Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

Cassava is a staple food crop in Africa and Asia, yet is widely unknown by the industrialized world.  While almost a billion people depend on this crop, production is limited by a series of diseases, and it also lacks critical nutrients that could help reverse local deficiencies. Dr. Chiedozie Egesi is a scientist dedicated to cassava improvement. He discusses the crop, the challenges to growth, and how biotechnology solutions could help facets of production.  They also discuss some of the recent momentum in biotech adoption in Africa.  Hosted by Modesta Abugu.Follow Dr. EgesiWebsite Twitter Follow Modesta Abugu on Twitter # 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.

I’ve dreaded this day.  I have not missed a Saturday in a long time, but after being told to end the series by the institution I have not been able to find someone that can do the work to host the podcast on a weekly basis.I hope that those that complained to the university feel good about their accomplishment.  And it is people that claim to be friends of science, BTW.Right now the most prudent move is to go on a hiatus. I need time to regroup. My feeling is that I’m just going to come back, continue the podcast, and navigate the consequences.It does not make it easy.Sharing science is my passion and communicating the truths and deciphering the evidence is more critical than ever.  It is a shame I work for an institution that does not share that view. Please do not unsubscribe yet.  Stand by. I should know more about the fate of this vehicle by the end of January.Thank you for listening to the Talking Biotech Podcast, and I’ll talk to you soon.  Thank you.Kevin  # 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.

Kenya is an emerging economy and has significant investment in advanced technologies.  However, a 2013 ban on biotech crops has limited farmer access to the most needed technologies for the field.  That moratorium is finally being lifted, as biotech cotton has been approved and will be available to farmers in 2020.  Farmers recognize the potential for Bt cotton to reduce or eliminate dependence on the insecticides currently required for production.  Today’s guest is Daniel Magondu, Chairman of the Society of Biotech Farmers of Kenya.  The episode is hosted by Modesta Abugu, a graduate student studying tomato improvement.Follow Modesta Abugu on Twitter: @modestannedi About the Society of Biotech Farmers in Kenya (SOBIFAK)# 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.

Dr. Stuart Smyth is no stranger to anyone that has watched social media.  As a leading ag economist he has consistently represented science and technology fairly and accurately, and tethered to his prolific publication of books and scholarly publication, he is a visible influencer in scientific and social media circles.  In today’s podcast we discuss his views on risks and benefits of GE crops, the rules of the EU and his home country of Canada.  We discuss the future of new technology, and made a few predictions about the next decade.Follow Dr. Smyth on Twitter:  @stuartsmyth66 His website at University of Saskatchewan:  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 cowpea is a high-protein food staple in parts of Africa, particularly in the growing countries of Nigeria, Niger, and Burkina-Fasso. Production is predominantly on small holder farms.  Production is threatened by the pod borer, the larvae of a moth referred to as Maruca, that limits yields and causes farmers to apply large amounts of insecticide to protect their crops.  Dr. TJ Higgins and his team from CSIRO have worked with African scientists to develop a Bt-expressing cowpea.  These lines produce the protein that targets maruca larvae, decreasing insecticide use and producing higher yields in field trials. This innovation is now available to Nigerian farmers and represents a major step forward in sustainability and food security.# 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.

There is a massive amount of human genomic DNA sequence data, and it is now possible to identify correlates with specific disease, drug sensitivity and physiological variation.  The concept of “genomic medicine” or “precision medicine” is that therapeutic interventions are guided by genetic information.  In today’s podcast we speak with Dr. Julie Johnson.  Dr. Johnson is a Dean and Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Florida.  She outlines what precision medicine is, along with some of its strengths and limitations, as well as some predictions of new approaches on the horizon to improve delivery of specific therapies.  Co-hosted by Dr. Karla Claudio.The views and opinions of this podcast do not necessarily those of the University of Florida, its faculty or students, and it is produced entirely separately from the university with all funding provided personally by Kevin Folta# 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.

 Nitrogen is essential for crop growth.  That reality has led to intensive crop fertilization using nitrogen fixed through the Haber-Bosch process, which has energy costs in production and transport.  At the same time there are well known examples of nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with plants, as well as some that colonize within the plant itself.  Can these naturally occurring bacteria actually be used within the plant to assist in the nitrogen fixation process?  Nolan Berg joins the podcast from Azotics, a company with a pioneer product.  This bacterial strain lives within the plant, fixing nitrogen and limiting the need for exogenous application.Visit the Azotic North America website here. Follow Azotic North America on Twitter:  @AzoticNA The views and opinions of this podcast do not necessarily those of the University of Florida, its faculty or students, and it is produced entirely separately from the university with all funding provided personally by Kevin Folta# 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.

While the country of Australia has been growing genetically-engineered crops for over 15 years, the state of South Australia has banned their use.  This moratorium has been in place since 2004, and requires farmers to shift to alternative crop protection strategies that often have a significant yield penalty. Recent changes in political representation in the region appeared to be more farmer friendly, and many felt that change was coming. Unfortunately, local activists connected to Green Party representatives in Parliament, were able to derail efforts to end the moratorium. Today’s podcast meets with Caroline Rhodes, CEO of Grain Producers South Australia.  She describes the rationale behind the ban, the effects, and next steps to ensure seed sovereignty. Ultimately this is a case of restricting farmer choice, and a look into the playbook of how to manipulate politicians with fear, uncertainty and doubt.Follow this story:  @GrainProducerSA Follow Caroline Rhodes: @bespoke_rural The song “A Little Help From GM” played can be heard here: The views and opinions of this podcast do not necessarily those of the University of Florida, its faculty or students, and it is produced entirely separately from the university with all funding provided personally by Kevin Folta# 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 genomics era has generated tremendous data sets, yet the information they reveal is limited by the human biases that search them.  Are there ways to examine complex data sets for hidden patterns that can unearth new perspectives in biology?  This is the role of machine learning, and the patterns form the basis of artificial intelligence that then executes new tasks.  While these concepts seem difficult to fathom, Dr. Gabe Musso makes them understandable, and describes the ways they may be applied in contemporary contexts.The BioSymetrics website is here The BioSymetrics Twitter feed 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.

There is an unfortunate side to egg production.  Only female chickens produce eggs, so layers are selected at hatching.  Chicks are sexed with a vent inspection. Females are kept for egg production.  Males live a short ride down a conveyor into a chipper, where they are instantly killed.  This practice raises ethical and practical questions.  Dr. Nigel Urwin and his collaborators devised a way to identify the sex of eggs before hatching, allowing male eggs to be saved for direct consumption or vaccine manufacture. The concept is brilliant yet unfortunately stalled.  It is a great solution to an important problem with interesting  ethical edges. The Original Article in The Guardian# 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.