Stay ConnectedTalking 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.
Copyright: © 2023 Colabra
The topic of “pesticides” is the new frontier in the opposition to agricultural biotechnology. Opponents of the technology blame new genetic improvement methods for perceived increases in chemical controls for plant, animal and fungal pests. However, scientists argue that our pest control strategies are increasingly focused, less toxic, and work better. This episode features an interview with Dr. Steve Savage. He is a life-long expert in chemical control of insects and weeds, and has practical experience in evaluating both organic and conventional strategies.
He joins us on Talking Biotech to clarify many of the concerns about pesticide usage.
Dr. Savage on Twitter: @grapedoc
His Blog: Applied Mythology
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Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more at https://www.colabra.app/
# TALKING BIOTECH
Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotech
Website: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahq
The Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.
This week we’re joined by Richard Levine, communications director for the Entomological Society of America. We discuss bees, butterflies, insecticides and some of the current issues in crop protection from an entomological perspective. We then turn to the idea of promoting artwork using a science podcast, and the important effort to get Dr. Barbara McClintock on the ten dollar bill, replacing some guy. We discuss the barriers to her participation in science, and describe why she would be such a fitting presence on our currency– not just because she was a woman, not just because she was a scientist, but because she broken down barriers.
# COLABRA
Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more at https://www.colabra.app/
# TALKING BIOTECH
Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotech
Website: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahq
The Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.
This week features two discussions with fellows serving in the Global Leadership Program of the Cornell Alliance for Science. The first part is a discussion with Nassib Mugwanya, Outreach Leader for the Ugandan Biosciences Information Center. He discusses the state of biotech solutions in Uganda, both in terms of critical needs and the current pipeline. The second part is a discussion about the public Ask Me Anything event that was held near the university where I served as a panelist. Jayson Merkley is another Fellow in the program. We discuss the surprises and the lessons learned in the event.
# COLABRA
Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more at https://www.colabra.app/
# TALKING BIOTECH
Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotech
Website: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahq
The Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.
This episode is an introduction to tomatoes, popular fruits that provide great variation to the eye and palate, as well as the foundation of many recipes. Surprisingly, tomatoes are fragile fruits and the plants can be difficult to grow. They are under constant attack from pests and pathogens, and new varieties must deliver profits for growers and beautiful, flavorful fruits for industry and the consumer.
Tomato improvement is happening in several ways. Dr. Sam Hutton is an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center outside of Tampa, FL. Dr. Hutton is a traditional breeder that uses molecular tools to speed development of new cultivars for Florida growers. He talks about the origins of tomato, it’s domestication, and the current breeding priorities. He also discusses the challenges to the industry and future opportunities.
The second part of the podcast is Dr. Diana Horvath form Two Blades Foundation. Dr. Horvath discusses the BS2 transgenic tomato. The plant has been engineered with a gene from pepper that confers resistance to bacterial diseases. These diseases profoundly affect yields, and require use of anti-microbial compounds in both conventional and organic production. Adoption of the BS2 tomato could increase yields for farmers, decrease production costs, and require fewer pesticides.
# COLABRA
Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more at https://www.colabra.app/
# TALKING BIOTECH
Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotech
Website: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahq
The Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.
This week’s Talking Biotech features discussion of Huanglongbing (HLB) also known as Citrus Greening Disease. The disease is devastating Florida citrus, and is causing a massive hardship on the State’s iconic industries. We are joined by Ricke Kress from Southern Gardens Citrus, one of the largest producers and processors. Southern Gardens has experienced massive losses from citrus greening, losing over 800,000 trees. They are now in the process of deregulating the first genetically engineered citrus variety. A gene from spinach moved to citrus trees confers tolerance to this disease, and the plants are asymptomatic and productive so far. This is another excellent example of how these technologies, developed by small companies or universities, can solve issues that help ensure future delivery of fresh, healthy fruit.
