The African continent is emerging in many ways, yet still is developing economically. Technology is a huge part of the African transformation, yet farmers there are often forbidden to use crop technologies that were developed for Africa, by African scientists and governments. The resistance is rooted in a vigorous disinformation campaign by European NGOs that spread fear, uncertainty and doubt among the African populations. In June 2019 these organizations funded a meeting on Agroecology in Nair...
Jul 06, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 194
Bacteria surround us and have specialized functions in adaptation and metabolism. Could they be helpful as micro machines that catalyze key reactions? Could teams of collaborating bacteria be combined to perform important industrial processes? Dr. Sarah Richardson from MicroByre asks that question. She is in the business of bacterial discovery and domestication, bringing wild bacteria that perform important chemistry into human control. Her company then uses collaborations of microbes to take on...
Jun 29, 2019•32 min•Ep. 193
Pork production worldwide is limited by a series of viral pig diseases that slow growth, cause illness and restrict reproduction. One of these is known as PRRS, Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome. PRRS has a massive cost to producers, as they either have to manage the disease or spend significant resources in vaccination and biosecurity. Dr. Christine Burkard of the Roslin Institute has a solution. Her team has studied how the virus docks with cells and replicates. They have successfu...
Jun 22, 2019•34 min•Ep. 192
While Indian farmers have realized benefits from GE cotton, food crops have been forbidden from this growing country. Their neighbor to the west, Bangladesh, has realized great gains from the “Bt” Brinjal (eggplant). Farmers there used to spray 80-100 times a season to protect their crop. In 2014 the Agriculture Minister approved the “Bt” Brinjal, a variety that protects itself from the pest using a naturally-occurring bacterial protein that is toxic to fruit-boring insect larvae. The number of ...
Jun 15, 2019•28 min•Ep. 191
The war against agricultural biotechnology shifted in the last several years. Carefully constructed steps by those opposed to technology have managed to malign a relatively innocuous compound– the herbicide glyphosate. The compound is used in many applications, from GE crops to drying down some grains prior to harvest. Armed with analytical chemistry, activist groups claim to detect glyphosate everywhere, of course in minuscule amounts. But when those amounts are not zero, it provides a means to...
Jun 13, 2019•38 min•Ep. 190
The visions of Jurassic Park are an extrapolation of actual research being performed all over the world. Research has shown that avian dinosaurs (birds) possess latent genes that can be re-activated to restore forelimbs, hands and teeth. Dr. Jack Horner is a world-renowned paleontologist that has been involved in the efforts to adjust modern avian traits to demonstrate morphological f Brain Bar in Budapest, Hungary, May 31, 2019. # COLABRA Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&...
Jun 08, 2019•18 min•Ep. 189
Technology is exploding in all areas of life, but sadly has been slow to reach agriculture. We are stuck in the rhythms of old unsustainable practices. But things are changing quickly thanks to data, robotics, revival of old practices, new technologies and better genetics. This episode is Kevin Folta speaking to Brain Bar in Budapest, Hungary, May 30, 2019. # COLABRA Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one ...
Jun 01, 2019•29 min•Ep. 188
There is sad irony that the African continent has the most potential benefit from crop biotechnology, yet has the least access to the technology. The bottlenecks are political, not scientific, as excellent technology is being developed and procured by African agricultural technology groups. Much of the anti-biotech sentiment is shaped by U.S. and E.U. non-governmental organizations, particularly activist organizations that flood the continent with disturbing disinformation. The technology defici...
May 25, 2019•40 min•Ep. 187
Blackberries are a popular, healthy fruit with increasing availability to the consumer. Over the last century significant progress has been made in its genetic improvement. In this episode the history, breeding efforts and future of blackberry are discussed by Dr. Chad Finn, USDA-ARS Plant Geneticist and Small Fruit Breeder. # 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...
May 18, 2019•47 min•Ep. 186
Huanglongbing, or HLB, is the Chinese term for the Yellow Dragon Disease– usually referred to as Citrus Greening. The disease first appeared in the USA in the Miami area in 2005, and since has spread to every grove. The disease is a terminal infection of the tree, culminating in its decline and death. Currently there is no cure. The Florida industry is crashing, the disease is found across citrus producing states, including California. Scientists have attempted many strategies to solve the probl...
