As Bangladesh prepares to release GMO golden rice, Yale University clinical neurologist Steven Novella and co-hosts debunk some popular myths about the vitamin-fortified staple crop on this episode of the Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe. Researchers engineered golden rice to combat vitamin A deficiency in the developing world, which causes blindness in 250,000 to 500,000 children every year. But their work has drawn fierce opposition.
Led by the environmental nonprofit Greenpeace, anti-GMO groups have fought for years to block the introduction of golden rice, claiming it is a ‘Trojan horse’ designed to sneak GMO seeds into countries that don’t want them. This conspiratorial narrative, Novella says, is a dishonest attempt to shift focus away from the science that shows golden rice is safe and effective.
[Editor’s note: Golden rice segment begins at the 13-minute mark of the episode.]
Original podcast: Latest Podcast: Episode #714 – 03/16/2019
