The modern technologies in medicinal and agricultural biotechnology are powerful tools that can address a wide range of problems. From improved plants, animals and microbes, the technologies under the umbrella of"genetic engineering" are mostly misunderstood and oftentimes maligned. Biotechnology is well regarded by scientists, yet approached skeptically by a concerned public. The disparity has been conjured by prevalent misinformation on the internet and in activist literature and documentaries. At the same time farmers and scientists have not been good communicators about what the technology is, and isn't.
The Talking Biotech Podcast is a weekly podcast that provides science-based discussion on current topics. The discussion is led by Dr. Kevin Folta, a professor with training in these areas and familiarity with the scholarly literature. Guest will describe current issues in biotechnology, twitter-based questions are answered, and there is a segment dedicated to plant genetic improvement from domestication through today's breeding efforts.
The podcast is geared to anyone wishing to know more about biotechnology, its risks and benefits, and how it can be used to help farmers, the needy, consumers and the environment.
Date | Title & Description | Contributors |
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2024-07-21 |
Resistance to Correction, Breaking Trust in Science - Drs. Andrea Love and Nicole Keller Disinformation clouds the public understanding of science, especially technology in agriculture and medicine. So when a leading journal publishes false information, academic experts have an obligation to help correct the process. This may be done via a... |
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2024-06-29 | Wikipedia is the go-to source for many people when starting to research a subject. But is the information correct, or does the information even exist in Wikipedia at all? Susan Gerbic has been training people to edit Wikipedia pages through the Gorill... |
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2024-06-22 |
Gene Editing in Specialty Crops - Dr. Tom Adams, CEO Pairwise Crop genetic engineering has focused primarily on large-acreage crops like corn. But what about the universe of specialty crops that tantalize consumers, things like blackberries or salad greens? Pairwise has used precision twists on gene editing to ... |
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2024-06-15 | Advancement of a new drug from pre-clinical trials to clinical trials is a pivotal time in validation of its therapeutic effects and safety. A panel of experts discusses the process. |
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2024-06-08 | Today's episode marks the beginning of the 10th year of the Talking Biotech Podcast. To celebrate, Drs. Liza Dunn and Kevin Folta discuss the last decade of biotech breakthroughs and communications efforts, the fight against technology and the amazing... |
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2024-06-02 |
Targeting Chronic Inflammation Via the Inflamasome - Dr. David Bearss Chronic inflammation goes hand-in-hand with many diseases, complicating symptoms and affecting routes of treatment. What is the molecular basis of inflammation, and can it be targeted by new drugs? Scientists have studied the molecular basis of the inf... |
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2024-05-25 | Strategic partnerships are becoming more important in development and deployment of biotechnology solutions. Today's panel discusses the way partnerships are formed, some of the important considerations with IP and licensing, and how relationships are ... |
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2024-05-22 |
Journal Club - Were "High Levels" of Glyphosate Found in Sperm? - Dr. Andrea Love The news reports say that scientists have found "high levels" of herbicide in human sperm, and suggest it is a cause of infertility. But what do the data really say? Dr. Andrea Love and I discuss the paper. A report by Vasseur et al., in the June 2024 ... |
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2024-05-18 |
Standardizing Therapeutic Protein Production in Plants - Jim Wilson Where many therapeutic compounds are raised in bacteria or fungi, plants sometimes offer many advantages as bioreactors. Capital and production costs are lower, and products may be edible instead of injectable. The problem tends to be standardization, ... |
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2024-05-11 | Canada has a unique approach to plant genetic improvement that follows the product, not the process. In other words, if there is potential risk from any genetic manipulation technique, from polyploidization to transgenic to gene edits, Canadian regulat... |
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