Podcast: Life-saving snake venom? Palm oil from gene-edited soybeans; Fighting plastic pollution with biotech

Believe it or not, scientists are exploiting venom from snakes, snails and other poisonous critters to make life-saving medicines. Could genetically engineered soybeans reduce deforestation caused by palm-oil production? Sustainable, biodegradable plastics may be on the horizon, thanks to a slew of biotechnology innovations.

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Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 196 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

• Life-saving venom? How deadly compounds can be used as medications

Sensible folks know it’s wise to avoid poisonous snakes and other dangerous animals. What’s not widely known, however, is that venom from these creatures has already yielded effective medications—for example, the first ACE inhibitor used to treat high blood pressure. The list of important drugs we could derive from venom is seemingly endless and includes everything from non-addictive pain killers to affordable insulin found in the venom of snails.

• An alternative to harvesting environmentally-destructive palm oil? Here’s a biotech solution using soybeans

Producing palm oil in bioreactors using soybean cells could be one of the solutions that helps us reduce deforestation in west Africa and South America. The concept is simple in principle: using gene-editing technology, researchers engineer soybean to produce the oil we usually get from palm kernels. These souped-up soybean cells thrive on nitrogen and sugar and “grow” in laboratory bioreactors. The big hurdle may be energy consumption. Could electricity required to run the bioreactors offset some or all of the environmental benefits of this new palm oil source?

• With demand for plastic expected to triple by 2050, here’s how biotechnology can reduce its environmental impacts

Plastics are incredibly useful. From mobile phones to IV bags, water pipes and furniture (to name just a few examples), plastics can be found in many of the technologies we use without a second thought. The problem is, discarded plastic can contribute to pollution, especially in developing countries that lack sophisticated waste-disposable infrastructure.

Fortunately, biotechnology may yield biodegradable plastics with minimal environmental footprints, as well as tools that help us recycle synthetic plastics. Could these technologies make a significant dent in our collective plastic problem in the coming years?

Kevin M. Folta is a professor, keynote speaker and podcast host. Follow Professor Folta on Twitter @kevinfolta

Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. Visit his website and follow ACSH on Twitter @ACSHorg