Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

Upon sequencing the human genome, scientists were surprised to find that it is composed of about 8% viral sequence. These fossils are relics of ancient primate infections where retroviruses incorporated into the chromosome and became part of the human lineage. While these viral elements have contributed positively to speciation and development of specific human traits, they also have the capacity to become pathogenic. Dr. Advinda Nath is the Clinical Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. He joins Talking Biotech to share his experiences, knowledge and predictions in this exciting, emerging area of research.  

We are bombarded with information, but do we know what sources to trust and how to evaluate specific claims?  Melanie Tercek-King joins the podcast to discuss some fundamentals of critical thinking, and implement her tool kit to evaluate which claims have merit, and which might be best disregarded. 

In his new book Dr. Robert Paarlberg describes the current state of the food system, focusing on issues like industrial farming, organic farming, restaurants, biotechnology, and how technology will impact farming in the future.  In today's podcast we discuss some of the critical points of the book and what food and farming may look like in the future. 

Ticks are significant disease vectors, with an emerging scope of pathologies associated with tick bites. New technologies have accelerated the ability to genetically engineer ticks, creating new opportunities to understand gene function in ticks, as well as potentially use gene editing to control numbers or affect disease vectoring. Dr. Monika Gulia-Nuss (University of Nevada, Reno) and Dr. Jason Rasgon (Penn State University) describe tick disease transmission, new transformation technology, and potential applications.  

Dr. Anne Simon is an expert in plant viruses.  She describes some of the current threats to plant biology, and discusses ways that viruses may be used to work for us, rather than against us. She also discusses her time as a technical advisor to The X Files series, and how that experience helped her to share science.  Follow Dr. Simon on Twitter here! 

Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) comprise 8% of the human genome and are relics of ancient infections, some dating back to pre-human primates.  These resident viral elements can be awakened by viral infections, and have been shown to be tightly associated with diseases like Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).  New data suggest a role for HERVs in the neurological symptoms of long COVID. Today's podcast features a conversation with Jesus Martin-Garcia, CEO and Co-Founder of GeNeuro. New therapies target the rogue proteins arising from these ancient viruses, and show promise in treating, if not reversing, disease progression.  Follow GeNeuro on TwitterGeNeuro Website    http://www.geneuro.com/YouTube Videos of their technology# COLABRATalking 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 BIOTECHTwitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotechWebsite: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahqThe 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.

As we enter our eighth year, the podcast is partnering with Colabra, experts in laboratory IT that will help and accelerate your R&D.  You won't see changes in content, but you'll see improvements in website, podcast quality, transcripts and other improvements for the listener. I'm grateful for such substantial listenership and the opportunity to have this forum for my passion of sharing science.# COLABRATalking 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 BIOTECHTwitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotechWebsite: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahqThe 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.

Avocado consumption is rapidly increasing, and global production booming. However, the diversity of fruit choices is typically constrained to Hass.  There is tremendous diversity in avocado, featuring a range of flavors, oil content and seasonal availability. In this week’s podcast we speak with Eric Focht who has been running the breeding program at University of California in Riverside. We discuss the genetic origins, the breeding priorities, and next steps in the genetic improvement of the crop.# COLABRATalking 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 BIOTECHTwitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotechWebsite: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahqThe 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.

The story of Percy Schmeiser is a well known tale of big biotech against the little farmer from rural Saskatchewan. Schmeiser grew canola, and his outstanding harvests were due to herbicide tolerant seeds that he grew himself from materials obtained from means other than purchase. This violation of patent rights became the fodder of activist organizations, and a test of how a large company would respond to an unlicensed use of their technology. Schmeiser became the darling of anti-GMO activists, and he became the figurehead of a conversation about technology, patents, farmers’ rights, and seed sovereignty. This week’s podcast analyzes the film Percy vs. Goliath, a film that attempts to tell Schmeiser’s story. But what was accurate and what was fictionalized in the film?  I spoke with Trish Jordan, who at the time was a communications lead at the Monsanto Corporation and followed the story very closely. She had a front-row seat for the legal proceedings and provides her analysis of the film’s veracity.Follow Trish on Twitter: @AggieCoolChick IMDB page for Percy vs. Goliath# COLABRATalking 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 BIOTECHTwitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotechWebsite: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahqThe 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.

One of the criticisms of farmers is that they fail to engage the public to show what they do. It is understandable, their days are busy, competition is stiff, and farming selects for folks that shun the spotlight. Still it is critical to meet the public where they are, and that is exactly what Zack Johnson does.  Zack is best known as Millennial Famer on YouTube.  He posts video accounts of his daily work, but also interesting events that happen on his farm and around his area. The videos provide and educational and informative look at what happens on the farm, the technology, the hardships, the successes. In this episode we discuss his entry into public engagement, his motivations, and how being a celebrity farmer has affected his operation.  Watch Millennial Farmer on YouTube Follow Zack on Twitter Millennial Farmer Website# COLABRATalking 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 BIOTECHTwitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotechWebsite: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahqThe 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.