Science Facts & Fallacies

While public health officials and policymakers struggle to contain the novel SARS-COV-2 coronavirus, anti-vaccine activists claim the pandemic was orchestrated by these same forces to push an immunization agenda and institute global government. A growing body of research suggests that our susceptibility to COVID-19 is influenced by our genetics, helping fine tune our treatment and vaccine development efforts. Experts say the pandemic is a warning to embrace technologies that could prevent food shortages during future crises, while some anti-GMO activists blame the symptoms of COVID-19 on exposure to Bayer's weed killer glyphosate.

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

* Viewpoint: Anti-vax group says ‘the elite’ are using COVID-19 to usher in a ‘techno-communist global government’

Children's Health Defense, the prominent anti-vaccine group led by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. alleges that the 'elite' were preparing for a coronavirus pandemic as recently as October 2019. Their plan? To unleash "viral terror" on the world, thereby scaring parents the world over into vaccinating their children and instituting an international communist regime. What evidence is there to support such a dramatic version of events?

* Do our genes affect vulnerability to the coronavirus?

It appears so. Evidence is mounting that our sex, blood type and hormones, all influenced by various genetic factors, either increase or decrease our risk of contracting COVID-19. As is often the case with emerging hypotheses, more research is needed to validate these findings, but it looks like drug developers will be able to refine their efforts to design more effective treatments and vaccines based on this genetic research.

* Viewpoint: COVID-19 food shortages—Why the pandemic is a warning to embrace agricultural technology

The coronavirus pandemic has strained global food supplies, particularly in the developing world, though even wealthy nations like the US have experienced meat shortages. Virologist and biotech expert Maria Roca says that, serious as present conditions are, they are but a warning to throw our full support behind technologies that can increase and streamline food production so we're prepared for the next pandemic, which is inevitable.

* Glyphosate to blame for COVID-19? Here’s how we know Bayer’s weedkiller didn’t cause the pandemic

Bayer's weedkiller glyphosate has been wrongly blamed for a wide variety of severe diseases, most notably cancer and autism. But the herbicide has also exacerbated the deadly impact of COVID-19, says MIT computer scientist Stephanie Seneff. Working far outside her field, Seneff has devised a convoluted story to justify her claim. Corn used to produce ethanol is treated with glyphosate. After this crop is converted to biofuel and added to gasoline, trace amounts of glyphosate escape into the air during combustion, causing lung damage and worsening the respiratory symptoms of COVID-19.

We finally have a drug to treat COVID-19 in remdesivir, but how well does it work? Anti-GMO activists have blamed the coronavirus pandemic on 'factory farming' without any justification. Trusting your gut can lead you astray, especially when it comes to scientific issues. A farmer in South Africa has been accused of practicing witchcraft after achieving massive yield increases with GMO corn.

Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP editor Cameron English on this episode of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down the latest stories from the GLP:

* Emergency FDA authorization of remdesivir expected after experimental coronavirus drug shows promise in trial

After three months of speculation about possible COVID-19 treatments, the FDA has granted an emergency authorization for the antiviral drug remdesivir, following promising results from two preliminary clinical trials. How well does it work? Experts say the initial results are encouraging, but remdesivir is far short of the wonder drug we've been hoping for. Still, the World Health Organization is aiming to expand access to the antiviral and several pharmaceutical firms are scaling up production to distribute a generic version to developing nations around the world.

* Viewpoint: Blame the coronavirus on ‘industrial agriculture’? We need more, not less of it to stave off the next viral pandemic

Organic food activists have been eager to blame the ongoing pandemic on 'factory farming,' alleging it provides an ideal setting for deadly viruses like SARS-COV-2 to jump from animals to humans. This narrative has attracted generous media coverage, but there is little science to support the allegation that modern agricultural practices are to blame for infectious disease outbreaks. Ironically enough, the data show we should expand industrial farming to minimize the risk of experiencing another pandemic.

* Why do people trust ‘gut instinct’ even when it’s not the smart choice?