May 11, 2019•39 min•Ep. 185
Dr. Linda Bartoshuk has been recognized as an expert on interactions between the smell, taste, psychology and the brain for many decades. While so important to our experiences, smell and taste are poorly understood by the general public. Dr. Bartoshuk explains some of these important nuances of how we sense the world around us, and how that integrates with perception and liking. In the second part we discuss her experiences as a woman navigating overt sexism, harassment and discrimination as she...
May 04, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 184
I was very excited to be participating in the Southern Seed School here in Gainesville, FL. I had talks prepared on three cool topics– the history of the University of Florida plant breeding programs, plant breeding and genetic improvement, and new crops for Florida. I was not being compensated for my time on a Sunday, which is perfect. The group was a a paying audience of plant enthusiasts and gardeners, all excited to learn more about seed saving. Genetics, I feel, is a huge part of that, and ...
Apr 27, 2019•20 min•Ep. 183
Cowpea is a critical crop in Western Africa. It is consumed by millions daily, but also feeds livestock, all the while providing important nitrogen fixation for the farm. Cowpea cultivation is threatened by Maruca vitrata, a butterfly who’s caterpillar stage feasts on the beans within the cowpea pod. Scientists in Nigeria have implemented a strategy using the Bt protein to fight against this pest. Today’s podcast interviews Francis Onyekachi, Program Manager for the West African Maruca Resistant...
Apr 20, 2019•38 min•Ep. 182
One of the limiting factors in photosynthesis is the plant’s ability to take up carbon dioxide to assimilate into carbohydrates. At least part of the problem is the size of the small pores, or stomata, that are used for gas exchange between the inside of the leaf and the outside environment. Pore size is dictated by guard cells, two sausage-shaped cells that swell and deflate to open the pore. The process can be triggered by an influx of potassium ions. Prof. John Christie and collaborators at t...
Apr 13, 2019•33 min•Ep. 181
Sleep remains a mystery to science, as it is a state where an organism is vulnerable to potentially deadly forces. It therefore must be important to physiology and survival. Prof. Lior Appelbaum and his team have examined the effect of sleep on brain activity using zebrafish embryos. Chromosomes were colored for visualization, and dynamic movements are imaged for analysis. The results show that when a fish is sleeping, chromosomes in the brain are very active and undergoing repair. The interpret...
Apr 06, 2019•46 min•Ep. 180
Soybeans are legumes that produce abundant oil. The oils have been popular for consumers and in food service, but they could have improved performance in cooking applications and also did not have the heart-healthy profiles of other plant-derived oils. With a simple genetic tweak scientists were able to radically change the oil content of soybean oil to high oleic content. This type of oil has no trans fat, less saturated fat, and a significant level of monounsaturated fat. The process has been ...
Mar 30, 2019•38 min•Ep. 179
The transgenic, fast-growing salmon was first developed in 1989. The goal was simple, use fish genes to remove seasonal growth effects, with the hopes of creating a fish that could grow faster. Faster growth means fewer resources to produce an equivalent amount or finished food product. This results in greater availability of a sustainable, consistent, high quality source of salmon, a great protein source with oils suggested to have positive roles in health. However, the road to approval has bee...
Mar 23, 2019•27 min•Ep. 178
Anthony Warner is known as The Angry Chef, achieving notoriety as a food-fad/social critic. He has roots in biochemistry and trained as a chef, with years of experience in a variety of cooking venues. He is recognized for his books, columns and blogs, where he provides scientifically consistent critical analysis of current food trends and historical food foibles. His new book is entitled The Truth About Fat. Follow Anthony Warner on Twitter This link goes to the blog One Angry Chef Buy the book,...
Mar 16, 2019•49 min•Ep. 177
Today’s graduate students understand that participation in science communication can significantly enhance a scientific career. While there are challenges, the idea of being willing to share science with the public can have tremendous benefits, yet there are few universities that stress the mechanics and psychology of public engagement. The Cornell Alliance for Science held a science communication workshop in San Diego, geared toward graduate students. Three of the participants, Andrew Katz (Col...
Mar 09, 2019•43 min•Ep. 176
Military preparedness means testing ammunition and ordinates in controlled field trials, as well as decommissioning of obsolete weaponry. The result is a significant environmental deposit of residues of TNT and RDX, two explosives used in the production of military hardware. These compounds are environmentally persistent and leach into groundwater. They represent significant environmental toxins near military bases. Dr. Liz Rylott and her team at the University of York have developed plants capa...
