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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

34:37

The Dicamba Situation

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/12/06

Over the last two years we have heard reports of herbicide damage to Midwestern crops, bearing the signatures of damage from dicamba. Dicamba is an older herbicide, an auxin analog that mimics a plant hormone associated with growth and cell division. This herbicide was made relevant again in soybeans and cotton, which have been genetically engineered to be dicamba resistant, needed because of the increase in glyphosate-resistant weeds. Since the deployment of these seeds, farmers have seen

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51:00

Seed Company Consolidation

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/12/02

Over the last century there was an incredible rise in the number of seed companies, driven primarily by the profitability of hybrid seeds in regional markets. After the 1980’s, there has been great consolidation in the seed markets, resulting in about a dozen companies selling the vast majority of seeds. The field is dominated by the “Big Six”, several companies that had broad portfolios, that purchased smaller companies in the last decades’ consolidations. The consolidation continues, as

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38:29

Gene Therapies in Pets

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/11/25

The promises of gene therapy have been slow to reach the public for many reasons. Technologies conceived in the 1980’s had a substantial regulatory and proof-of-concept road ahead of them, leading to slow development and deployment. One of the major issues is that these therapies were designed for humans, where ethics concerns and regulation are a challenge to navigate. However, it is possible to demonstrate efficacy in animals. Emily Mullin is the Associate Editor at MIT Technology

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39:39

Plant Parasitic Nematodes in Africa

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/11/18

In this week’s podcast Dr. Jonnny Dalzell guest hosts from Tanzania. He visits with scientists from IITA that are helping devise solutions to nematodes. Nematodes are microscopic soil worms that are difficult to control and require substantial chemical inputs that are not always available and can be hazardous. Uncontrolled nematodes lead to damaged crops, and damage is not always apparent until it is too late. Dr. Dalzell speaks to IITA Kenya scientists Dr. Nessie Luambano, Dr. Danny

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33:09

Gene Editing with TALEN

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/11/11

Gene editing has been the center of attention, affecting everything from plants, to mushrooms, to livestock, to human medicine. However, when we discuss gene editing we typically describe the CRISPR Cas9 system. Such tools have grabbed recent limelight. But churning in the background, the other gene editing methods have been making progress for for years, and products are moving rapidly through pipelines toward approval. Such products will soon be available from Calyxt Corporation

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48:07

Biotechnology in Bolivia

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/11/04

Bolivia shares farming similarities with other South American countries. They have diverse land races and native crops that they wish to preserve. At the same time some wish to take advantage of modern genetic tools. Cecilia Gonzalez was a skeptic, someone that didn’t trust multinational corporations and certainly didn’t trust their technology. As time went on she learned more about the technology and now is an outspoken educator in the area of genetic engineering. Bolivia is at a

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44:02

Food Security, Biotech, NGOs and Africa

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/10/28

In today’s podcast we speak with science journalist and author Mark Lynas. Mark has been a central figure in the discussion of biotechnology, particularly in regard to its role in ensuring food security in the Developing World. In the 1990’s and early 2000’s you could find Mark destroying test plots of genetically engineered crops. Later he would reconsider his view, and support the technology, especially as it can be applied to help issues of food security. Mark discusses the situation

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55:51

Biotech and Ugandan Food Security

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/10/21

Uganda is at an interesting precipice. They have invested in biotech solutions to solve problems in their central food staples, namely the matooke. The matooke is a starchy banana, and while a cornerstone of the diet, it is threatened by disease. Most people are farmers, and tend to ‘gardens’ of 2-3 acres, these are subsistence farmers that use the gardens to feed their families. Xanthamonas bacterial wilt can destroy entire stands of trees. But scientists in Uganda have used breeding

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26:39

Postharvest Solutions in Food Security

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/10/14

Simple solutions can sometimes have tremendous impacts. In this episode Bret Rierson from the World Food Programme discusses a solution to enhancing food security in Africa and around the world. Most African farmers are small acreage subsistence farmers. They eat and trade what the produce. A simple hermetically-sealed, in-home grain silo can protect a harvest from insects, preserving the yield for longer term use, or sale in more favorable market windows. This solution can aid in the

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31:07

RNAi Crop Protection Strategies

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/10/07

The evolution of weed and insect resistance to traditional controls has brought about the need for new approaches in crop protection. Today’s guest is Dr. Doug Sammons (@wiltedweeds) is a biochemist from the Monsanto Company. He has spent a career in understanding mechanisms of herbicide action and resistance, and now discusses new approaches using RNAi to enhance weed sensitivity to herbicide treatment. The result is better weed control and decreased need for herbicide treatments.

