun 23, 2018•40 min•Ep. 139
Mexico is the center of origin for maize, and there is a substantial interest in protecting the genetic integrity of this limited resource. At the same time Mexico’s population is growing, and farmers potentially find utility in growing genetically-engineered corn, as resistance to insects and lower pesticide use are attractive traits. There is an intricate balance between feeding a population and ensuring farmer profit versus preservation of a genetic resource. In this week’s podcast Dr. Paul V...
Jun 16, 2018•49 min•Ep. 138
The internet claims that the increases in celiac disease is rooted in modern wheat varieties, as human intervention in plant genetics must be the cause of human disorders. But what does the evidence tell us? In this week’s episode we’re joined by Dr. Senay Simsek from North Dakota State University. Dr. Simsek is a recognized chemist that specializes in wheat composition. Her recent paper in the journal Food Chemistry examines the levels of gluten in modern varieties and compares it to what was p...
Jun 09, 2018•30 min•Ep. 137
Are food labels adding clarity or confusion? Focus groups show that consumer sentiment toward food labels is changing. Colleen Parr-Dekker is the Director of Communications at Elanco. They have performed extensive focus group analysis and consumer surveys to understand how consumers feel about labels and food. The excess of abstract information and claims has left most consumers unsure what labels even mean. Consumers are clueless about terms like “antibiotic free” or “free range”, while compani...
Jun 02, 2018•35 min•Ep. 136
Dr. Devang Mehta has been working in virus suppression in cassava, a key food staple in the Developing world. In this week’s podcast he speaks about the RNAi and gene editing approaches that are used to engineer resistant plants. Dr. Mehta describes the. nuts and bolts and successes and failures in applying new technology, and the things that are learned along the way. Hosted by Dr. Paul Vincelli (@pvincell). Dr. Devang Mehta – @drdevangm # COLABRA Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – ...
May 26, 2018•51 min•Ep. 135
