Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

As of 3/11/2020 COVID-19 is emerging as a significant health threat worldwide.  This pandemic is on the rise, and public health suffers from politicized spin, misinformation, and a lack of good information.  This episode is targeted to the Talking Biotech listener that can connect with family and friends, sharing the facts of this outbreak.   Today’s guest is Dr. ChubbyEmu, the YouTube physician t...

Seasonal influenza causes thousands of deaths annually.  Part of the problem is that the vaccine must be administered annually because the virus presents different immunological faces to avoid detection.  Dr. Peter Palese is a pioneer in studying the molecular biology of the influenza viruses.  Today he and colleagues are on a quest to identify a universal flu vaccine that would provide one-time d...

Plants produce a variety of oils, many that are critical to the human diet.  The precise chemical qualities of plant oils dictate its stability, use, nutrient quality, or even its use as fuel.  Dr. Surinder Singh is an expert in plant oils at CSIRO, the Australian National Research Laboratory.  His laboratory has been working on projects in a variety of crops to improve the oil quality for human n...

The gene editing explosion has accelerated discovery, food and therapies by defining a new toolbox of useful ways to manipulate DNA.  The “Cas” series of enzymes are the core machinery of the editing process, and now scientists are identifying new molecules that inhibit these molecular scissors. Dr. Joseph Bondy-Denomy rides at the front edge of this discovery, and his program is characterizing th...

In the first part of today’s podcast Dr. Kayleen Schreiber and Jon Entine discuss the latest addition to the Genetic Literacy Project, a website called the Global Gene Editing Regulation Tracker.  This online resource provides instant access to the current state of gene editing approvals, along with information on gene drives and other important regulatory updates.  In the second half Dr. Bernadin...

 Dr. Ilaria Capua is an internationally recognized virologist, and a world expert in avian influenza and other animal viruses.  Following her effort to make genetic information about viruses more accessible in the interest of finding faster cures, she was unknowingly put under investigation, as she was central in moving viral information and samples to colleagues worldwide.  Wire taps and clandest...

The American Society of Plant Biologists is the largest professional society for plant biologists.  Dr. Mary Williams discusses some of the ways that ASPB can mentor young scientists, develop careers, partake in ambassador programs, interact with others, and learn communication skills.  Hosted by Modesta Abugu. Mary Williams on Twitter: @PlantTeaching Modesta Abugu on Twitter: @modestannedi # COLA...

Like many areas of science, the early days of genomics quickly became a male-dominated discipline.  While more women were earning advanced degrees and training in this area, fewer were finding a place in faculty and other leadership positions.  Dr. Kellye Eversole and others developed a group to advance networking channels, provide career advice, and relay funding opportunities with the interest i...

Cassava is a staple food crop in Africa and Asia, yet is widely unknown by the industrialized world.  While almost a billion people depend on this crop, production is limited by a series of diseases, and it also lacks critical nutrients that could help reverse local deficiencies. Dr. Chiedozie Egesi is a scientist dedicated to cassava improvement. He discusses the crop, the challenges to growth, a...

I’ve dreaded this day.  I have not missed a Saturday in a long time, but after being told to end the series by the institution I have not been able to find someone that can do the work to host the podcast on a weekly basis. I hope that those that complained to the university feel good about their accomplishment.  And it is people that claim to be friends of science, BTW. Right now the most prudent...

Kenya is an emerging economy and has significant investment in advanced technologies.  However, a 2013 ban on biotech crops has limited farmer access to the most needed technologies for the field.  That moratorium is finally being lifted, as biotech cotton has been approved and will be available to farmers in 2020.  Farmers recognize the potential for Bt cotton to reduce or eliminate dependence on...

Dr. Stuart Smyth is no stranger to anyone that has watched social media.  As a leading ag economist he has consistently represented science and technology fairly and accurately, and tethered to his prolific publication of books and scholarly publication, he is a visible influencer in scientific and social media circles.  In today’s podcast we discuss his views on risks and benefits of GE crops, th...