Trust your gut. It's an old habit we fall back on when tough decisions have to be made absent all the facts. But according to a new study, humans have a tendency to go with our gut instinct even when we have evidence showing us that instinct is wrong. Why do we do this, and how does our gut-trusting tendency impact our thinking about scientific issues?

* GMO success story: South African farmer accused of witchcraft after achieving 1,600% corn yield increase

Biotech skeptics have argued for years that GMO crops don't boost yields. They may have a difficult time making that argument in South Africa after a farmer in the country saw 1,600% yield increases from planting insect-resistant Bt corn. South African vegetable grower Sam Maebela says the yield increase was so dramatic, his neighbors accused him of practicing witchcraft. What does this anecdote teach us about the significance of crop biotechnology?

Kevin M. Folta is a professor in the Horticultural Sciences Department at t...

Norman Borlaug's Green Revolution saved an estimated billion people from starvation, but critics contend his work brought severe  environmental and social consequences to the developing world. Are they right? A new study says gene editing is perfectly compatible with agroecology. What has 40 years of coronavirus research revealed about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and should we let people catch the virus to develop herd immunity?

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

* ‘A lot of secrets’ in coronavirus genomes: Why are some strains so deadly, while others remain more mild?

Coronaviruses aren't new. Scientists have been investigating them for nearly 40 years, and their work has yielded important discoveries about this mysterious family of viruses that kills many people while leaving others unharmed. What have we learned, and what are we still hoping to find out as we brace ourselves for future outbreaks?

* ‘It’s the only strategy’: Coronavirus pandemic cannot end without herd immunity

The COVID-19 pandemic has put the world in an untenable situation. Locking down the global economy has helped "flatten the curve," but it's also jeopardized the livelihoods of millions of people, leading many commentators to ask if social distancing and shelter in place were worth the devastating cost. The only way to truly end the pandemic is to develop herd immunity to the virus, the point at which most of the population can't be infected.

Absent a vaccine, however, we only achieve widespread immunity by allowing the virus to infect lots of people—some of whom will get sick and die. How do we responsibly work our way toward herd immunity so as to minimize the casualties? With experts still speculating about whether surviving infection provides immunity, is this approach even possible?

* PBS documentary profiles Norman Borlaug and his ‘Green Revolution’: It fed billions but critics claim unintended consequences

Plant pathologist Norman Borlaug is often lauded as a hero for boosting wheat yields in the developing world and saving as many as a billion people from a starvation-induced early death. But his critics in the environmental movement allege Borlaug's work disrupted India's social fabric and polluted the environment on a previously unseen scale. Do these consequences counteract the life-saving innovations Borlaug introduced into agriculture?

* Gene editing and agroecology compatible? Yes, and they may lead to more eco-friendly farming

Popular understanding dictates that agroecology (farming techniques meant to promote sustainable food production) and genetic engineering technology are mutually exclusive. As it turns out, there's no scientific justification for this segregation between sustainable farming practices and t...

A dearth of coronavirus tests has exacerbated the COVID-19 pandemic in the US and elsewhere, but a newly FDA-approved test may ease the shortage and help public health officials better mitigate the crisis. Conspiracies about the virus may be more harmful than the virus itself; and the next pandemic could very well be worse than the present outbreak. Let's be ready for it. While popular dietary wisdom warns that white bread is nutritionally vacuous and even harmful, a new study says it's more healthful than it's been in two centuries.

On this episode of the Science Facts and Fallacies podcast, geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP editor Cameron English break down the latest news to keep you informed about the COVID-19 pandemic and ahead of the misinformation storm always circulating on social media.

Join Folta and English as they break down these latest stories from the GLP:

Saliva-based test for coronavirus gets emergency FDA approval

Currently available coronavirus tests are cumbersome, invasive and in short supply. Additionally, administering a test requires health professionals to wear gloves and masks, medical supplies that are woefully undersupplied at the moment. A new saliva-based spit test, granted emergency approval by the FDA, is poised to ease the shortage, helping public health officials identify more cases and retest recovered patients so they can hopefully return to normal life.