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38:10

Restoring the American Chestnut

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/09/30

The American Chestnut dominated the Appalachian landscape, ranging from Georgia all the way to Maine. In the late 1800’s a pathogen imported on a tree to the Bronx Zoo spread rapidly into wild populations, destroying millions of trees, and radically changing the forest. There are natural sources of resistance to the pathogen that are being introduced to the American Chestnut with traditional breeding. Transgenic solutions have also been developed. Dr. Jared Westbrook is leading breeding

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45:32

Genetically Engineered Diamondback Moth

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/09/23

The diamondback moth is a formidable agricultural pest, causing tremendous losses on farms and requiring significant cultural and chemical-based management on both conventional and organic farms. Dr. Tony Shelton has studied the diamonback moth for decades, and now has initiated the first open field trails of a genetically engineered sterile insect technique that could be a helpful solution. Dr. Shelton discusses the potential risks, benefits, promises and pushbacks from proposing this

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70:14

Kevin Folta’s Research and SciComm

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/09/16

Any podcast’s 100th episode is reason to celebrate. In Talking Biotech’s 100th episode Chris Barbey interviews its originator, Dr. Kevin Folta, Professor and Chairman of the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida. They discuss the current research efforts in Folta’s lab along with his science communication efforts and how activists have reshaped his career– simply because he spoke about science. Also, his new roles in science communication.# COLABRATalking Biotech

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36:16

Glyphosate and Human Health

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/09/09

The herbicide glyphosate has been used for over 40 years and is a relatively safe and effective method to control weeds on the farm, in municipal areas and around the home. It has been approved for safe use by many countries and evaluations by multiple independent governments have declared it to have minimal risk when used as directed. However, glyphosate is the compound used on some genetically engineered crops. Activists have targeted this compound in an attempt to limit the use of

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36:21

Domestication and Radiation of Cats

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/09/02

Modern cats are a lot like their wild counterparts, with specific traits that were gained through domestication. Prof. Eva-Maria Geigl is a paleo-geneticist who examines ancient DNA sequences from mummified cat remains, and has reconstructed a genetic history of modern cats. Genetic evidence explains their origins and radiation, as well as key traits associated with human relations.# COLABRATalking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s

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47:48

Environmental and Economic Impacts of Biotech Crops

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/08/26

The annual report by agricultural economists Brookes and Barfoot is a helpful resource to understand the impacts of agricultural biotechnology. The peer-reviewed report is dense, and contains substantial information about crop use, yields, production statistics, and ag input use worldwide. It is a tremendous resource for hard data for discussing crops and the crop protection chemistries used. Today’s podcast is an interview with Dr. Graham Brookes, the lead author of the report. We

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41:07

Biotech Regulatory Affairs

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/08/19

Regulation of new technology in food crops is important for many reasons. It is critical to ensure safety, but a robust regulatory system also shapes consumer sentiment. Today’s guest is Dr. Robert Potter. Dr. Potter has a diverse background spanning from molecular biology bench skills through participation in many nodes of the regulatory system. He explains the importance of regulation and how regulation is performed in the Canadian system. Other topics, like the Bt brinjal, are also

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72:30

Imaging Animal Behavior / Targeted for Your Science

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/08/12

Understanding animal stress is important for many reasons. If we know how the animal brain responds to change it helps us understand habitat destruction and climate effects on population dynamics, and can provide important information about human impacts, adaptation, and animal conservation. Understanding the animal neurological and physiological response to stress in models translates well to other animals, including humans. This week’s podcast is a discussion with Dr. Christine Lattin,

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42:13

Bioactive Small RNAs (and the cool paper that wasn’t)

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/08/05

Back in 2012 a paper rocked the scientific community. The claim was that small RNA molecules in dietary plant products could escape digestion, move through the bloodstream, and cause regulatory changes in animal physiology. The concept was that the food we ate could change gene expression in new, unexpected ways. For those of us studying the literature this was a great breakthrough that seemed impossible– but we all desperately wanted it to be true. It would open a new area of science

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46:43

Ben and Jerry’s Roundup

Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta ·

2017/07/29

A story exploded in the New York Times claiming that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and a potent herbicide, was detected in 10/11 flavors of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. The anti-biotech universe propagated the story, implying a dangerous threat from this historically socially responsible product. There are several important questions here. *Is this an appropriate way to report scientific findings? *Are the results reliable? *Why was Ben and Jerry’s targeted by this activist

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487 results

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