The cowpea is a high-protein food staple in parts of Africa, particularly in the growing countries of Nigeria, Niger, and Burkina-Fasso. Production is predominantly on small holder farms.  Production is threatened by the pod borer, the larvae of a moth referred to as Maruca, that limits yields and causes farmers to apply large amounts of insecticide to protect their crops.  Dr. TJ Higgins and his...

There is a massive amount of human genomic DNA sequence data, and it is now possible to identify correlates with specific disease, drug sensitivity and physiological variation.  The concept of “genomic medicine” or “precision medicine” is that therapeutic interventions are guided by genetic information.  In today’s podcast we speak with Dr. Julie Johnson.  Dr. Johnson is a Dean and Distinguished P...

 Nitrogen is essential for crop growth.  That reality has led to intensive crop fertilization using nitrogen fixed through the Haber-Bosch process, which has energy costs in production and transport.  At the same time there are well known examples of nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with plants, as well as some that colonize within the plant itself.  Can these naturally occurring bacteria actua...

While the country of Australia has been growing genetically-engineered crops for over 15 years, the state of South Australia has banned their use.  This moratorium has been in place since 2004, and requires farmers to shift to alternative crop protection strategies that often have a significant yield penalty. Recent changes in political representation in the region appeared to be more farmer frien...

The genomics era has generated tremendous data sets, yet the information they reveal is limited by the human biases that search them.  Are there ways to examine complex data sets for hidden patterns that can unearth new perspectives in biology?  This is the role of machine learning, and the patterns form the basis of artificial intelligence that then executes new tasks.  While these concepts seem...

There is an unfortunate side to egg production.  Only female chickens produce eggs, so layers are selected at hatching.  Chicks are sexed with a vent inspection. Females are kept for egg production.  Males live a short ride down a conveyor into a chipper, where they are instantly killed.  This practice raises ethical and practical questions.  Dr. Nigel Urwin and his collaborators devised a way to...

Michele Payn is a much sought after speaker, author and podcast host.  She has introduced the third book in her trilogy, this one about the phenomenon of others taking issue with someone’s food choices.  The book, aptly titled “Food Bullying”, explores the social-psychological basis of food bullying as well as important issues in agriculture that conjure the response. She presents an important sna...

Can we use genetic engineering to help the body’s immune system target cancer cells?  This is exactly what happens with CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor) T-cell therapy.  CAR-T cells are T-cells, immune cells of the body that are reprogrammed to identify specific surface signatures that define specific types of cancer cells.  It allows these immune agents to seek and destroy cancer cells with grea...

The Impossible Burger is meat alternative that gets its meat-like qualities from a combination of plant-based ingredients, plus “meatiness” from a biotech-derived product. There is a lot of discussion about the product, and the internet has even questioned the safety of the biotechnology steps used in its creation.  This episode discusses the Impossible Burger with Dr. Chana Davis, a scientist fam...

Cotton production is massive, but mostly used for fiber. The cotton seed is a tremendous potential resource as it contains high amounts of oil and high-quality protein.  However, the seeds are not directly edible by most mammals because they contain a toxic chemical called gossypol.  Gossypol is a terpenoid that the plant produces as a natural insecticide.  A team led by Dr. Keerti Rathore at Texa...

The Farm Babe Michelle Miller is a farmer, speaker, columnist and blogger that advocates for agricultural producers, and seeks to better connect consumers to agricultural reality.  She recently attended Farm Aid, the annual concert event that originally was held to provide funding to struggling farmers in the 1980’s.  Since then farming has become even more challenging, but Farm Aid has seemed to...

Nitrogen is a reality of growing plants, and must be supplied to maximize crop yields.  At the same time our atmosphere is >70% nitrogen that is not usable by plants in its atmospheric form.  Humans have devised processes to “fix” nitrogen into plant usable forms, but they require energy and the products need to be transported, both leading to a substantial carbon footprint.  A number of microb...

Dr. David Zaruk has become the foremost authority on the questionable practices within the IARC and their decision-making process.  Over the last several years he has taken a key point position in interpreting the IARC’s 2015 decision and the political landscape around the agricultural chemical glyphosate.  While controversy swirls, he brings it back to reality with deep dissections of the politic...