# COLABRA
Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more at https://www.colabra.app/
# TALKING BIOTECH
Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotech
Website: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahq
The Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.
This week I had to address the elephant in the room. What’s up with the recent flack about Monsanto funding a science communication outreach program?
What is happening with FOIA? What is the future of the Talking Biotech science communication program?
Yes, I actually went on a vacation-vacation, first time since April 2002. And it was in a place with no cell signal or internet access.
# COLABRA
Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more at https://www.colabra.app/
# TALKING BIOTECH
Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotech
Website: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahq
The Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.
This week’s podcast discusses Kevin Folta’s public records situation for 60 seconds.
That is followed by a talk with Dr. Andrew McKemey from Oxitec in Oxford, England. Oxitec has a technology that allows rearing of male mosquitoes that transmit a gene that disrupts offspring from developing. This technology has been show to work field situations, providing potential solutions to mosquito-borne disease. Dr. McKemey describes the technology and addresses ecological concerns.
In the second part Dr. Phil Stewart from Driscoll’s Strawberry Associates talks about careers in plant breeding. There is a desperate need for plant breeders in both industry and academia. These high-paying, satisfying careers outnumber the supply of graduating students to fill the positions. Dr. Stewart discusses his job, the required preparations, and how interested students can target these lucrative and fulfilling career paths.
# COLABRA
Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more at https://www.colabra.app/
# TALKING BIOTECH
Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotech
Website: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahq
The Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.
This week’s podcast is an important analysis of two published reports. First, the results from the famous Rothamstead wheat trial show that their transgene does not confer resistance to aphids, inconsistent with their laboratory findings. While this outcome was considered to be a successful, reliable answer, it was billed as an abject failure on anti-biotech activist websites. Today we revisit the issues of publication and peer-review, and the story of the threats of vandalism against the experiment. We then will speak with Prof. John Pickett from Rothamstead Research Institute. We’ll discuss the lab work the trials, and future directions.
The second part of the podcast discusses the recent publication from Adyydurai et al that claims transgenic soy produces abnormal amounts of formaldehyde, relative to non-transgenic controls. The conclusion comes from a computational approach that was never experimentally validated. Since, I have extended an offer to test their hypothesis, yet they have not accepted the opportunity to examine if their prediction is in fact correct. Meanwhile, they are using this paper as a warning about transgenic crops.
# COLABRA
Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more at https://www.colabra.app/
# TALKING BIOTECH
Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotech
Website: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahq
The Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.
This Talking Biotech Podcast features Dr. William Powell from SUNY, where he is co-Director of the American Chestnut Research and Restoration Project. The American Chestnut was a dominant forest tree in Appalachia until the late 1800’s when it was destroyed by disease. Dr. Powell’s project has used a transgenic approach to confer resistance to the disease, with the goal of repatriating the forest with this dominant tree species. Dr. Richard Michelmore from UC-Davis talks about lettuce history, genetics, genomics and breeding, with surprising information about lettuce that will make you never look at a head of lettuce the same way again.
# COLABRA
Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more at https://www.colabra.app/
# TALKING BIOTECH
Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotech
Website: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahq
The Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.
Ag professionals know their businesses and on-farm practices better than anyone. However, they don’t tend to share their story in public space, allowing others (including unscrupulous hucksters and activists) to warp their reality.
How do we get the real experts excited about communicating about new technology, and how it is used on the farm? New innovations in crops and animals stand to improve productivity and quality of farm products, with benefits to farmers, the consumer and the environment.
This is the topic of Dr. Kevin Folta’s presentation to the Florida Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Symposium in Naples, FL, July 18, 2015. An accompanying slide show is available at www.slideshare.net/kevinfolta . Please use it to talk to others, especially family, concerned friends, and people that need to understand the value of biotech innovations.
Innovation goes to application with communication.
# COLABRA
Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more at https://www.colabra.app/
# TALKING BIOTECH
Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotech
Website: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahq
The Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.
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