Believe it or not, scientists are exploiting venom from snakes, snails and other poisonous critters to make life-saving medicines. Could genetically engineered soybeans reduce deforestation caused by palm-oil production? Sustainable, biodegradable plastics may be on the horizon, thanks to a slew of biotechnology innovations.

Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 196 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* Life-saving venom? How deadly compounds can be used as medications

Sensible folks know it's wise to avoid poisonous snakes and other dangerous animals. What's not widely known, however, is that venom from these creatures has already yielded effective medications—for example, the first ACE inhibitor used to treat high blood pressure. The list of important drugs we could derive from venom is seemingly endless and includes everything from non-addictive pain killers to affordable insulin found in the venom of snails.

* An alternative to harvesting environmentally-destructive palm oil? Here’s a biotech solution using soybeans

Producing palm oil in bioreactors using soybean cells could be one of the solutions that helps us reduce deforestation in west Africa and South America. The concept is simple in principle: using gene-editing technology, researchers engineer soybean to produce the oil we usually get from palm kernels. These souped-up soybean cells thrive on nitrogen and sugar and "grow" in laboratory bioreactors. The big hurdle may be energy consumption. Could electricity required to run the bioreactors offset some or all of the environmental benefits of this new palm oil source?

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