Science Facts & Fallacies

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]ould a re-purposed smoking cessation drug help prevent the spread of SARS-COV-2? An increasing number of parents are screening their embryos for potentially serious diseases before having children. How accurate is this pre-implantation screening process? As our knowledge of genetics improves, could governments require prospective parents to employ this technology? Scientists may be finally winning ... Read more

[dropcap]B[/dropcap]iotechnology has launched a revolution in food and medicine, but it can also be badly misused by governments and individual scientists. How big of a threat are these bad actors? If you “trust science,” you’re more likely to believe and promote falsehoods online, says a new study. The HPV vaccine prevents the spread of some ... Read more

[dropcap]A[/dropcap] researcher who challenged the consensus on obesity was blasted in the media by her colleagues. Is this an example of academics not “following the science”? Bayer plans to pull its glyphosate-based Roundup herbicides out of retail stores by 2023 to avoid future cancer claims. Kenya has finally approved disease-resistant GM cassava, which is expected ... Read more

The Philippines has finally approved Golden Rice, and Greenpeace is doing everything in its power to reverse the decision. A growing body of research suggests that vaccines have off-target effects, both beneficial and potentially harmful. Do these studies stand up to scrutiny? Objective truth is under attack from the left and the right, say two media scholars, and the public's trust in science may not survive the assault.

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:

* Greenpeace denounces Philippines’ approval of nutrition-enhanced GMO Golden Rice

After more than two decades of research, regulatory review and political wrangling, the Philippines has approved Golden Rice (GR), a GE crop designed to battle vitamin-A deficiency (VAD). The activist group Greenpeace has slammed the country's leadership, claiming their endorsement of GR will do more harm than good. As usual, their arguments lack a basis in science and expose their disinterest in solving a critical public health problem.

* You don’t have to be a COVID vaccine rejectionist to want to fully understand the nonspecific effects (NSE) of vaccines

Multiple studies have now shown that certain vaccines may have so-called non-specific effects (NSEs) beyond providing protection against targeted infection diseases. In some instances, the research suggests, these are positive side effects, blunting the transmission of other pathogens. However, there is also evidence that some shots may have potentially harmful off-target impacts. Naturally, the anti-vaccine movement has eagerly endorsed these results. Do such studies stand up to expert scrutiny, and how might they affect our science communication efforts?

* Viewpoint: Why attacks on the concept of ‘objective truth’ are escalating

In the post-COVID world, communications experts have identified a concerning trend: intensifying political attacks on objectivity. Whether from academics departments beholden to postmodernism or conservatives who ignore any fact that doesn't comport with their ideology, these epistemic assaults on objective reality undermine our ability to solve problems and promote scientific thinking in society. What can be done to counteract these threats?

Recommended Twitter follows: @erinbiba and @center4inquiry

Kevin M. Folta is a professor in the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida. Follow Professor Folta on Twitter @kevinfolta

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

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Philippines has finally approved Golden Rice, and Greenpeace is doing everything in its power to reverse the decision. A growing body of research suggests that vaccines have off-target effects, both beneficial and potentially harmful. Do these studies stand up to scrutiny? Objective truth is under attack from the left and the right, say two ... Read more

For all the ills it brought, the COVID-19 pandemic may have helped revolutionize genetic sequencing. Human gene editing is fraught with difficult ethical challenges. Can we address them while still benefiting from the technology? A brainless, many-headed slime mold is redefining our understanding of cognition.

Join geneticist Kevin Folta and guest host Ally Kennedy on this episode of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* What We Learned About Genetic Sequencing During COVID-19 Could Revolutionize Public Health

We've learned a lot about SARS-COV-2 over the last 19 months, and one of our best resources has been the genome of the virus itself. By sequencing the microbe's genetic makeup and then continually tweaking in the lab, scientists have developed diagnostic tests, vaccines and a handful of treatments for COVID-19. Many scientists now believe this kind of work will be key to taking on pandemics of the future.

While COVID-19 has regrettably claimed millions of lives, it may have also incentivized the kind of research that will allow us to knock out other deadly viruses before they can take similarly destructive tolls.

* Setting ethical limits on human gene editing after fall of 14-day barrier

For many years, scientists drew an ethical boundary between somatic-cell gene editing and germline gene editing, which passes on changes in DNA to the next generation. The former, scientists generally agreed, was a revolutionary way to tackle deadly diseases without playing God; the latter enabled us to literally genetically engineer humans in a lab and was thus out of bounds.

