Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

Throughout the COVID19 pandemic we have heard various opinions about wearing face coverings and protective masks. Some see them as critical components of public health. Others see them as a senseless violation of their personal freedom, and claim the masks have absolutely no effect on infectious disease. This week’s podcast is an interview with a world expert, Dr. Raina MacIntyre of the Kirby Institute. She is a leading scholar in the area of PPE and public health and infectious disease, and has been involved in many studies, including comparisons of different kinds of masks, their use, and compliance in disease transmission.  Follow the Talking Biotech Podcast on iTunes Closing theme is Sleepwalk by Santo and Johnny (1959)  # 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.

Leah McGrath is a Registered Dietitian with a great presence in social media. She is the corporate dietitian for a major grocery chain, and has had an important role in shaping the messaging around the multitude of food issues. She has been instrumental in debunking bad information in social media space.  In this podcast we discuss how the COVID19 crisis has reshaped shopping and consumption patterns, some maybe for the better.  Follow Leah on Twitter: @LeahMcGrathRD# 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.

From the dawn of the pandemic there  has been a notable rise in false information that clouds public perception and harms trust in scientific guidance.  To remedy this situation it is critical that we step into conversations with the best possible information.  Dr. Natalie Dean is a biostatistican that studies emerging infectious disease at the University of Florida. In this episode we discuss the current situation, the reporting of statistics, the current trends, and then answer questions from social media. The intent is to provide you with accurate information from the world’s foremost authorities so that you may engage critical conversations with confidence.Follow Dr. Dean on Twitter: @nataliexdean And her website is here.# 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 wartime response of the Manhattan Project streamlined production of weapons to revolve World War II.  The plan involved massive redundancy, streamlining and parallelization of approaches to ensure the most rapid progress in technology development.  Dr. Hannu Rajaniemi of HelixNano called for the development of a Vaccine Manhattan Project in a recent article on Medium, suggesting a pathway to widespread immunization in six months, and at a fraction of the cost of sustained shutdown or consumer reluctance to participate in the economy. He examines the current state of the pandemic, the proposed methods of mitigation, and what the path to a vaccine in six months might look like. Dr. Hannu Rajaniemi on Twitter – @Hannu# 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.

Weeds are a tremendous problem in agriculture, costing farmers billions a year in crop loss and the cost of control.  In Europe one of the critical weeds is black grass, which causes great losses in wheat and other grass crops.  However, little is known about this weed, especially the molecular basis of herbicide resistance. Dr. Dana MacGregor came to the daunting task of attacking the molecular biology of a non-model organism. She has applied an ambitious toolbox from basic science to an aggressive agricultural pest.  You can genuinely sense her passions in how to solve problems that matter using the tools of basic biology.Follow Dr. MacGregor on Twitter:  @plantenv Dr. MacGregor’s laboratory website is here.# 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.

Cattle are currently used for meat, milk, hide products and as work animals.  Where did they come from?  Who are the wild relatives?  Dr. Hans Lenstra from the Utrecht University describes the domestication of cattle, their radiation throughout the world, and the traits that humans have selected.  We discuss the current state of genomics as well as how genomic selection, artificial insemination and gene editing might influence the future of cattle production.# 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.

Western Africa holds many nations of substantial population and an emerging economies.  The nation has recently approved the use of the Bt cowpea to farm without applied insecticide, and with the new technology comes the need to ensure that it is used correctly.  Today’s podcast features Francis Onyekachi, Program Officer, West African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).  AATF helps with training farmers around the proper stewardship practices and connecting them with national extension experts.  He describes the infrastructure that came with deregulation of the cowpea, and describes how the country’s regulators and oversight agencies will work with them to ensure successful application.Hosted by Modesta Abugu.Modesta on Twitter:   @modestannediAATF Website here. AATF Twitter: @aatfafrica Frances Onyekachi on Twitter: @FrancisOnyek3# 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 meta-analysis is traditionally considered to be a high synthesis of extant scientific literature. Their implicit power places them in headlines and they are used to sway policy and reshape fields of research.  However, over the past three decades there has been an explosion in meta-analyses. There are many reasons for this increase, but like everything, as more people are involved, we see a tendency toward abuse of the instrument. There is a trend toward inappropriate comparisons, statistical massaging, and overstepping of data to draw sensational conclusions. Today’s guest is Dr. Geoffrey Kabat, he’s a senior researcher and epidemiologist that has been critical of headline-grabbing syntheses that are rife with author bias, mis-integration of data, and inappropriate comparisons. Dr. Kabat talks about the problem, its effects, and poses some solutions for researchers and other science consumers.Follow Dr. Kabat on Twitter:  @GeoKabat Also at geoffreykabat.com# 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.

In this special edition of the Talking Bitotech Podcast Dr. Kevin Folta covers recent topics in COVID19.  These topics are pulled from the headlines and distilled to that you can better communicate the current state of this health crisis.# 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.

Grafting is an age-old practice of connecting a set of roots to an aerial portion of a separate plant.  Together they typically exhibit enhanced productivity, disease resistance, or other trait that makes grafting a useful practice.  But why does it work? How does it work? What happens at the cells in the junction where different plants collide?  Dr. Charles Melnyk from the Swedish Agricultural University sheds light on this mysterious process.  We cover the history, applications, and what’s happening at the interface of two very different biologies uniting as one.Follow Dr. Melnyk on Twitter: @CharlesMelnyk# 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.