Science Facts & Fallacies

Cameron English
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Science Facts & Fallacies

From CRISPR gene-edited embryos to GMO crops, biotechnology is revolutionizing medicine and farming. Scientists are increasingly able to make targeted genetic tweaks to humans, plants and animals to combat our most urgent global challenges—including hunger, disease, aging and climate change. Sadly, scientific misinformation spreads like cancer through social media and partisan blogs. Where can you turn for trustworthy analysis of groundbreaking biotechnology innovations independent of ideological bias? Who can you trust? Join the Genetic Literacy Project and our world-renowned experts as we explore the brave new world of human genetics, biomedicine, farming and food.

Episodes

  1. 20 NOV

    GLP podcast: From medicine to Monsanto—Why one physician left health care to work for ‘Big Ag’

    "Over the years, the bureaucracy began to grow. Before you knew it, you went from spending lots of time talking to your patients to spending all your time with your back turned to them sitting at a computer." That's how emergency medicine physician Dr. Liza Dunn summarizes the radical transformation of America's health care system that incentivized her to leave the field for an entirely different career. Beginning in the early 2000s, Congress began passing legislation that radically expanded federal regulation of health care. Though the laws were enacted to expand access to medicine, their actual effect was to raise the cost of providing care, forcing physicians out of private practice and into massive hospital systems. The regulations also empowered insurance providers, hospitals and regulators to interfere in the doctor-patient relationship like never before. Follow the latest news and policy debates on sustainable agriculture, biomedicine, and other ‘disruptive’ innovations. Subscribe to our newsletter. SIGN UP It became increasingly difficult for physicians to treat their patients without first getting the approval of some third party or another that now had a financial stake in the care that was provided. Dunn was finally forced out of medicine after she saw one of her patients charged $16,000 for relatively routine care in the ER, a moment she describes as an "existential crisis." That realization led her to a position with Monsanto (now Bayer) as the medical affairs lead in the company's crop science division. Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 293 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they discuss Dunn's transition from medicine to Monsanto. Podcast: Dr. Liza Dunn is a medical toxicologist and the medical affairs lead at Bayer Crop Science. Follow her on X @DrLizaMD Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. Visit his website and follow him on X @camjenglish

    46 min

  2. 13 NOV

    GLP podcast: Break out of your echo chamber—an ER physician explains how to win over vaccine skeptics

    Dr. Liza Dunn has an impressive resume. She's cared for malnourished children in developing countries, treated drug overdoses in the emergency department and trained toxicologists at a major medical school. While doing relief work in Haiti following the catastrophic 2010 earthquake, she even delivered a baby in the back of car on the way to the hospital. All these experiences helped Dr. Dunn fine tune her science communication ability. "You had to figure out how to take complex ideas and explain them to a whole variety of people," she notes. "It's one of the beauties of emergency medicine." As the co-host of this podcast and the proprietor of a weekly science-themed space on Twitter, Dunn utilizes the same skill set to educate the public about pesticide safety and clear up confusion about vaccines. Follow the latest news and policy debates on sustainable agriculture, biomedicine, and other ‘disruptive’ innovations. Subscribe to our newsletter. SIGN UP Her time on social media got off to a rough start. "I got a whole bunch of trolls right away. People would accuse me of poisoning the world," she says of her initial exchanges with some anonymous accounts on X. Over time, though, they came to see her as a trusted source of medical information as she answered their questions and took their concerns seriously. "It's kind of refreshing listening to doctor Liza," one of them eventually acknowledged, "she sees some of the stuff we're seeing." Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 292 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they discuss the basics of science communication. Podcast: Dr. Liza Dunn is a medical toxicologist and the medical affairs lead at Bayer Crop Science. Follow her on X @DrLizaMD Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. Visit his website and follow him on X @camjenglish

    34 min

  3. 6 NOV

    GLP podcast: Busting myths about seed oils; Can AI solve our loneliness epidemic? Idaho’s incendiary medical consent law for minors

