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PODCAST

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

Talking Biotech is a weekly podcast that uncovers the stories, ideas and research of people at the frontier of biology and engineering. Each episode explores how science and technology will transform agriculture, protect the environment, and feed 10 billion people by 2050. Interviews are led by Dr. Kevin Folta, a professor of molecular biology and genomics.

science life sciences

All Episodes

39:39

Effectiviolgy – Sharpening Critical Thinking Skills

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/09/15

In framing effective discussions about any subject it is important to understand human psychology, and the mistakes we make in debate. It also is important to understand how ingrained human tendencies shape our perceptions and skew our willingness to accept new information. In this episode Itamar Schatz discusses these concepts, concepts that are the basis of his website Effectiviology. We discuss critical thinking and the issues that cloud discussion like confirmation bias, logical

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35:20

Glyphosate Trends in Agriculture

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/09/08

The herbicide glyphosate has been in use for over 40 years. It is non-selective (kills all plants), it is inexpensive and has extremely low toxicity. These attributes made it an important tool for municipalities, farmers, and homeowners. Use increased starting in 1996 with the advent of glyphosate-tolerant (marketed under the brand name “Roundup Ready”) crops, which have expanded in acreage ever since. Rob Saik (@rsaik) is an agronomist with significant experience and accolades in

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32:06

Transparency vs. Confidentiality

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/09/01

This last week podcast host Kevin Folta found himself in a difficult predicament. There was palpable outrage by those affiliated with a science website where he participated in some of their activities. Turns out that Folta also did paid work outside of his university job, which is normal. He was retained by a law firm as a special matters expert, someone to analyze some data in a private mediation. He was bound my confidentiality to not discuss the details of the case. The folks from

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42:39

Malaria, Artemisia and Artemisinin

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/08/25

Malaria is a tremendous world health problem, affecting the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the developing (and industrialized) world. One of the most effective therapies is derived from a natural compound produced in the plant Artemisia annua. In this week’s podcast Dr. Ian Graham from the University of York describes the problem of malaria, historical treatments, the use of artemesia and the isolation of artemisinin. Breeding and engineering of plants and microbes to enhance

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40:09

Chicken Domestication

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/08/18

The chicken is by far the most abundant animal farmed on earth, grown for meat and eggs. But where did it come from? What kinds of birds were domesticated? When? Where? What were the traits that came from wild jungle fowl that give us today’s familiar bird? These questions and more are answered by Dr. Greger Larson from Oxford University. Dr. Larson combines data from genomics, archaeology, and anthropology to reconstruct the ancient history of various animals, illuminating how they

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37:46

Plant Disease Networks

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/08/11

Plant disease resistance is a complicated arms race between the plant and pathogens. Bacteria, viruses and fungi evolve in lock-step with plants, creating new ways to overcome new disease resistance strategies. Resistance to disease has a foundation in the gene-for-gene model, a model that hypothesizes that plants and pathogens have a molecular relationship with each other that mediates pathogenicity. Today’s podcast features Drs. Lida Derevnina and Chih-Hang Wu, postdoctoral researchers

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39:02

Psychology, Consumers and Decisions

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/08/04

Dr. David Just studies human behavior and how psychology ties in with economic decisions. His work at Cornell examines the interesting overlays that cause consumers to behave how they do. In this podcast we examine consumer decisions in food, including a discussion about soft drinks, ketchup, meat, and ingredients from genetically engineered crops. We also touch on the “GMO labeling” issue.Follow Dr. Just: @DavidJust1 Also follow his podcast discussions at @MadHatEconomics And download

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63:35

Aflatoxin, Problems and Solutions

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/07/28

Alfatoxins are a significant threat to human health and world food security. They are naturally-occurring toxic compounds produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus and other species. These fungi thrive on corn, peanuts, wheat, rice and other food staples, and grow well in stored food supplies. The compounds are potent carcinogens, and it is estimated that billions of people suffer from chronic exposure. Today’s guest is Dr. Peter Ojiambo from North Carolina State University. He

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37:32

The Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato in Africa

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/07/21

The 2016 World Food Prize went to a group that coordinated the breeding, promotion and distribution of the orange-fleshed sweet potato in Africa. One of person on the team was economist Dr. Jan Low. The sweet potato grows well in many parts of Africa. It is not the sweet potato known to westerners. It is white and dry, and more like bread than the well known Thanksgiving sweet potato. At the same time there is widespread vitamin A deficiency, especially among children. Could the

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36:23

Barley Domestication and Breeding

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/07/14

Barley is an important grain, with prominent roles as the foundation of bread and beer. Dr. Sheila Adimargono shares the interesting stories around barley’s history, the traits that early domesticators found useful, and information about its modern production. The discussion covers everything from the evidence of barley’s origin to modern genomic analysis.Follow Sheila: @seminisa# COLABRATalking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s