Mar 02, 2019•21 min•Ep. 175
The report saturated the popular media, claims that the herbicide glyphosate increased cancer risk by 41%. This alarming statistic punctuated news reports, based on a new analysis of old data performed by a statistics team at the University of Washington. These claims did not study cancer in general, but instead focused on a rare cancer known as Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL). Their conclusions were generated from re-analysis of previous reports, the most powerful of which showed absolutely no asso...
Feb 21, 2019•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 174
In the days of fear-based food labeling the market has been screaming for a science-friendly alternative. Ethos Chocolates are distributed for free by A Fresh Look, an independent organization of farmers that want to set the record straight with regard to crop technology. Today I speak with Dr. Rebecca Larson, Scientific Director for A Fresh Look. We discuss the motivation behind Ethos Chocolates and the overwhelming reception the product has enjoyed. Learn more at Ethos Chocolate # COLABRA Talk...
Feb 16, 2019•19 min•Ep. 173
This week the American Association for the Advancement of Science announced an award to two Sri Lankan researchers for their research showing that glyphosate was a “deadly herbicide” that was causing kidney disease in farmers. Of course, I remember some work they did in forming a hypothesis and eventually measuring heavy metals and farm chemicals in urine, but I never recall such a definitive conclusion. Because there was none. The research is what the research is, but AAAS made a huge blunder i...
Feb 09, 2019•31 min•Ep. 172
The relationship between pollinators and crop protection strategies has always pitted them against each other, with concern about how insecticides and herbicides might affect charismatic non-target insects like bees. A new technology by the company Bee Vectoring Technologies rewrites the definition to the relationship. In this approach, bees exit the hive to deliver a fungicide to the flower, a biological control that competes against pathogenic fungi that start their damage early in fruit devel...
Jan 30, 2019•28 min•Ep. 171
The new techniques in gene editing have made rapid, precise genetic changes possible in animals. Some of the greatest benefits are genetic resistance to disease, generation of less waste, and more rapid growth on the farm. The world has adopted these new techniques and devised sensible and appropriate mechanisms of regulatory oversight. However, in the USA regulation of genetically-engineered animals is cumbersome, and arrests solutions from reaching the field. In short, a GE animal is regulated...
Jan 26, 2019•49 min•Ep. 170
Researchers and communicators in biotechnology have experienced it for a long time– the people that oppose genetic engineering frequently know the least about it. This observation was studied formally by a group of cognitive and social psychologists. Their conclusion: The people with the most extreme attitudes about genetic engineering also have the least working knowledge about the science behind it. In this week’s podcast Dr. Philip Fernbach from the University of Colorado discusses the result...
Jan 19, 2019•40 min•Ep. 169
Our forests are critical to ecology. They sequester carbon from human activity, and serve as great resources for renewable building materials, fuels and recreation. However, our forests are threatened like never before. Rapidly changing climates, human activity, and new pests and pathogens have caused massive change in forest populations over a very short time, with some species driven nearly to extinction. Scientists are poised to meet these problems with modern biotechnology. The problem is th...
Jan 12, 2019•30 min•Ep. 168
Indoor air is filled with hazardous trace compounds that arise from flooring, furniture, and even showering. While they pose a minor risk, they are present, and more so in our energy efficient homes. Dr. Stuart Strand has devised houseplants that express a detoxification gene from the human liver. The plants remove these compounds from the air, and may be important contributors to public health in the future. # COLABRA Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that bring...
Jan 05, 2019•24 min•Ep. 167
This week’s podcast features and update on two critical technologies– the Bt Brinjal (eggplant) in Bangladesh and the blight resistant American Chestnut. Both of these were covered in earlier episodes, and an update on their status is long overdue. Dr. Tony Shelton of Cornell University and Dr. Bill Powell from SUNY share their stories. Follow Dr. Powell on Twitter @ChestnutPowell Follow Dr. Tony Shelton’s Progress here and download the recent paper here . # COLABRA Talking Biotech is brought to...
Dec 29, 2018•33 min•Ep. 166
Weed resistance is a complex problem with incredible ramifications for agricultural production. It also provides an outstanding opportunity to examine how resistance happens– is it continual development of new mutations, new mutations in the same genes, or is it simply spread of already resistant material? Genome sequencing and comparative genomics indicates that it is all of the above. A recent paper by Kreiner et al tells the story of Amaranth resistance and its origins, particularly with pres...
Dec 22, 2018•22 min•Ep. 165
