Discussion of genetic innovations to improve plants, animals and medicine
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Sep303 days agoThe 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 pop...
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Sep231 week agoThe 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. ...
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Sep162 weeks agoAny 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...
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Sep093 weeks agoThe 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 [...]
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Sep021 month agoModern 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...
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Aug261 month agoThe 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 s...
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Aug191 month agoRegulation 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. Rober...
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Aug122 months agoUnderstanding 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,...
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Aug052 months agoBack 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 ch...
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Jul292 months agoA 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-biote...
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Jul222 months agoDr. Sabina Vidal is a professor at the National Republic University in Uruguay. Her lab is interested in the genetic improvement of soybean, especially in response to abiotic stress. This episode...
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Jul153 months agoToday’s genomics explosion has foundations in seminal discoveries in molecular biology almost 50 years ago. Today’s guest, Sir Richard Roberts, was a pivotal figure in a number of these areas. He ...
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Jul083 months agoNeonicotinoids (neonics) are a class of insecticides based on natural plant compounds that disrupt the insect nervous system. They are used because they have relatively low toxicity on non-insects....
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Jul013 months agoDomestication Dr. Lazaro Peres De novo domestication also has the potential to expand genetic diversity in crops, potentially conferring additional roles in food security. Like the podcast? P...
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Jun213 months agoThe representation of crop biotechnology in film has been an asymmetrical assault on science and reason. Food Evolution breaks that trend. The film tells several stories of biotech applications, w...
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Jun174 months agoGlyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, has been used as a non-selective (kills all plants) herbicide since 1970. It blocks a necessary step in plant metabolism and the plant d...
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Jun104 months agoThe documentary space is filled with disparaging films about food science, including those that target biotechnology. Many of these films feature artistic flair, and tell a compelling story throug...
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Jun034 months agoForests are under many threats, from new pests and pathogens, to invasive trees, to climate. The advancement of these traits by far exceeds the natural response of trees to acclimate, and outpaces...
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May274 months agoWhile the technologies of genetic engineering are quite commonplace, it was not always the case. The scientists that blazed the trail hold tremendous history, and it is good to visit with them to ...
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May194 months agoIn the race to feed 10 billion people by 2050 some agricultural production will shift to where people live. The idea of vertical farms or repurposing urban space for agriculture is becoming increa...