Wave of coronavirus conspiracies might be ‘just as dangerous for societies as the outbreak itself’

Commentators have asked if our dramatic response to the novel coronavirus has been more harmful than the virus itself. The same question could be asked about the wave of conspiracies that have emerged in recent weeks to explain the pandemic. Skeptics who doubt the 'official' story suggest that everything from pesticides to GMOs and 5G technology is really to blame for COVID-19. Why do people accept these outlandish ideas, and how do such conspiracies impact public health and trust in science?

‘Next time we might not be so lucky’: The coronavirus shows why we need to learn more about viral threats

COVID-19 has killed thousands in less than three months and forced most of the world into lock down, jeopardizing the global economy and threatening the livelihoods of untold millions of people.

But it could have been far worse.

There are roughly 7,000 virus families we know of that could cause another pandemic—and many more such deadly microbes remained undiscovered. Though tragic, this current outbreak should serve as a wake up call to a world that remains ill-prepared for the next assault from a serious viral threat. 

Don’t fear white bread. It’s more nutritious today than it was 200 years ago, new analysis shows

For close to a decade, health magazines, fad diet gurus and weight loss books have warned about the dangers of consu...

While political leaders and scientists speculate that coronavirus is beginning to loosen its grip on the world, hospitals are considering using the blood of recovered patients as a preventative measure and treatment for COVID-19. Older folks may be more vulnerable to the disease, but that doesn’t mean young people should think themselves invulnerable. There seems to be no end to the rampant speculation (and conspiracy theories) about the origins of the novel coronavirus. Experts say we should be doing more to fight the anti-science movement that threatens to slow progress in biomedicine and cause unnecessary suffering.

On this episode of Science Facts and Fallacies, geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP editor Cameron English break down the science behind the latest headlines to keep you informed.

Searching for coronavirus ‘antidote’ in the blood of former patients

Beleaguered hospitals are considering using the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients as a treatment for the disease, and to immunize at-risk populations. This century-old strategy of infusing antibody-laden blood is seen as a potentially immediate stopgap while the world awaits effective drugs and vaccines to bring coronavirus to heel, which could take several years. More data are needed to confirm the efficacy of using blood infusions to treat COVID-19, but preliminary studies thus far are promising.

There’s no such thing as ‘too young’ to be hospitalized by coronavirus

There has been a lot of attention paid to the vulnerability of the elderly during this pandemic. But that should not be interpreted as evidence that younger people are immune to COVID-19. An early study by the US Centers for Disease Control looked at more than 500 hospitalizations. Of those, nearly 40 percent were aged 20-54. And more than a third of intensive care admissions were under the age of 64. The data challenge assertions that coronavirus poses little threat to young, healthy individuals, many of whom opted to party during spring break instead of staying inside.

Was it a bat? A lab leak? A bioweapon? Virus hunters battle cornovarius origin speculation

We still don’t know where the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus came from. And we don’t know when, or even if, we ever will. That lack of certainty has created a fertile breeding ground for any number of theories about its origins. Included in the unsubstantiated speculation: It was a bioweapon that escaped (or was intentionally released) from a lab in Wuhan, China; it was taken to China by the US military. Experts, meanwhile, are divided over two other competing hypotheses: the virus came from one of China’s ‘wet markets’; or it was accidentally released from the Wuhan lab by an infected employee, though there is good evidence the virus wasn't engineered into a bioweapon.

As the world continues to struggle against the rapidly spreading coronavirus, anti-GMO activists are blaming crop biotechnology for the pandemic. Early research indicates that you can't be infected twice by COVID-19. The virus, so far anyway, isn't mutating rapidly, raising hopes that a one-time vaccine could help quell the outbreak. Poorly designed studies claiming GMOs are dangerous continue to pass peer-review, but the scientific community is beginning to fight back.

