Paxlovid is the best COVID-19 therapy we have. So why are some patients displaying symptoms after treatment with this anti-viral drug?
any smokers don’t get lung cancer. But why do so many non-smokers end up with the disease? A preliminary study suggests that fetal facial scans could help physicians detect serious diseases in unborn children. Does “industrialized” farming really threaten biodiversity? Not exactly. In fact, one agricultural scientist says advances in plant breeding can help preserve … Read more
e frequently receive requests to comment on specific news stories. These are usually examples of journalists or pundits commenting on subjects they know nothing about and badly misleading their audiences as a result. Earlier this week, a dispatch subscriber asked us to review an opinion piece published in the Epoch Times: “Saying No to Glyphosate in … Read more
re young people more likely to display narcissistic and psychopathic traits? If so, why? A recent study has proposed intriguing answers to both questions. Geneticists may have finally explained why many smokers never get lung cancer. US Activist groups are targeting the EU with “studies” alleging that the continent’s food supply has been tainted with … Read more
onsumers in the UK may soon have access to a gene-edited tomato that boosts their vitamin D levels. Monkeypox is here, but don’t panic, experts say, because the threat is manageable. Has the environmental movement only recently developed an allergy to technology, or has it always harbored skepticism of scientific innovation? Join geneticist Kevin Folta … Read more
his Roundup ingredient might cause cancer—but the EPA won’t ban it,” Popular Science told its readers in a terribly misleading January 13 story about the weedkiller glyphosate. After nearly 50 years on the market and thousands of studies investigating its health effects, most experts are convinced that the herbicide poses minimal risk to humans. That should be the … Read more
drug given once monthly as an injection could drastically reduce opioid use in the US. Why is it so difficult for doctors to access? It might be possible to turn our wasted food into a sustainable source of energy. Are diets a thing of the past? Newly developed medicines appear to be as effective as … Read more
here’s a “toxic 10” group of chemicals lurking in every single food you consume. Listen in to find out what you should know about these ubiquitous substances. Could gene editing reverse some cases of heart disease? Finally, can you predict a dog’s behavior based on which breed it belongs to? A new study says no. … Read more
hy Is Bill Gates Buying Up Stolen Native American Land?” British comedian and actor Russell Brand asked in a recent YouTube video. Relying largely on anti-GMO activist Vandana Shiva, Brand spent nearly 17 minutes warning about the dangers of billionaires taking over the global food system. Here’s what he got wrong. Russell Brand is a … Read more
ctivists frequently assert that ‘Big Meat’ has tried to deny agriculture’s contribution to climate change. Is there any truth to this conspiracy theory? Food production takes a toll on the environment. While there’s no denying that fact, the good news is that farming is becoming more sustainable as new technologies come online, enabling more people … Read more
MO grapes exist, so why can’t we buy them? Farmers in the Philippines have access to disease-fighting Golden Rice after more than two decades of delay. Why does the FDA continue to regulate gene-edited animals as if they’re drugs? There isn’t a bit of data to justify the agency’s position. Join geneticist Kevin Folta and … Read more
lant-based and cell-based meats have been sold as sustainable alternatives to animal products, but are they really as good as their proponents claim? A growing body of research indicates that intermittent fasting (IF) can help some people lose weight and improve their metabolic health. Just how good is IF? Do genetically engineered crops promote monocultures? … Read more
he standard story most people know about “GMOs” centers around a handful of commodity crops engineered to withstand exposure to weedkillers or produce natural insecticides that ward off pests. Activists have for years waged a misleading campaign to demonize these important innovations as deadly Monsanto creations that could wreak havoc on the environment and human … Read more
reating vaccine-hesitant individuals like they are hardcore vaccine “deniers” could backfire as a science-outreach strategy. Can the food you eat actually change your DNA? Biotechnology gave us effective COVID-19 vaccines, and it may prove even more useful when the next global health crisis arrives. Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode … Read more
oday, many scientific discussions are shot through with social justice rhetoric, and the debate over food security in the developing world is no exception. Battling hunger isn’t just about raising living standards, in part, by giving farmers access to important technologies like biotech crops, but confronting “colonial legacies” and embracing “Indigenous knowledge systems.” Those of us … Read more
eyond needless loss of life, the war in Ukraine has caused a trade war that could slash global food production, taking the greatest toll on the poorest of us. The silver lining: this tragic situation may inspire some long-overdue policy reforms. The world is in a precarious place. Besides the fact that several thousand people … Read more
s there a science-based case for organic farming? One professor says yes, but how compelling are his arguments? Environmental Working Group (EWG) is back with its annual ‘Dirty Dozen’ list, and experts are again criticizing EWG for unnecessarily scaring consumers away from safe fruits and vegetables. Ten years after receiving a novel gene therapy, children … Read more
major university recently halted a science outreach event because the invited speakers were white men. Has so-called “cancel culture” finally come for science communication? Genetic engineering may help stop the spread of avian flu and alleviate cat allergy symptoms, but will these powerful tools ever receive FDA approval? Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP contributor … Read more
orth Carolina State University recently cancelled a science-outreach event because the invited speakers have the wrong skin color. It’s another example of academic institutions prizing a radical social agenda over education. “Our lack of desire to communicate science to the public has created major problems for the science community,” the journal Nature reported in June 2016. “It … Read more
