The recently released Cass report has intensified an already ferocious debate over gender-affirming care for children. What are the key takeaways from the controversial review? An emerging field of medicine known as fetal genome surgery could allow doctors to prevent serious genetic disorders before children are born.  Our health and ancestry data is increasingly tracked and shared today. Could governments and corporations use this sensitive information against us?

Podcast:

 

Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 265 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* Viewpoint: Once greatly critical of those using unregulated medications, liberals now endorse unregulated puberty blocking drugs for kids as young as 10. Should we end this dangerous ‘experiment’?

The recently released Cass report has raised some critical questions about so-called gender-affirming care for minors. Among its many findings, the 388-page review concluded that some of the effects of puberty blockers are not reversible; that gender incongruence among children is normal and doesn't necessitate transitioning; and that sex reassignment does not reduce the risk of suicide in transgender children. How will the incendiary review impact the ongoing cultural debate over transgenderism?

* Saving human lives: Using gene therapy and fetal surgery to cure diseases in the womb

Gene editing has already yielded groundbreaking therapies for conditions ranging from sickle cell disease to cancer. In the coming years, the same technology may allow physicians to prevent genetic disorders during pregnancy, long before they can cause harm later in life. Known as "fetal genome surgery," this nascent field has generated lots of excitement among scientists. Can it live up to all the hype?

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* Viewpoint: ‘Body-tracking data is so much a part of our daily lives that we sometimes forget it can be used against us’
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A court in the Philippines has blocked the release of vitamin-A fortified Golden Rice in the country. What happens next? Could the weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy reshape America's eating habits? The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) misleads the public about cancer risk; let's correct some of the critical misconceptions the agency has encouraged in recent years.

Podcast:

Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 264 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* Rollout of Vitamin A enhanced GMO Golden Rice in the Philippines blocked by surprise court ruling

After roughly two decades of research and regulatory review, the Philippines finally approved genetically engineered Golden Rice for public consumption. An appeals court unexpectedly blocked the approval last week, however, finding that the government didn't appropriately assess the risk that Golden Rice posed to the environment. The government is expected to appeal the decision, and some experts anticipate that Golden Rice will eventually be approved. But for the time being, millions of children's afflicted by vitamin A deficiency will be denied access to a biofortified food that could save their lives.

* How Wegovy and Ozempic could transform our food systems

The blockbuster weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic may do much more than help Americans rapidly shed their unwanted fat. Because the medicines help regulate blood sugar and reduce appetite, it's possible that consumer demand for calorie-dense snack foods could decline in the US, incentivizing food companies to offer more nutritious options in grocery stores and restaurants. Have we finally developed effective treatments that can help us rein in the obesity epidemic?

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* How IARC and other ‘independent’ global cancer assessment agencies can distort the public’s understanding of the risks of cancer

The public is deeply confused about the cancer risk associated with many foods and consumer products. This is due in large part to the work of IARC and other public health agencies that issue confusing, and sometimes outright deceptive, hazard assessments that mislead people about generally harmless substances, including aloe vera and even coffee. Let's clear up the confusion and address some of the most common m...

RFK, Jr. has resurrected the long-debunked speculation that atrazine, a low-toxicity weedkiller, causes sexual dysphoria in frogs—and humans. The oft-reported GMO vs. organic agriculture debate is a marketing myth; one farmer says we should quit taking sides in this meaningless dispute. The Chinese scientist who illegally edited the DNA of human embryos in 2018 is out of jail and back in his lab. What sort of experiments is he up to?

Podcast:

Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 261 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* Video viewpoint: Humans as frogs? Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. claims that unsubstantiated but perceived rise in male sexual dysphoria is driven by atrazine in our water supply

More than 20 years ago, a one-off study roiled the world of agriculture by concluding that exposure to low doses of atrazine caused sexual abnormalities in frogs, and may have similar effects in humans. Follow-up research conducted by the EPA and independent experts over the next decade demonstrated that the hormone-disrupting effects of the weedkiller were non-existent, bringing the scandal to an unceremonious end. RFK, Jr. wasn't convinced, however. "If it’s doing that to frogs, there’s a lot of other evidence that it’s doing it to human beings as well," he claimed during an interview in late March. Has Kennedy uncovered new evidence, or has he been seduced by anti-chemical campaigners?

* Viewpoint: There’s enough common ground for organic, regenerative, and conventional agriculture to live in harmony

Reporters and environmental activists regularly portray organic and conventional agriculture as warring factions in a pitched battle for control of global food production. The truth is much less pugnacious. In reality, many farmers grow conventional and organic crops; there is also significant overlap between the practices employed in conventional and organic farming. For these reasons, at least one farmer says it's high time we abandon the adversarial framing that has polluted the public's understanding of food and farming for so long.

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* Challenging bioethical taboos: Chinese scientist He Jiankui who modified the genes of human embryo...

So-called "diet weed" is slowly gaining popularity across the US. Is this newfangled drug safe to consume? Scientists have successfully bred a cow that produces insulin in its milk, potentially opening the door to a new method of drug production that could lower prices for patients. Some conservatives argue that genetic enhancement is not only good but necessary to protect public health. How compelling is their argument?

Podcast:

Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 260 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* ‘Diet weed’: More than 10% of high school seniors take ‘loophole’ legal drug delta-8 THC. What are the consequences?

Thanks to a loophole in federal drug regulations, consumers in states where marijuana is still illegal are experimenting with Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychoactive chemical remarkably similar to delta-9 THC, the compound in cannabis that gets users "high." Because recreational use of delta-8 THC is a relatively new phenomenon, there is little research into its health effects. This has some public health  experts worried because a very small group of high-school students has reported using this "diet weed" in the last year. Can scientists and regulators catch up to the latest drug fad before delta-8 THC becomes more popular?

* Coming era of cattle farming: Genetically engineered dairy cow produces human insulin in milk

Scientists have successfully engineered a dairy cow that produces human insulin in its milk. Though it was only a proof-of-concept study, the ultimate goal of this research is to develop a more affordable way to mass produce drugs humans depend on to treat and prevent disease. Insulin was an appealing test case because it is still exorbitantly expensive, even though pharmaceutical companies can produce large quantities of the hormone with existing technology. If more drug makers produce medicines using a variety of methods, they may be able to lower consumer prices and thereby expand access to life-saving drugs. Of course, it remains to be seen if genetically engineered cows are a viable solution to ballooning drug costs.

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*  The radical conservative case for genetic enhancement Jonathan Anomaly

Going back decades, prominent conservative thinkers have objected to human genetic engineering on ethical ...