On this episode of Science Facts and Fallacies, geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP editor Cameron English break down the science behind the latest headlines to keep you informed.

No reason to worry about being infected with the coronavirus twice, monkey study suggests

Concerns have emerged that COVID-19 patients can be reinfected after recovering from the disease. While scientists continue to gather evidence, the research so far indicates that reinfection is unlikely for most people. It appears that individuals who test positive after recovering from the disease may have yet to clear the virus from their bodies after initial exposure, but they have not been infected again. Some patients, however, may not be able to mount an effective immune response if exposed to the virus a second time.

The coronavirus isn’t mutating quickly. That could mean a one-time vaccination against it

A coronavirus vaccine is at least a year and a half away, and some experts say probably even further than that. But the hurried efforts to develop immunizations against SARS-COV-2 could be aided by the fact that the virus isn't mutating rapidly, unlike the flu, which can change drastically from year to year. A single coronavirus vaccine may therefore protect us from infection for many years, or possibly for life. As the virus continues to spread, however, it could continue mutating and complicate our attempts to develop a vaccine.

Viewpoint: Anti-biotech activist Vandana Shiva says GMO soy caused the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s why she’s wrong

You thought the coronavirus started in Wuhan, after jumping from animals to humans? Well, you've been fooled, says prominent anti-biotech activist Vandana Shiva. Viruses from GMO soy used as animal feed have hybridized with viruses in the guts of pigs to create "super viruses" like SARS-COV-2, Shiva says. If this hypothesis sounds ridiculous to you, that's because it is. There is no evidence to substantiate such an origin for the novel coronavirus.

Viewpoint: How ‘fraudulent, poorly designed, and biased’ studies sow doubt about GMO, gene-edited crops

The scientific consensus on crop biotechnology indicates that GMO and gene-edited plants are unlikely to cause any health issues. Nonetheless, this conclusion is continually challenged by activists who distrust mainstream research and the academic institutions that do it.

As the world takes unprecedented measures to blunt the coronavirus pandemic, some commentators argue 'the cure is worse than the disease' as it relates to the widespread shelter-in-place orders designed to stop the virus from spreading. Are they right, or are they downplaying the threat we face? Scammers are selling bogus COVID-19 cures. Can the FDA do anything to stop the false advertising? Your food is probably safe during the pandemic, but you should take some simple precautions while grocery shopping or picking up your to-go order.

Anti-chemical activists aren't taking any time off during the pandemic. Environmental Working Group just released its 'Dirty Dozen' list of pesticide-contaminated produce, but the organic-industry funded think tank is greatly exaggerating the risk we face.

Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP editor Cameron English as they take a critical look at the latest headlines on the Science Facts and Fallacies podcast.

Are coronavirus containment efforts more damaging ‘than the direct toll of the virus itself’?

There's no easy answer to this question, but physician and New York Times contributor Dr. David Katz argues that a more targeted approach of testing and containing people most vulnerable to coronavirus infection may be a better mitigation strategy than shutting down society. Does the evidence support such an approach, or is it too late for these kinds of proactive measures?

Viewpoint: Watch out for ‘charlatans and scammers’ touting coronavirus cures

Natural health gurus and internet personalities are touting colloidal silver, essential oils and even toothpaste as 'cures' for the novel coronavirus. The FDA disagrees and has warned dozens of companies to quit marketing these and other products as treatments when none have been shown to be effective against COVID-19.

Coronavirus and food safety: Why there’s no need to panic

Health officials are encouraging everybody (and forcing many) to stay home and avoid other people to slow the spread of coronavirus. But since we're allowed to go shopping and order from restaurants, the obvious question arises: is my food safe as the pandemic continues? According to the Centers for Disease Control, the answer is yes. SARS-COV-2 spreads primarily through respiratory droplets from infected individuals, not through food, as far as experts can tell.

That said, a few cautionary steps will help you avoid exposure to the virus while interacting with others when shopping or ordering takeout.

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