Podcast: Time to eat bugs? Fighting high cholesterol with CRISPR; mRNA flu vaccines coming soon?

• Insect food? Public skepticism remains a major hurdle but here is the sustainability case for including them in our diet

Is it time for consumers in the developed world to make bugs a staple in our diets? Some scientists and policymakers have been vocal in their demands that we eat insects in order to reduce agriculture’s contribution to climate change.  As is often the case with controversial ideas, two questions arise: does the science support this campaign to put mealworms on the menu, and will doing so really reduce our environmental footprint?

• Poor cholesterol? A gene-edited solution could lower ‘bad’ LDL and reduce heart disease risk

Millions of Americans suffer from high cholesterol, a major risk factor for heart disease. Although multiple treatments exist for high cholesterol, a novel CRISPR-based therapy may allow scientists to edit the gene that controls LDL levels, potentially eliminating the risk before it becomes a problem later in life. This gene-editing solution is many years from commercialization, but it’s still tempting to speculate about how it may impact the interplay between genetics and environment that dictates our risk for heart disease.