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49:44

Russia’s GMO Disinformation Campaign

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/07/07

When social scientists examined messaging in new media around GE crops, a few trends became apparent. Surprising evidence emerged that showed that the Russian Federation is actively participating in a campaign, here in the USA, to malign GE crops with a goal of influencing public opinion. In this week’s episode Dr. Shawn Dorius from Iowa State University talks about the recent findings. He describes a literal propaganda campaign designed for English-speaking countries. The apparent goal

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35:23

Seeds of Science

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/06/30

Mark Lynas believed in his heart that he was doing the right thing. He was joining others in tearing out field trials of GE crops, and effectively arrested research and development around crop biotechnology. He participated in a movement that significantly shaped public opinion that influences policy to this day. But Mark is a scientific author, and when writing about climate change understood the need for rigorous evaluation of scientific evidence. When he applied the same thinking to

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40:52

Recognizing Dr. Rosalind Franklin

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/06/23

The race to determine the structure of DNA has a dark subtext that is frequently ignored when discussing this seminal discovery in biology. Competing groups at Cambridge and King’s College set their sights on resolving this important question. King’s College recruited a bright young x-ray crystalographer, a scientist that used energy to examine molecular structure. Her name was Dr. Rosalind Franklin. While teams in this old-boy’s network pushed forward, Franklin used her skills to

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50:36

Maize, Mexico, and Transgene Flow

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/06/16

Mexico is the center of origin for maize, and there is a substantial interest in protecting the genetic integrity of this limited resource. At the same time Mexico’s population is growing, and farmers potentially find utility in growing genetically-engineered corn, as resistance to insects and lower pesticide use are attractive traits. There is an intricate balance between feeding a population and ensuring farmer profit versus preservation of a genetic resource. In this week’s podcast

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31:23

Modern Wheat and Celiac Disease

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/06/09

The internet claims that the increases in celiac disease is rooted in modern wheat varieties, as human intervention in plant genetics must be the cause of human disorders. But what does the evidence tell us? In this week’s episode we’re joined by Dr. Senay Simsek from North Dakota State University. Dr. Simsek is a recognized chemist that specializes in wheat composition. Her recent paper in the journal Food Chemistry examines the levels of gluten in modern varieties and compares it to

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36:07

Food Labeling

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/06/02

Are food labels adding clarity or confusion? Focus groups show that consumer sentiment toward food labels is changing. Colleen Parr-Dekker is the Director of Communications at Elanco. They have performed extensive focus group analysis and consumer surveys to understand how consumers feel about labels and food. The excess of abstract information and claims has left most consumers unsure what labels even mean. Consumers are clueless about terms like “antibiotic free” or “free range”,

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52:45

Engineering Plant Virus Resistance

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/05/26

Dr. Devang Mehta has been working in virus suppression in cassava, a key food staple in the Developing world. In this week’s podcast he speaks about the RNAi and gene editing approaches that are used to engineer resistant plants. Dr. Mehta describes the. nuts and bolts and successes and failures in applying new technology, and the things that are learned along the way. Hosted by Dr. Paul Vincelli (@pvincell).Dr. Devang Mehta – @drdevangm# COLABRATalking Biotech is brought to you by

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62:09

Biotech, Farming and the Developing World

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/05/19

Those that live in the affluent countries of the West have little clue of the challenges of farming in the Developing World. In this special episode, Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam (@biobeef) of the University of California Davis interviews three experts that understand food security in their respective countries. Dr. Emma Naluyima of Entebbe, Uganda is a veterinarian that feeds an extended family from one acre of land. She shares her innovative methods and experiences. Nassib Mugwanya of

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43:41

An Extension Agronomist’s View of GE Crops

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/05/12

The Extension arm of the Land Grant University system provides a link between university research and the farm. Extension specialists are professional liaisons that understand pressing issues, and seek remedies in the brain trust of the university. At the same time they communicate university-derived solutions to statewide clientele, providing a critical link that ensures relevance in research and rapid application of new findings. Dr. Chad Lee is an extension agronomist at the University

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27:44

Indian Suicides and Farmer Debt

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2018/05/05

The problem of farmer suicides in India is very real, and has been for some time. Suicides are driven by indebtedness, and there are many reasons that farmers find themselves in financially challenging times. In the context of the biotech debates, some of seized on this tragedy and exploit it for political gain, blaming biotech crops for acrued debt. Vaishnavi Tripuraneni is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wisconsin. She is from India, and used the opportunity to study the question

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487 results

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