Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta
Talking Biotech is a weekly podcast that uncovers the stories, ideas and research of people at the frontier of biology and engineering.
Each episode explores how science and technology will transform agriculture, protect the environment, and feed 10 billion people by 2050.
Interviews are led by Dr. Kevin Folta, a professor of molecular biology and genomics.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 42 minutes
- Episodes
- 468
- Years Active
- 2015 - 2025
Genes Controlling Plant Size
Bigger plants are better, right? Not always. Control of plant or tree size can have many advantages, and genetic control of 'dwarf' phenotypes has been important in feeding a billion people. The pro…
As Gods: A Moral History of the Genetic Age - Matthew Cobb
The modern era of genetic engineering has opened tremendous opportunities in medicine and agriculture. But who governs when the technology should be applied? Similar questions were asked in the 1970s…
The Genomes of Parasites - Dr. Jessie Kissinger
Parasites are known contributors to human disease and suffering, spanning a wide range of organisms. Dr. Jessie Kissinger from the University of Georgia has spent the last two decades curating genomi…
Cancer Misinformation - Dr. Skyler Johnson
"Cancer" is the generic term applying to any one of many cellular proliferative disorders that threaten normal physiology. Various cancers have specific etiologies and require expertise in detection…
Livestock, Climate Change, and Attacks on a Scientist - Dr. Frank Mitloehner
Animal agriculture contributes greenhouse gases that can influence climate change. One source in particular is cattle, as ruminant livestock produce methane from their specialized digestion, which is…
A Gene-Edited Vaccine Against Malaria - Dr. Stefan Kappe
The mosquito is the most deadly animal on earth. It vectors a plasmodium, a eukaryotic parasite that invades the liver of the host and ultimately attacks red blood cells. There are some therapies a…
Seralini's Lumpy Rats - Ten Years Later
Ten years ago the biotech world froze and horrific images of three tumor-ridden rats penetrated the media. Social media erupted with messages of fear, and anti-biotech activists celebrated the scient…
New Therapeutics for Novel Problems through Collaboration - Dr. Betsy O'neill
Dr. Betsy O'neill, VP of External Innovation at Horizon Therapeutics describes how strategic partnerships can assist biotech startups in moving new therapies through development to deployment. She …
The Long COVID HERV Connection - Dr. Claudia Matteucci
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are genome-resident relics of ancient infections. They comprise 8% of the human genome, and are activated by viral infections. Proteins like HERV-W and HERV-K ac…
Purple Tomatoes and Health - Dr. Cathie Martin
Anthocyanins are a class of plant pigments associated with healthful qualities in food. While research continues to assess their true health benefits in vivo, there is no question that the attractive…
Rapid Detection of Sexually Transmitted Infections with Microfluidics - Dr. Anna Dixon
Sexually transmitted infections like chlamydial and gonorrhea are making a comeback, especially with younger demographics. Part of the problem is the stigma of examination and testing. These are not …
The Gut-Brain Axis: What it is, associated problems and new therapies. Nancy Thornberry
Communication between the digestive system and brain is much more intricate than previously thought. The digestive epithelium is laced with sensors that monitor the contents of the gut, reporting ba…
Dr. Nikolay Kandul: Precision Insect Control with Gene Editing
Insects cause massive losses in human health and agriculture. Scientists have implemented Sterile Insect Technique for over 50 years, a process to suppress populations by introducing genetically-dama…
Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam: Update on Animal Genome Editing
While the vast majority of gene editing efforts have been confined to crop plants, animal gene editing holds tremendous promise. Efforts have demonstrated that naturally-occurring alleles could be re…
Dr. Liang Schweizer: Creating Targeted Antibodies in Single Cells
Immunotherapies represent a powerful suite of treatments that co-opt the immune system to target deleterious cellular conditions. They have been effective with a series of cancers and other disorder…
Celine Halioua: Extending Health and Life, Starting with Dogs
Dogs are a recent species, and because of their close associations with humans have diverged into hundreds of breeds with specific behaviors, sizes and builds. There also is a great range in life exp…
Dr. Mallory Embree: Optimizing Animal Microbiomes
A microbiome is described as a population of bacteria, fungi, protists and viruses that inhabit a specific environment. Animals, including humans, are composed of many microbiomes featuring trillions…
Dr. Shelley McGuire and Gabe Ignetti: Glyphosate in Breast Milk? / Eco-Modernism
This week's podcast has two parts. In the first section University of Idaho lactation specialist Dr. Shelley McGuire discusses the recent paper that claims to have found the herbicide glyphosate in b…
Dr. Erica Barnell: Stool-Based Detection of Colon Cancer
Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death, but is remarkably treatable if caught early. Unfortunately, because of the invasive nature of the colonoscopy, many elect not to have t…
Dr. Scott Franklin: Microalgae - Factories for Improved Polymers
The foundation of many modern consumer products begins with petroleum. Fossil fuels contain the building blocks of higher-complexity polymers, and are used in the creation of everything from high per…