Modified

modifiedgmopodcast
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Science
  • Updated Biweekly

We pull apart the twisting strands of the science and technology of life itself - from the very first person to hold up a tube of purified DNA in the thick stone walls of a German castle in the 1860s to the revolution of gene editing that sent shockwaves around the world in the 2010s. The history of biotechnology offers us the chance to understand what it takes to change the world.

  1. Sep 28

    SE02 EP1 Introducing the GMO Wars

    A short episode to give you a sense of what to expect from this season.  References https://www.the-independent.com/news/the-strange-case-of-the-rats-the-coverup-and-a-political-hot-potato-1071126.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pusztai_affair

  2. Aug 16

    Season 2 Teaser

    A quick update on what to expect from Season 2 and when to expect it.

  3. Apr 18

    CRISPR changes the world and unlocks GMO 2.0

    What is CRISPR-Cas9 and how is it going to revolutionize the world of GMO crops?   References de Lange, O., Binder, A. and Lahaye, T. (2014), From dead leaf, to new life: TAL effectors as tools for synthetic biology. Plant J → Review article on TAL effectors by yours truly   Ishino Y, Shinagawa H, Makino K, Amemura M, Nakata A. Nucleotide sequence of the iap gene, responsible for alkaline phosphatase isozyme conversion in Escherichia coli, and identification of the gene product. J Bacteriol. 1987 → Paper first describing CRISPR in 1987   Interview with the 2020 Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry, Emmanuelle Charpentier, recorded in Stockholm on 12 December 2022.    Martin Jinek et al.,A Programmable Dual-RNA–Guided DNA Endonuclease in Adaptive Bacterial Immunity.Science337,816-821(2012). —> First paper describing use of CRISPR as a programmable DNA endonuclease   Updates on Global Regulatory Landscape for Gene-Edited Crops By Clement Dionglay, January 24, 2024   https://www.isaaa.org/blog/entry/default.asp?BlogDate=1/24/2024 -> Update on regulation of gene editing.    https://sanatech-seed.com/en/221226-2/ → Article from Sanatech describing the gene-edited, High GABA tomato.

  4. Apr 4

    The colorful world of GMOs

    From glowing petunias to purple tomatoes - this episode is a roundup of some of the lesser known GMO crops that are nonetheless out there in our world.    Key references   Glowing plants I Bought a Glowing Plant. It Led Me Down a Rabbit Hole. Scientific American. 2024 Glowing Plant US Patent www.light.bio  - to buy your own glowing plant.    Blue Roses https://www.suntoryapplause.com/ https://www.suntory.com/sic/story/bluerose/ Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_rose    Pink Pineapples https://www.pinkglowpineapple.com/ US Patent Purple tomatoes Martin C, Butelli E. The Purple Tomato Story; From Laboratory Bench to the Consumer. ACS Food Sci Technol. 2024 GM Purple Tomato Gets Approval in the United States. ISAAA. 2024 https://www.norfolkhealthyproduce.com/   Rainbow Papaya https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Gonsalves   Arctic apples https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02648725.1998.10647966 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Apples#Commercialization   GMO poplar trees https://www.livingcarbon.com/ For the First Time, Genetically Modified Trees Have Been Planted in a U.S. Forest. New York Times. 2023 Wang G, Dong Y, Liu X, Yao G, Yu X, Yang M. The Current Status and Development of Insect-Resistant Genetically Engineered Poplar in China. Front Plant Sci. 2018 Tao, Y.; Chiu, L.-W.; Hoyle, J.W.; Dewhirst, R.A.; Richey, C.; Rasmussen, K.; Du, J.; Mellor, P.; Kuiper, J.; Tucker, D.; et al. Enhanced Photosynthetic Efficiency for Increased Carbon Assimilation and Woody Biomass Production in Engineered Hybrid Poplar. Forests 2023

  5. Mar 22

    Your Questions Answered - Part 2

    From glowing fish to feminizing tofu - the second and final installment of me answering your questions about GMO.  References relevant to Question 1 - Soy Phytoestrogens Article on use of the term “Soy boy” Messina, M., Mejia, S. B., Cassidy, A., Duncan, A., Kurzer, M., Nagato, C., … Barnes, S. (2022). Neither soyfoods nor isoflavones warrant classification as endocrine disruptors: a technical review of the observational and clinical data. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 62(21), 5824–5885.  Povey AC, Clyma J-A, McNamee R, et al; Participating Centres of Chaps-UK. Phytoestrogen intake and other dietary risk factors for low motile sperm count and poor sperm morphology. Andrology. 2020;8:1805–1814.   References relevant to Question 2 - GMO animals Wikipedia article on GloFish - provides a good summary of the history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GloFish 2003 discussion forum - discussing merits of brand new GloFish product.  Bratspies, Rebecca. (2005). Glowing in the Dark: How America's First Transgenic Animal Escaped Regulation.  CAPITOL ALERT ‘Glowing fish’ exempt from proposed ban on gene-edited pets in California By Kate Wolffe Updated February 5, 2026 2:20 PM Wikipedia article on AquaAdvantage Salmon 2024 AquaBounty press release announcing sell off of assets.  References relevant to Question 3 - Health impacts of GMOs Shen, C., Yin, XC., Jiao, BY. et al. Evaluation of adverse effects/events of genetically modified food consumption: a systematic review of animal and human studies. Environ Sci Eur 34, 8 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-021-00578-9