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But the situation is changing as gene-editing technology evolves and regulators around the world attempt to flesh out guidelines to ensure the safe, responsible use of germline editing. Are we jeopardizing the future of humanity by experimenting with such powerful tools, or is it necessary to harness the technology to prevent its misuse?

* This Weirdly Smart, Creeping Slime Is Redefining Our Understanding of Intelligence

The plasmodium form of Physarum polycephalum–dubbed "the blob" by researchers who study it–has no brain, central nervous system or even specialized tissues—yet it can solve complex problems and remember novel substances it encounters. As a result, this odd, little plasmodium is changing how we study cognition. How much do we know about the blob, and might it help us solve some of humanity's lingering problems?

Kevin M. Folta is a professor in the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida.

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or all the ills it brought, the COVID-19 pandemic may have helped revolutionize genetic sequencing. Human gene editing is fraught with difficult ethical challenges. Can we address them while still benefiting from the technology? A brainless, many-headed slime mold is redefining our understanding of cognition. [powerpress] Join geneticist Kevin Folta and guest host Ally Kennedy ... Read more

Russia wants to produce allergen-free milk using animal gene editing. How much progress have they made? If you're bored with flavorless fruits and vegetables, genetic engineering might have solved your problem. A rice-based cholera vaccine could save a lot of lives and lead the way to more edible immunizations against deadly diseases.

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:

* Russia positions itself as a world leader in genetically edited cows

After years of watching other nations accrue the benefits of genetic engineering, Russia appears to have warmed to the technology. The country has already invested more than $1 billion in crop gene editing, and now Moscow State University scientists are trying to breed gene-edited cows that produce allergen-free milk. Petr Sergiev, a member of the Moscow State research team, summed up the project's potential:

I think this work will lay the methodological foundation for gene editing in cattle in Russia, which will lead to more complex challenges. For instance, we can make cows produce certain proteins they normally don't for biotechnological purposes.

* Frustrated by flavorless fruits and vegetables? Genetic engineering is poised to change that

For many years, plant breeders focused on developing fruits and vegetables with longer shelf lives that were less likely to bruise, the traits grocery stores demanded in the produce they carried. But breeding for these qualities carried a trade off: flavor fell by the wayside, so finding a tasty tomato, for example, is much more difficult than it may seem. With the advent of gene editing, which allows scientists to make specific changes to a crop's genome, more flavorful fruits and vegetables may start to show up in your produce section in the coming years.

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* Edible cholera vaccine made from genetically modified rice may be on the way

Vaccines are undoubtedly one of the most important developments in the history of public health.

If a pesticide is banned in Europe, does that make it dangerous? Nope. Typically an excellent source of science commentary, The Conversation recently published a terribly misleading article about the weed killer glyphosate. Pregnancy is a stress-inducing experience for the mother and the baby. What, if anything, can be done to mitigate the negative effects that come with bringing a child into the world?

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: ‘It’s banned in Europe fallacy’ — How advocacy groups weaponize EU’s questionable ‘precautionary’ bans on genetic engineering and chemicals

Anti-GMO and anti-vaccine arguments are, as a rule, patently false. To give their case a veneer of credibility, activists promoting these causes will often point out that biotech crops and certain vaccines are banned in this or that country, implying that these technologies must be dangerous. Why else would they have been banned? This assertion is little more than an appeal to authority, however. When you dig a little deeper, the claim falls apart.

* 'Debate Rages Over Glyphosate'? The Conversation Publishes Terrible Roundup Article

The Conversation publishes a wide variety of insightful scientific commentary. But no news outlet is perfect, and the typically pro-science website recently published a story filled with false and misleading claims about the weed killer glyphosate. What did the authors get wrong? Almost everything.

* Pregnant women’s brains show troubling signs of stress – but feeling strong social support can break those patterns

Everybody knows that pregnancy is stressful. But new research has yielded some useful biological insights that may help expecting parents and their support systems mitigate the challenging nine months they face. Stress plays an important adaptive role during pregnancy, the researchers noted, preparing "a pregnant woman to care for another human being." But in some cases, they found, stress can "hijack a period of change meant to allow for positive adaptations and instead open the door for anxiety problems."

Follow the latest news and policy debates on agricultural biotech and biomedicine? Subscribe to our newsletter.

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f a pesticide is banned in Europe, does that make it dangerous? Nope. Typically an excellent source of science commentary, The Conversation recently published a terribly misleading article about the weed killer glyphosate. Pregnancy is a stress-inducing experience for the mother and the baby. What, if anything, can be done to mitigate the negative effects ... Read more