GLP podcast: Mother Jones blasts AAP anti-GMO report; Animals mistreated on organic farms? Why did humans evolve to love music?

Once fiercely skeptical of “Big Ag,” even adamantly progressive media outlets like Mother Jones are beginning to embrace the use of conventional farm technologies like synthetic pesticides and genetically engineered crops. What explains this dramatic opinion shift? A reporter for the Atlantic recently discovered, much to her surprise, that organic farmers don’t take better care of their cows. What led her to that conclusion? Every culture seems to have some appreciation for music, but researchers are still uncertain about why humans would evolve to love music. What does the latest science tell us?

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Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 268 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

• Viewpoint: Mother Jones takes stand against American Academy of Pediatrics’s misguided case against GM crops and glyphosate

After years of criticizing the science behind crop biotechnology, progressive magazine Mother Jones has had a change of heart. The outlet recently joined the coalition of science publications and individual experts that has blasted the American Academy of Pediatrics for publishing a critically flawed–and some would say intentionally deceptive–guidance document attacking biotech crops and synthetic pesticides. Mother Jones’ sudden acceptance of mainstream agricultural science appears to be part of a larger trend of formerly hostile environmental groups and media outlets embracing biotechnology as an important means of boosting food security and farming sustainability.

• Podcast: Do you buy organic milk because you believe organic farms treat their cows better? Here’s a reality check

• Is there an evolutionary explanation for human’s love of music?

No matter where we’re from or what language we speak, it seems that most people love music. Despite this near-universal passion for song, scientists have struggled to explain why humans evolved an interest in singing and playing instruments. Music undoubtedly plays some role in communication, of course, though even Charles Darwin was at a loss to explain what evolutionary advantage music could have conferred. What does the latest evidence tell us about this perplexing question?

Dr. Liza Dunn is a medical toxicologist and the medical affairs lead at Bayer Crop Science. Follow her on X @DrLizaMD

Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. Visit his website and follow him on X @camjenglish