Science Facts & Fallacies

Does academic freedom protect professors who spread scientific nonsense online? The UK appears to be backtracking on a pesticide ban that has harmed its sugar beet farmers. Tearless, though perhaps less tasty, non-GMO onions are now available in some stores.

Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 152 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* ‘Free to fabricate’ or ‘barred from teaching’? Discord over COVID underscores threats to academic freedom — and the public

Academic freedom allows university professors to pursue their research without fear of discipline from their employers. But what happens when an academic promotes utter nonsense during a pandemic? Do scientists have an obligation to use their liberty responsibly? COVID-19 has brought these awkward questions to forefront as everyone tries to digest the onslaught of information related to SARS-CoV-2.

* England authorizes emergency neonicotinoid use to protect threatened 2022 sugar beet crops

"I told you so," the world's agricultural scientists could say to the UK. Facing a serious drop in sugar beet yield, Britain recently authorized emergency use of banned insecticides called neonicotinoids, which effectively control aphids that infect sugar beets with several deadly viruses. Neonics pose minimal risk to human health and the environment. But activist groups in the UK and EU, over the objections of many experts, convinced regulators to ban them. It's now clear how costly that decision was.

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* ‘Sweet and mild’: Non-GMO ‘tearless’ onion goes on sale in the UK after decades in development

Do your eyes water any time you cut an onion? A new tearless variety may be the solution you need. How was it made, and why were the developers so eager to market it as non-GMO?

Kevin M. Folta is a professor, keynote speaker and podcast host. Follow Professor Folta on Twitter

People believe a lot of nonsense about food and farming; let's debunk the top-10 worst of these "truisms." The FDA has authorized two anti-virals to treat COVID-19. How do they work, and what's the difference between them? What makes someone a narcissist? Recent research has led to some surprising insights about this mental disorder.

Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 152 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* Viewpoint: 10 stupid agriculture and food truisms that need to die

Don't eat foods with more than five ingredients; if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it; it's banned in Europe so it must be bad. These are just some of the misguided rules of thumb people rely on while choosing what to eat. They usually come from celebrities and food writers but have very little basis in science. So, here's a better idea: find out if something is safe and nutritious, then eat it.

* Molnupiravir vs paxlovid: What’s the difference between the two approved COVID antivirals?

There are now two drugs available that effectively treat COVID-19. Unlike the authorized vaccines, which teach your immune system to recognize SARS-CoV-2's spike protein, Molnupiravir and Paxlovid actually shut down viral replication before the virus can put you in the hospital or the morgue. But exactly how do these drugs work, and, more importantly, are they safe for most people?

* What makes narcissists tick?

Everybody thinks they know what a narcissist looks like—maybe it's the self-absorbed movie star, the athlete who thinks she's above her teammates or the heartless politician with no regard for others. But as it turns out, many narcissists don't fit the standard archetype. People with poor social skills and few achievements to speak of are often diagnosed with narcissism. The difference between the two types of narcissist? The former wants to adored but has no desire to fit in with their peers, while the latter desperately wants to be accepted.

Kevin M. Folta is a professor, keynote speaker and podcast host. Follow Professor Folta on Twitter @kevinfolta

Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. Visit his website and follow ACSH on Twitter @ACSHorg

Researchers have developed a biosensor they say can monitor the activity of CRISPR gene editing in real-time. Synthetic biology is yielding drugs that modify the gut microbiome, offering potential treatments for a variety of diseases. Hoping to revive their campaign against agricultural biotechnology, anti-GMO groups have latched on to the SARS-CoV-2 lab-leak theory. Can scientists prevent their cynical campaign from gaining traction among the general public?

Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 149 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

*  How can you tell that a plant has been gene edited? Use this CRISPR sensor

Researchers have engineered a biosensor that can be used to verify that CRISPR has properly edited the DNA plants and other organisms. The developers, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratories, compare their new approach to an "alarm system" encoded into an organism’s DNA, allowing researchers to monitor changes to its genome in real-time.

The biosensor works by intercepting CRISPR and redirecting it "to a specific DNA sequence that encodes for a nonfunctioning green fluorescent protein, or GFP," Oak Ride notes. When the gene-editing machinery edits this sequence, it activates the protein— quite literally a glowing confirmation that CRISPR is where it's supposed to be in the cell. The developers say their new tool could have important applications in biosecurity, bioenergy and even agriculture.

* Synthetic biology innovations that rewire human cells poised to tackle complex diseases

A variety of medical conditions are influenced by the microbes that live in the human gut, ranging from minor annoyances like acne to more serious disorders like phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare condition that causes the amino acid phenylalanine to build up in the body. People afflicted by PKU have to follow strict diets that minimize their phenylalanine  intake to avoid a host of harmful symptoms.

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Using synthetic biology, researchers have developed microbiome-modifying drugs that effectively treat these conditions. Preliminary evidence indicates that these treatments could re-code the genomes of certain gut bacteria so they could metabolize phenylalanine,

The COVID-19 vaccines saved a lot of lives in 2021, but convincing some Americans to take them proved to be a massive hurdle for public health officials. Constant hectoring from the anti-vaccine movement and efforts to mandate the shots only exacerbated the controversy that has yet to die down. What can the intense political battle over the vaccines teach us about science communication moving forward?

The lab-leak origin story for SARS-CoV-2 morphed from fringe conspiracy theory to valid scientific hypothesis seemingly overnight. One side of the debate continues to assert that the available evidence supports a natural origin for the virus, while the other points to revelations about bat coronavirus research conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and argues that we need a fuller investigation to determine where SARS-CoV-2 came from. Will we ever know how this pandemic really started?

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After decades as a stronghold of opposition to crop biotechnology, the UK recently broke with the European Union and began taking steps to allow its farmers to cultivate gene-edited crops. Activist opposition to this dramatic policy shift remains strong, but the British government hasn't been swayed, pointing to the many studies showing that genetic engineering offers significant benefits while posing little risk to human health and environment. Is this development further evidence that the anti-GMO movement is losing its political influence?

Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 150 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down the biggest news stories of 2021.

Kevin M. Folta is a professor, keynote speaker and podcast host. Follow Professor Folta on Twitter @kevinfolta

Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. Visit his website and follow ACSH on Twitter @ACSHorg

The USDA's mandatory bioengineered food labels will begin to appear on many more products next month. What can consumers expect during their upcoming trips to the grocery store? Scientific American may be threatening its survival by injecting politics into its science reporting. Meanwhile, one food scientist wants to know why some US high schools and colleges are teaching students that GMOs are harmful.

Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 149 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* USDA’s bioengineered label is coming soon. What can it tell consumers?

In January, the USDA's bioengineered label will begin to appear on more products in grocery stores that contain genetically engineered ingredients. The labels offer consumers no useful information about the nutritional content or safety of the foods they purchase, the USDA acknowledges, but enforcing the labeling rules could cost more than $3 billion for just the first year. Why in the world did Congress pass such an expensive and unhelpful law?

* Has Scientific American strayed too far from science?

Once arguably the most reputable publication in US science media, Scientific American has lost its way, according to some critics. The magazine has grown increasingly political, publishing a variety of dubious stories about contentious cultural issues that have little to do with science, and even dismissing a highly respected columnist who challenged the editor's "woke" politics, as evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne put it. Coyne went on to suggest that Scientific American may be jeopardizing its future by mixing ideology with science:

My prediction is that unless the editors go back to its original format and lay off the propagandizing, the magazine will fold. After all, you can read about social justice and wokeness nearly everywhere, including Teen Vogue, but Scientific American was once unique.

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* A nutritionist reflects on the sad state of health education about GMOs and farming at schools and universities

Genetically engineered crops are widely accepted in the science community as useful tools that help farmers produce our food more sustainably. Yet some high schools and colleges haven't embraced this ...

A recent meta-analysis has alleged that the health risks linked to chemical exposure have doubled in the last five years. Does the evidence actually support that claim? Vaccines of the future may be grown in plants, cutting production costs and giving millions more people access to life-saving drugs. In 1951, Henrietta Lacks visited the hospital to get treatment for cervical cancer. Some of her cancerous cells were taken without permission and used to develop a variety of important medical innovations. Was this a gross ethical violation, or a justifiable act to advance the world's scientific understanding?

Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 148 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* Viewpoint: ‘Health impact of chemicals doubled in last 5 years’? Media misreporting flawed studies mislead the public

The media frequently reports about the dangers linked to chemical exposure, and a recent review generated a whirlwind of news coverage by alleging that the health impact of chemicals has doubled in less than a decade. But the data in no way justify such an assertion, epidemiologist Geoffrey Kabat argued in a critique of the meta-analysis. "The media coverage of the paper, and indeed the paper itself, are part of a decades-long trend among some scientists and activists to amplify the risk of exposure to chemicals in consumer products far beyond what can be justified by the evidence."

What's fueling this trend to exaggerate the dangers posed by chemical exposure?

* Molecular farming? Edible plant-based vaccines are cheaper, easier, and quicker to produce than traditional shots

Vaccine production is an arduous, expensive process. And while the shots it produces prevent the spread of many diseases and save lives, they are often difficult to manufacturer and transport to developing countries, where they are severely underutilized. A solution may be on the horizon as scientists begin growing the ingredients for vaccines in plants. This "molecular farming" approach, advocates say, is safe and far more efficient than the decades-old process still used to produce many shots, including the seasonal flu vaccine.

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* Henrietta Lacks’ immortal genes are now the subject of a legal battle

Henrietta Lacks visited Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951 to undergo radiation therapy for cervical cancer. While under anesthesia,

A new at-home dementia test may help predict your risk of cognitive impairment late in life, though some experts fear the new diagnostic tool could have harmful unintended consequences. MRNA technology gave us effective COVID-19 vaccines; could the same platform yield better flu shots as well? Advances in gene-silencing techniques could begin to replace chemical pesticides in the coming years, developers claim. Are we really moving closer to farming with fewer pesticides?

Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 147 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* 5-minute at-home dementia test has some health experts concerned

If a test could determine your risk of developing dementia, would you want to know? Experts are split over the deployment a new diagnostic tool that may be able to make such a prediction. Detractors say that with no effective treatment for dementia, widespread testing makes little sense, unless we want to unnecessarily scare the public. Proponents argue that more information is better than less, and may allow people to alter their diet and exercise habits to possibly reduce their dementia risk before it's too late.

* mRNA technology can revolutionize the flu vaccine, too

Less than a year after SARS-COV-2 began to spread around the world, pharmaceutical companies introduced two mRNA-based vaccines to reduce transmission of the virus and the severity of  COVID-19 symptoms. Developing safe and effective flu shots based on same technology seems like a logical next step given our experience over the last 19 months. What would it take to get new influenza vaccines onto the market and into people's arms?

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* Replacing chemical pesticides? Sprays made from RNA may be the next generation of plant pest control

Chemical pesticides remain a necessary aspect of crop protection. But gene-silencing technology, and a tool known as "RNA interference" in particular, may begin to reduce the quantity of pesticides farmers use to protect our food from harmful insects and microbes. Instead of traditional chemicals, growers could utilize pesticide sprays that turn off certain genes in an insect's genome, for instance. These tools could help keep pests at bay without taking a toll on human health or the surrounding environment. What progress are scientists making in developing these next-generation pesticides?

Kevin M. Folta is a professor, keynote speaker and podcast host.

Does Monsanto control the seeds Mexico's farmers can grow? No, but anti-GMO groups do. An increasing number of Americans don't have children and instead treat their pets like kids. Is there an evolutionary explanation for this phenomenon? Meal-replacement company Soylent once vocally celebrated its use of genetically engineered soy in its products. But the company has suddenly gone silent about GMOs in its marketing, fueling speculation that the drink maker has permanently pulled away from its "pro-science" messaging.

Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 146 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* Viewpoint: Monsanto doesn’t control Mexican farmers’ seed choices — activist groups do

 Anti-GMO groups often assert that seed companies, Monsanto being the most notorious, dictate the kinds of products farmers can use. As it turns out, the activists themselves often exercise this power over the people who grow our food. In Mexico, for instance, the government has banned biotech crops, under the influence of public officials affiliated with anti-GMO advocacy groups. The growers themselves are actually quite happy to utilize biotechnology to reduce their pesticide use and increase their crop yields.

* Is there an evolutionary explanation for recent surge in child-free pet parenting?

