Amy Harmon, a Pulitzer Prize winner, covers science and society for the New York Times.

"I'm not looking to expose science as problematic and I'm not looking to celebrate it. But it can be double edged. Genetic knowledge can certainly be double edged. Often the science outpaces where our culture is in terms of grappling with it, with the implications of it. Part of the reason for this widespread fear about GMOs is people don't understand what it is. I'm looking for an emotional way or a vehicle through which to get people to read about it. It's an excuse to talk about the science, not just explain it. … My contribution, what I can do, is try to tell a story that will engage people in the story and then they'll realize at the end that they learned a little bit about the science."

Thanks to TinyLetter and Squarespace for sponsoring this week's episode.

Show notes:

@Amy_Harmon

Harmon's New York Times archive

[5:45] "A Race to Save the Orange by Altering Its DNA" (New York Times • Jul 2013)

[15:15] "Dispute Over Labeling of Genetically Modified Food" (with Andrew Pollack • New York Times • May 2012)

[28:30] Michael Pollan's tweet about Harmon's story

[38:30] "The DNA Age: Facing Life With a Lethal Gene" (New York Times • 2007)

[39:30] "How Race is Lived in America" (New York Times • 2000)

[48:00] "Autistic and Seeking a Place in the Adult World" (New York Times • Sep 2011)

[52:15] "Navigating Love and Autism" (New York Times • 2011)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices