Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

 Peptides have increasingly emerging roles in cellular signaling and anti-microbial applications. Peptioids are cousins of their active peptide analogs, only  synthesized with a durable bond that hel…

 A solar-powered animal?  There are species of sea slugs that consume algae, then integrate the chloroplasts into their own digestive cells.  There they function to fix carbon and essentially power t…

The basis of aging and long-term degenerative disease have been formidable questions for scientists. Over the last decade several “methylation clocks” have been devised to examine modifications of DN…

Last week’s episode covered Alpha Gal Syndrome, the tick-induced allergy to beef and pork.  The same immunological response could also limit a recipient’s access to xenography or xenotransplantation,…

 You find a tick on your skin and remove it.  The next day you eat a sausage and wind up in the emergency room in anaphylaxis.  After that, you can’t eat beef or pork without experiencing an intense …

Today’s podcast is an interview with New Zealander of the Year Dr. Siouxsie Wiles.  Dr. Wiles’ program uses bioluminesence as a marker to follow bacterial growth and disease progression.  Her work se…

While genomics approaches have opened a universe of new compounds in plants, the vast majority remain uncharacterized. Brightseed has employed an artificial intelligence platform to scan for novel co…

Your DNA contains all of the information that makes you, you. With increasing understanding of the genetic basis of disease, the information in every cell may help anticipate, correct, or otherwise t…

The COVID19 vaccines were produced in record time, an amazing feat. However, additional challenges have been revealed in their distribution.  Perhaps the most formidable barrier is the very last one–…

This week’s podcast is a dissection of another popular podcast that features self-proclaimed experts in genetic engineering (familiarly GMO), and the falsehoods they propagate. Podcasts are great con…

At its core, gene editing works to break gene function by creating errors in a DNA sequence at a specific location. The process works by creating a precise cut that is repaired by the cell’s repair m…

One of the major failures of addressing the COVID19 pandemic is the breakdown of testing.  The NFL and White House were able to  maintain business as usual because of daily, accurate testing. When th…

Dr. Patrick Moore was a founding member of Greenpeace. In the years past its inception he worked tirelessly on ecological issues. Over time, he saw the group’s positions as less than scientific, lead…

Bananas and other tropical crops have tremendous value, not just to farmers in the Developing World, but also as products that are enjoyed widely in highly industrialized nations.  However, crops lik…

Radiation is a natural energy that constantly bombards us.  At the same time we have harnessed its power for medical imaging, therapeutics, energy and warfare.  Collateral damage from radiation expos…

The story of biotechnology’s response to the pandemic is an amazing one, and we continue coverage of these events as they arise. Today guest host Dr. Asha Brunings speaks with virus and immunology ex…

Algae efficiently convert carbon dioxide into oils, and they are now being bred to generate a suite of compounds that may be synthesized into fuel and polymers that are the basis of biodegradable pla…

Certain aggressive cancers have profound effects on lifespan and quality of life. Patient prognosis can be grim, and therapies are harsh. Dr. Dan Peer of the University of Tel Aviv leads a group that…

Consumers have many opinions about food, and are continually bombarded by information from manufacturers to self-proclaimed experts. To gauge what they really think economists formulate approaches to…

The COVID-19 pandemic overshadowed an incredible year of innovation in biotechnology.  Today’s podcast is a simulcast between the Science Facts and Fallacies with Cameron English and Talking Biotech.…