Science Facts & Fallacies Cameron English

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 ...

Genetically engineered crops are nearly three decades olds at this point. What impacts have they had on agriculture over those nearly 30 years? Hint: they're mostly positive. Scientists may be able to derive stem cells from amniotic fluid during a pregnancy and use them to treat birth defects before a child is born. Right-wing parental rights activists are leading a campaign to restrict school vaccine requirements. How do we convince these hyper-skeptical moms and dads that their kids should be vaccinated against preventable (and often deadly) diseases?

Podcast:





Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 259 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:



* Viewpoint: Despite a sea of environmental activist disinformation, GMO plants have more than lived up to the hype



The first generation of genetically engineered crops were commercialized roughly 30 years ago. Since then, critics of the technology have predicted it would lead to serious public health and environmental harms, but none of those ever came to fruition. Nobody suffered so much as a stomach ache from consuming food derived from GE crops; however, studies have documented significant yield increases and notable decreases in prices at the grocery store. Let's take a look back at the "frankenfood" controversy and examine why it came to an unceremonious end.



* With just a sample of fluid surrounding a baby in the womb, researchers can make mini organs to test out potential medical treatments



Doctors routinely collect amniotic stem cells during tests administered throughout pregnancy. Researchers have recently discovered that these cells can be used to monitor and maybe prevent potential health conditions that could materialize later in the pregnancy. They could also be grown into mini organs that regulators could use to improve the safety testing of drugs and other chemicals before they are commercialized. Importantly, these procedures are unlikely to provoke opposition from conservatives who oppose the use of embryonic stem cells, which has often been a major hurdle to advances in scientific research.

















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* Parents’ Bill of Rights: Vaccine wars heat up in states allowing exemptions for schoolchildren



On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, several states have proposed or enacted laws that require birth parents to...

Groundbreaking gene therapies for deafness are coming online, but they're opposed by a surprising group of people—a subset of the deaf community. Embryo screening could spare future generations debilitating diseases, but this revolutionary technology may also have some serious downsides if we're not careful. Several US states are trying to outlaw lab-grown meat. Is this move justified, or just another example of one industry using the law against another?

Podcast:





Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 258 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:



* Gene therapy has restored hearing for a second child. Here’s why some deaf people adamantly oppose treatment



Advances in gene therapy are now enabling physicians to treat, and maybe even cure, lifelong disabilities like deafness. But as these novel therapies enter the market, they're making enemies in the very communities they're designed to help. For example, some deaf people oppose a gene-editing procedure that could restore hearing in young children who would otherwise go through life in complete silence. Deafness isn't a medical condition in need of treatment, they argue, but an identity that should be preserved and respected. How do we walk the fine ethical line between treating patients we can help and protecting the autonomy of people who say they don't need medicine?









* Genetic embryo screening for health issues and IQ inch closer to reality. Here’s a primer on what you can expect



As our knowledge of genetics improves, scientists are beginning to screen embryos before they're implanted in hopes of identifying the ones who may be susceptible to serious diseases later in life. The upside is unmistakable: parents could significantly increase their child's odds of leading a healthy life before they're even born. But embryo screening may carry serious ethical risks we're not yet prepared to address. For instance, what do we do when parents want to use embryo screening to increase the chances that they will have a deaf child? Who's to say such a desire is wrong? These questions illustrate the complex issues we have to tackle before this technology is fully deployed.

















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* As a bill to ban cell-grown meat makes its way through the Florida legislature,