    Health influencers often declare that seed oils are driving an epidemic of non-communicable diseases. The science says otherwise. Can we solve loneliness with artificial intelligence? Idaho recently mandated that parents consent to most health care provided to their children. The law has ignited a debate over medical privacy children's rights. Is the controversy justified? Podcast: Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 291 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories: * Vegetable oils are often maligned as “industrial seed oils” that cause inflammation and oxidate damage. What does science say? Seed oils are routinely maligned as uniquely harmful to human health, another "industrial" product foisted on unsuspecting consumers by duplicitous food companies. It's a popular story on social media. It's also mostly false.  As a rule, studies cited in attacks on vegetable oils are low-quality experiments involving rodents or isolated cells. Clinical studies tend to show that people who eat these oils in recommended amounts don't experience any serious health effects. As always, the key to a healthy diet is balance. * Loneliness epidemic: As we become more and more isolated, tech companies search for solutions With millions of people battling loneliness, tech companies are turning to AI as a potential solution. The idea is to train computer programs to converse with individuals who struggle to form meaningful relationships for one reason or another. Fighting the "loneliness epidemic" with technology brings several important challenges. For instance, training an AI to behave like a conversation partner might just be a stopgap measure when people really need community. But does that mean technology has no role to play in helping lonely people? Follow the latest news and policy debates on sustainable agriculture, biomedicine, and other ‘disruptive’ innovations. Subscribe to our newsletter. SIGN UP * Following new Idaho law, doctors delayed the pelvic exam of a pregnant 13-year-old girl because they couldn’t locate her homeless mother A recently passed law in Idaho requires schools and health care providers to get parental consent before administering most forms of medical care to children. The legislation has generated intense criticism from some educators and public health officials who say it violates children's right to privacy and even puts them in harm's way. Supporters say the law is merely meant to keep parents informed and help them guide their kids through serious health care decisions.  Let's take a closer look. Dr. Liza Dunn is a medical toxicologist and the medical affairs lead at Bayer Crop Science. Follow her on X @DrLizaMD Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the a hr...

    51 min

  4. 30 OCT

    GLP podcast: Psychedelics an overhyped depression cure? ‘Suicide pod’ used for the first time; Tuition-free medical school—blessing or curse?

    A steady stream of studies and news stories has presented psychedelics as a game-changing therapy for depression. This may have been more hype than science, however.  A 'suicide pod' was used for the first time recently in Switzerland to end the life of an elderly woman. Some right-to-die advocates hope to see this and other forms of assisted suicide expand in the coming years. Giving students a free ride through medical school was supposed to combat a growing shortage of doctors around the US. Is that strategy succeeding? Podcast: Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 290 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories: * Psychedelics are touted as a mental health cure. We should be wary. A growing body of research suggests that psychedelics could be far more effective in treating depression than existing therapies. This would be a welcome development, but there's a major hurdle preventing the expanded use of these drugs: the research behind them isn't very good. While anecdotal reports and some preliminary clinical data indicate that psychedelics could be promising mental health treatments, many of the studies investigating them are small and poorly designed, limiting their ability to provide critical evidence about the long-term risks and benefits of psychedelics. *  ‘Suicide pod’ used for the first time to assist a woman in dying. An anonymous 64-year-old American woman ended her life in a forest on the Swiss-German last month using a "suicide pod." Named after an ancient sarcophagus, the Sarco is a 3D-printed device that rapidly lowers the oxygen content inside a capsule that seats one person. As the amount of breathable air declines, the individual falls asleep and dies within a few minutes. This recent case of assisted suicide, which was apparently illegal, has reignited a latent debate over the ethics of allowing adults to voluntarily end their lives. Is it acceptable for doctors to help their patients kill themselves, or should a civilized society strive to do better? Follow the latest news and policy debates on sustainable agriculture, biomedicine, and other ‘disruptive’ innovations. Subscribe to our newsletter. SIGN UP * Why tuition-free medical schools are failing their lofty commitments — and exacerbating health-care disparities With a looming shortage of primary care physicians on the horizon, several medical schools, with the financial support of a few billionaires, have begun to offer tuition-free education in the hopes of training more doctors. The goal of these programs is to incentivize physicians to practice in rural and urban parts of the US where healt...

    52 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

From CRISPR gene-edited embryos to GMO crops, biotechnology is revolutionizing medicine and farming. Scientists are increasingly able to make targeted genetic tweaks to humans, plants and animals to combat our most urgent global challenges—including hunger, disease, aging and climate change. Sadly, scientific misinformation spreads like cancer through social media and partisan blogs. Where can you turn for trustworthy analysis of groundbreaking biotechnology innovations independent of ideological bias? Who can you trust? Join the Genetic Literacy Project and our world-renowned experts as we explore the brave new world of human genetics, biomedicine, farming and food.

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