Starting a family appears to be going out of fashion as more people begin treating their dogs and cats like their children. Some research suggests that humans evolved a capacity to care for children who aren't their own as a means of establishing basic communities. Now, some evolutionary psychologists suspect this altruistic trait, known as alloparenting, explains why many people consider their animals to be their "fur babies." Is this a reasonable hypothesis?

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An expert advisory panel recently revised the decades-old recommendation to take aspirin daily to prevent a first heart attack or stroke. Is this a flip-flop or scientists just following the evidence wherever it leads? Recent media reports claimed a breakthrough procedure moves us closer to performing animal-to-human organ transplants. Once specialist says that's "hype and bullshit." Do the costly glyphosate-cancer lawsuits prove we desperately need tort reform in the US?

Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 145 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* Recent flip-flop on aspirin recommendations for heart disease is a sign of good science at work. Here’s why

For decades, middle-age Americans have been encouraged to take low-dose aspirin daily to prevent heart attacks and strokes. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently updated this guidance based on new evidence showing that an everyday-aspirin regimen may be unnecessary for many people. The shift comes at a time when Americans are already frustrated by ever-changing infection control measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it also suggests that scientists are willing to update their recommendations as new data come in.

* ‘It is hype and bullshit’: Scientist challenges claims that pig-to-human xenotransplantation is close to realization

Calling it a "breakthrough" procedure, the media reported recently that surgeons kept a brain-dead patient alive for 54 hours by sewing a pig kidney onto her leg. The risky surgery, outlets like the New York Times and AP reported, moves us closer to using animal organs to save human lives. The problem? Such a procedure has been possible since the early 1990s; reporters unfamiliar with the relevant science amplified a story that didn't deserve the attention. The misplaced hype suggests that news consumers need to be skeptical of what they read in the headlines.

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* Class action tort reform: Why ‘outrageous’ judgements against Bayer in glyphosate cancer scare makes a case for dramatic legal changes

Biotech giant Bayer has set aside more than $10 billion to settle roughly 100,000 lawsuits alleging that its weedkiller glyphosate causes...

Medicine is bowing to academia's "fashionable nonsense" surrounding a variety of important issues, and the consequences could be serious. Home pregnancy tests are accurate, easy to use and relatively inexpensive—but they weren't always. Throughout history, prospective parents relied on a number of rather strange methods to confirm a pregnancy. Bayer, one of the largest producers of weedkillers and biotech seeds in the world, is putting new focus on its organic seed business. Is the company just trying to boost its green credentials?

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

* Viewpoint: ‘Fashionable nonsense’ — The deadly impact of ‘kowtowing to academia’s political zeitgeist’ in biomedicine

From the dangers of alcohol to "quantum healing" and biological sex, medicine is increasingly catering to fashionable but false ideological claims. It's bad enough when the social sciences embrace dubious ideas, but, according to biologist Alex Berezow, it's downright deadly when medical journals do it because "public health officials use medical journals to guide decision-making."

* From mixing urine in wine to peeing on barley: A history of pregnancy tests

Today, accurate home pregnancy tests are available at any drugstore, but it wasn't always that way. Would-be mothers in the ancient world were stuck with much less sophisticated methods of pregnancy testing, like urinating on barley and watching to see if it sprouted. It was until the early 20th century that pregnancy testing saw significant technical improvements, and it was still very expensive and thus off-limits to most people—a situation that didn't change until the late 1970s. What can we learn from this odd bit of medical history?

* Agribusiness giant Bayer introduces new focus on organic seeds

Bayer, well known as a major of glyphosate-based weedkillers and genetically engineered seeds, turned heads recently by announcing that it would expand its organic seed business starting next year. The company says the move was a response to growing consumer demand for organic vegetables, a market that could worth close to $500 million annually by 2025. Bayer's decision may seem surprising to the general public, who have been misled by activist groups into believing that conventional and organic agriculture are enemies.

The reality is much less scandalous. Many farmers grow genetically engineered and organic crops, and seed companies are happy to sell them whatever they want.

Kevin M. Folta is a professor, keynote speaker and podcast host. Follow Professor Folta on Twitter @kevinfolta

Cameron J.