Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

What do we use to feed our food?  From cattle to fish, livestock require substantial inputs to thrive, and a substantial part of that is their feed.  This has measurable impacts from the environment to producer costs.  Sam Glickstein of Biotrophics has a solution.  Sustainability might be surprising, but he offers an excellent solution.# 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 mango is an incredibly important fruit worldwide, yet little is known about its precise origins or domestication. Today’s podcast explores this important fruit with Dr. Emily Warschefsky, who studied this fruit during her doctoral training. She reveals a surprising background story about this popular fruit.# 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.

Today’s episode is where Kevin Folta answers common questions from listeners. In the second half, we discuss the recent lawsuit against LaCroix and the alleged insecticides used as ingredients.# 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 required for plant growth, and is a significant input in terms of cost and environmental impact. While plants are literally surrounded by nitrogen, it is present in the atmosphere in an unusable form. Some plants (like legumes) have the ability to fix nitrogen, converting it from a gas into a form the plant can use. The idea of somehow moving this important trait from legumes (or microbes) to grain crops has long been considered a holy grail of plant biotechnology.  However, the problem is much more complex, and after decades of research it has not been possible.  But a land race of maize deep in the heart of corn’s domestication region, selected and cultivated by Indigenous People, may have solved this problem. Researchers, led by Dr. Alan Bennett at UC-Davis identified this type of corn that produces aerial roots that exude a clear mucilage. This carbohydrate-dense liquid hosts nitrogen-fixing bacteria that render atmospheric nitrogen usable by the plant.  The hope is that the study of the genes that control the plant’s association with the microbes, and study of the microbial communities, may bring about new technologies to help crop plants be less dependent on supplied nitrogen.The article on PLoS Biology The article at The Atlantic# 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 drug thalidomide was developed with tremendous promise in managing a variety of disorders, such as anxiety and morning sickness.  However, a few years after its common use it became linked to a suite of birth defects, primarily defects in limb development.  For almost sixty years scientists have tried to unravel the molecular basis of its action.  Dr. Katherine Donovan is a postdoctoral researcher at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard University.  She was the primary author on recent work that describes the molecular basis of thalidomide-based disorders. Ironically, understanding its roles in developmental disorders also illuminates possible roles in disease treatment, as it is used in treatment of some cancers and may find wider application in the future.Dr. Katherine Donovan’s websiteFollow her on Twitter @kdonovan1008 The Eric Fischer Lab at Dana Farber# 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 vanilla crisis.  The familiar flavor agent is a mixture of chemicals from an orchid- and there’s not enough being produced to satisfy demand.  But Dr. Alan Chambers knows that crisis and opportunity travel together.  He is currently engaging in breeding of vanilla orchids, hoping to improve yields and product quality.  In this episode he covers vanilla’s natural history, its current challenges in cultivation and future outlook.# 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 framing effective discussions about any subject it is important to understand human psychology, and the mistakes we make in debate.  It also is important to understand how ingrained human tendencies shape our perceptions and skew our willingness to accept new information.  In this episode Itamar Schatz discusses these concepts, concepts that are the basis of his website Effectiviology. We discuss critical thinking and the issues that cloud discussion like confirmation bias, logical fallacy, and other aspects of logic and reason that sometimes are lost in contentious discussion. The goal is to understand these concepts to make us better communicators about science. Visit Itamar’s website:  effectiviology.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.

The herbicide glyphosate has been in use for over 40 years.  It is non-selective (kills all plants), it is inexpensive and has extremely low toxicity.  These attributes made it an important tool for municipalities, farmers, and homeowners. Use increased starting in 1996 with the advent of glyphosate-tolerant (marketed under the brand name “Roundup Ready”) crops, which have expanded in acreage ever since. Rob Saik (@rsaik) is an agronomist with significant experience and accolades in Canadian agriculture.  Along with his collaborator Chris Dufault, they compiled and analyzed Ontario government data on glyphosate use, and reported these trends. Rob describes the report and its findings.Download the report at :  robertsaik.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.

This last week podcast host Kevin Folta found himself in a difficult predicament.  There was palpable outrage by those affiliated with a science website where he participated in some of their activities.  Turns out that Folta also did paid work outside of his university job, which is normal.  He was retained by a law firm as a special matters expert, someone to analyze some data in a private mediation.  He was bound my confidentiality to not discuss the details of the case.  The folks from the science website used public records requests to obtain Folta’s confidential internal university documents requesting permission to perform outside work.  These are forms where universities approve participation in paid activities beyond the normal job description. Those requesting the documents read details about the confidential work, and then posted a damaging website where confidentiality was broken, and Folta was accused of being non-transparent. The instance triggered the need for an important discussion.  Scientists typically have non-disclosure agreements.  Such agreements demand confidentiality.  At the same time, we expect them to be completely transparent.Can we simultaneously honor confidentiality and transparency?   Probably not.  So how can we be trusted communicators in a space where collaborators don’t want their information shared?    This discussion between Drs. Paul Vincelli and Kevin Folta hopefully will seed a much needed conversation.# 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.

Malaria is a tremendous world health problem, affecting the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the developing (and industrialized) world. One of the most effective therapies is derived from a natural compound produced in the plant Artemisia annua.  In this week’s podcast Dr. Ian Graham from the University of York describes the problem of malaria, historical treatments, the use of artemesia and the isolation of artemisinin.  Breeding and engineering of plants and microbes to enhance production is discussed.Link to Prof. Graham’s 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.