  6. Mar 7

    Round Up Ready - The GMO that launched a thousand lawsuits

    Why did Monsanto take a canadian farmer all the way to the supreme court? And what does this have to do with controversial herbicide glyphosate? Learn about the science and history of Round Up Ready GMO crops. Key references https://decisions.fct-cf.gc.ca/fc-cf/decisions/en/item/38991/index.do → The Monsanto vs. Schmeiser Supreme Court Decision.   https://www.helbocklaw.com/california-jury-awards-2-billion-couple-roundup-weed-killer-cancer-trial/ → Article about California lawsuit related to glyphosate   https://academic.oup.com/toxsci/article/192/2/131/7066927#402719028 → Review of glyphosate studies.    Funke, H. Han, M.L. Healy-Fried, M. Fischer, & E. Schönbrunn, Molecular basis for the herbicide resistance of Roundup Ready crops, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 103 (35) 13010-13015,    Landau et al., The silver bullet that wasn’t: Rapid agronomic weed adaptations to glyphosate in North America, PNAS Nexus, Volume 2, Issue 12, December 2023, pgad338,   https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/60663500/publications/reddy/reddy%20and%20nandula_2-12_ija_57-1-7.pdf → Overview of herbicide resistant crops.

  7. Feb 21

    Bt Crops - GMOs go mainstream

    The NewLeaf potato was a failure, appearing and disappearing in under a decade. But it was the first of a new wave of GMO crops that have endured to the present day - Bt crops.    Key references Insect Resistance in Crops: A Case Study of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and its Transfer to Developing Countries. 1997.   The chronicle of the ups and downs that made Bacillus thuringiensis a natural insecticide by Ninfa Rosas-Garcia, 2023.    https://dfg-vk-darmstadt.de/Lexikon_Auflage_2/BerlinerErnst.htm Biographical details about Ernst Berliner.  https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-practices-management/biotechnology → 2025 USDA data on Bt crops   https://farmingfirst.org/2025/12/how-africa-can-benefit-from-south-africa-success-with-gm-crops/ ⇒ GMO crops in South Africa.    https://farmingfirst.org/2025/12/how-africa-can-benefit-from-south-africa-success-with-gm-crops/ ⇒ GMO crops in Kenya Rise and fall of the New Leaf Potato - https://krautnah.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/15_7_2_Thornton.pdf.  https://time.com/archive/6925559/why-mcdonalds-pulled-frankenfries-from-menu/TIME article about lack of commercial interest in NewLeaf potato.  Resources on Bt and milkweed https://news.cornell.edu/stories/1999/04/toxic-pollen-bt-corn-can-kill-monarch-butterflies https://academic.oup.com/jee/article/116/2/297/6968925 → 2023 review paper on Bt crops and resistance https://www.monarchscience.org/single-post/2020/09/02/a-look-back-at-the-time-when-the-entire-world-thought-bt-corn-was-killing-monarchs → Blog post summarizing the incident https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0001415 → Bt crops and bees https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.241503398 → read this and see if its useful

  8. Feb 7

    First ever GMO: The FlavrSavr tomato

    How one tomato changed the world? Or was it two? And what is a GMO tomato anyway. Slice into the story of the FlavrSavr tomato.    Key references Grierson D. Identifying and silencing tomato ripening genes with antisense genes. Plant Biotechnol J. 2016 Mar;14(3):835-8. doi: 10.1111/pbi.12463. Epub 2015 Sep 15. PMID: 26369550; PMCID: PMC11389017.     https://www.supermarketnews.com/grocery-operations/altered-stakes https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/jun/14/hot-tomatoes-genetically-altered-tomatoes-are/ → Articles about the sales of the Flavr Savr. Commercialization_of_a_tomato_with_an_antisense_po.pdf - 1994, Euphytica The Flavr Savr Tomato, an Early Example of RNAi Technology.pdf - 2008, HortScience

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We pull apart the twisting strands of the science and technology of life itself - from the very first person to hold up a tube of purified DNA in the thick stone walls of a German castle in the 1860s to the revolution of gene editing that sent shockwaves around the world in the 2010s. The history of biotechnology offers us the chance to understand what it takes to change the world.

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  • Creator
    modifiedgmopodcast
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    19
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