Talking Biotech
Podcast: ‘Straight out lies’ from anti-GMO groups hinder Africa’s food security, South African biologist says
Africa has the most to gain from embracing crop biotechnology, yet the continent's farmers are still largely denied access to ...
Podcast: Where blackberries came from—and how genetics made them so delicious
Blackberries are a popular, healthy fruit consumed by people all over the world. Over the last century, significant progress has ...
Podcast: Could a benign virus save Florida’s devastated orange industry from citrus greening disease?
Huanglongbing, or HLB, is the Chinese term for the Yellow Dragon Disease–usually referred to as citrus greening. The disease first ...
Podcast: Why do we like sweet foods? How taste and smell color our sense of the world
University of Florida researcher Linda Bartoshuk has been recognized as an expert on interactions between smell, taste and psychology for ...
Podcast: Geneticist Kevin Folta responds after anti-biotech social media attacks led to his exclusion from Florida gardening event
Recently, University of Florida plant scientist Kevin Folta was invited to present a series of lectures at a seed saving ...
Podcast: GMO insect-resistant cowpea helps Africa combat destructive pests without chemicals
Cowpea is a critical crop in Western Africa. It is consumed by millions of people daily and provides important nitrogen ...
Podcast: Synthetic ‘light switch’ boosts photosynthesis to increase crop yields
One of the limiting factors in photosynthesis is the plant’s ability to take up carbon dioxide to assimilate into carbohydrates ...
Podcast: How a bad night’s sleep can damage your DNA
On this episode of Talking Biotech, University of Florida researchers Kevin Folta and Brady Holmer tackle two pressing questions in ...
Podcast: Healthier cooking oil from biotech soybeans helps battle heart disease, diabetes
Soybeans produce abundant cooking oil, popular with both consumers and the food service industry. However, soybean oil isn't always the ...
Podcast: GMO AquAdvantage salmon headed for US grocery stores after 15 years of regulatory review
When the transgenic AquAdvantage salmon was first developed in 1989, the goal was simple: engineer a fast-growing fish that required ...
Podcast: Anthony Warner, ‘The Angry Chef,’ debunks fad diets and popular food ‘pseudoscience’
Anthony Warner is known as The Angry Chef, achieving notoriety for critically analyzing the social movements that pop up around ...
Tomorrow’s scientists developing CRISPR-edited crops to boost sustainable farming
Three graduate students highlight their efforts to breed disease-resistant crops and teach science to consumers ...
Neutralizing toxic military explosives with GMO plants
Military preparedness means testing ammunition in controlled field trials, as well as decommissioning obsolete weaponry. The result is a significant ...
Talking Biotech: Epidemiologist Geoffrey Kabat debunks flawed glyphosate-cancer meta-analysis. Were the mistakes deliberate?
A skeptical look at the latest glyphosate-cancer study reveals critical errors ...
Talking Biotech: Ethos Chocolate—the pro-GMO candy brand winning over biotech skeptics
Ethos chocolate hypes its use of GMO ingredients to promote crop biotechnology ...
Talking Biotech: How AAAS, world’s largest science organization, promoted ‘data-less conspiracy’ linking glyphosate to kidney disease
There is no evidence that glyphosate causes kidney disease. Why does the AAAS say otherwise? ...
Talking Biotech: Recruiting bees as soldiers in the war on plant pests
The company Bee Vectoring Technologies uses bees to control deadly plant pests ...
Talking Biotech: Regulating gene-edited animals as drugs will stifle food innovation
Animal gene editing could revolutionize food production. But FDA regulation stands in the way ...
Talking Biotech: Extreme GMO skeptics know the least about genetics—how should science communicators respond?
People most opposed to GMOs know little about them. How does this impact science communication? ...
Talking Biotech: Genetic engineering could protect at-risk forests—but regulation blocks progress
Changing climates and pathogens threaten forests. Biotechnology could help, if regulators get out of the way ...
Talking Biotech: Turning GMO plants into carcinogen-catching air filters
Could GMO houseplants purify the air in our homes? ...
Talking Biotech: Environmentalist Erin Brockovich is wrong about Monsanto, glyphosate and cancer
Famous environmental advocate Erin Brockovich says glyphosate causes cancer. Here's why she's wrong ...
Talking Biotech: How do we get consumers to think like scientists?
Thomas Zinnen and Kevin Folta tackle a perennial question: How do you communicate science to a hostile audience? ...
Talking Biotech: Tough questions about genetic engineering—a listener interviews Dr. Kevin Folta
Roles are reversed on this week's podcast. Science enthusiast and blogger Gary Nolan interviews Dr. Folta ...
Talking Biotech: As demand for food rises, the world needs more plant scientists
The world needs plant scientists. Two experts explain how you can join the field ...
Talking Biotech: Corporations corrupt science research? What are real conflicts of interest?
A closer look at how money influences science ...
Talking Biotech: Meet the liquor store owner boycotting Smirnoff’s ‘non-GMO’ vodka
Meet Allison Nondorf, a farmer and co-owner of A&C Liquid Assets in Kansas. The liquor store refuses to sell Smirnoff's ...