Science Facts & Fallacies Cameron English

A fearful public accepts conspiracy theories because they offer a sense of control in an uncontrollable situation, says a young physician working to educate his patients about COVID-19. Cuba has opened its borders to GM crops after decades of communist rule forbade the use of such 'capitalistic' technologies. And genetically engineered mosquitoes illustrate why we have to let scientists combat nature's 'mindless dangers.'







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



* COVID-19 conspiracy theories give people the feeling of being in control



As the COVID-19 pandemic proceeds, many American are embracing coronavirus conspiracy theories to make sense of a chaotic situation over which they have no control. The problem is compounded by the fact that people with conspiratorial leanings already distrust government and believe politicians are weaponizing the virus for ideological reasons. Communicating sound science to a skeptical public under these conditions is a trying task, but newly minted physician Yoo Jung Kim says its doable if people's concerns are validated and their values respected.



Fidel Castro. Credit: Warren K. Leffler



* Viewpoint: Cuba needs GMOs to help combat poverty fueled by decades of communism



Under Fidel Castro's iron rule Cuba expressly outlawed genetically engineered seeds, a technology the deceased dictator viewed as the product of America's corrupt capitalist system. But times have changed on the tiny island nation. Facing food shortages exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, Cuba's leadership in July established a commission to encourage farmers, who have long been unable to grow enough food for the country, to embrace biotechnology. The story painfully illustrates what happens when "a nation [scrambles] to make up for the shortcomings of a command-and-control economic system," says New Jersey farmer John Rigolizzo, Jr.

























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* Viewpoint: GMO mosquitoes illustrate how and why science should confront ‘nature’s mindless dangers’



Blood-sucking mosquitoes that vector deadly pathogens like Zika, West Nile, dengue and malaria may be the most dangerous animals that have ever existed. In 2018, for example, malaria alone killed more than 400,000 people. Scientists have genetically engineered mosquitoes that can breed with their disease-spreading relatives and crash their populations, preventing all sorts of human suffering as a result. Yet biotech skeptics vehemently oppose the release of GM mosquitoes on the grounds that...

Contrary to popular belief, arguing with anti-science activists on social media helps combat the spread of misinformation. Organic food groups have sued the USDA to block the agency's GMO labeling guidelines. And a new analysis shows that agrecoloogy, or conservation agriculture, traps Africa in poverty—yet the United Nations, aid agencies, churches and NGOs continue to subsidize it.







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



* Viewpoint: How to constructively engage on social media with those who post anti-GMO and anti-vax conspiracies



COVID-19 has fueled an explosion of anti-vaccine and anti-GMO misinformation on social media, as activist groups attempt to capitalize on the pandemic to advance their ideological agendas. This rampant spread of conspiracies, bogus coronavirus treatments and just plain old nonsense has prompted science communication experts to reevaluate how they interact with the public on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms.



A series of new studies on the issue shows that challenging junk science purveyors with facts can indeed influence public perceptions on issues like vaccine safety and genetic engineering, countering the popular belief—known as the "backfire effect"—that arguing with skeptics only solidifies their point of a view. Instead of following a specific formula to win hearts and minds, according to the research, science communicators should adopt whatever style works best for them when battling social media misinformation—even if that style could be called "uncivil."



* Organic activists sue USDA to nullify and revise bioengineered food labeling standards



In 2016, Congress tasked the USDA with developing a federal standard for labeling foods containing genetically modified ingredients. Organic food advocates, who previously led campaigns to enact state-level GMO labeling initiatives across the US, consider the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) "arbitrary and capricious," and are suing the USDA to force the agency to nullify and revise the labeling rule.







Led by the Center for Food Safety, plaintiffs in the lawsuit argue that the NBFDS misleads consumers by using the term "bioengineered" in place of "GMO" to identify genetically modified food ingredients, and exempts most products from the labeling requirements. Do these arguments stand up to scrutiny?



* Viewpoint: Agro-ecology agendas are trapping African farmers in poverty



One country after another has embraced modern farming techniques, including the use of biotech crops, to combat food insecurity and lead its population out of poverty. Anti-GMO groups have attempted to stifle this progress by demonizing these "industrial" agricultural practices and lobbying developing countries to instead adopt organic farming promoted as "agroecology." Charities,

CRISPR could enable farmers to produce more beef from fewer cattle, boosting farm sustainability. Lawsuits designed to get pesticides and GMO crops off the market are paradoxically fueling the development of new biotech crops and pesticides. A troubling study says the world is headed for a population crash. What can be done to reverse this trend before it's too late?







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



* More meat with less environmental impact? CRISPR and one gene change could improve the sustainability of beef production



Editing a single gene in beef cattle with the new breeding technique CRISPR enables cows to convert feed into weight 15 percent more efficiently, say animal scientists from the University of California, Davis. The simple genetic change could help farmers produce more beef from fewer cattle in the coming years, leading to cheaper food and a smaller environmental footprint for animal agriculture. Several key questions remain to be answered before these gene-edited cows enter the food supply. Chief among them: will the FDA prevent farmers from breeding them?



* Sustainable farming advances: Global movement to ban pesticides and GMOs spur next-generation biotech pest controls







An onslaught of lawsuits brought by high-profile anti-GMO groups has forced the EPA to ban several pesticides widely used in concert with biotech crops. The legal effort is part of a long-term strategy to ban genetically engineered seeds. But there's a crucial problem: Biotech companies are developing more sustainable pest-control tools in response to the lawsuits. In the short term, then, product bans could spell trouble for farmers. But over the long haul, activist groups may be pushing themselves into irrelevancy by encouraging the development of new products that are eco-friendly and nearly impossible ban.



* Birth rates expected to crash by half in coming decades in some countries, driven by educated, working women



With more women than ever in the workforce, fewer people are getting married and having children. Those married couples who are still having kids are having far fewer than their parents and grandparents did. 70 years ago, women were having approximately 4.7 children, say researchers at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. But the global fertility rate dropped to 2.4 in 2017, and is projected to fall below 1.7 by 2100, the BBC reported.



The study authors project that the global population will peak at 9.7 billion near 2064, then fall to 8.8 billion by the end of the century, conclusively debunking fears that the world will run out of food and other natural resources. The real danger lies in the fact that a population crash could eventually—perhaps in the next two or three centuries—lead to a world with no people. "If you can't [find a solution] then eventually the species disappears," warns University of Washington researcher Christopher Murray.







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Innovations in genetics are already changing our lives for the better, and will continue to do so. Using gene-editing technology, for instance, scientists are reversing blindness, battling HIV and expanding our access to nutritious and sustainably produced food. But every decision involves trade-offs, and our choice to implement new genomic technologies is no different.



Josh Rappoport



The enormous databases of personal genetic data amassed by companies like 23andMe could help investigators catch violent criminals, but misuse of that information could send innocent people to prison for years. Similarly, knowledge of people's ancestry may lead to personalized treatments for severe diseases, say COVID-19, though it could also serve as misplaced intellectual justification for fringe political ideologues with racist worldviews.



These are but a few examples of the implications that come with advances in our understanding of genetics. Critical issues like reproductive rights, indeed how we reproduce, will undoubtedly be impacted in the coming years. It is therefore imperative that policy makers and the public pay attention to the dramatic advances in genetics that are on the horizon and make sure these technologies are used ethically, says biologist Josh Rappoport, author of the recently released book Mapping Humanity: How modern genetics is changing criminal justice, personalized medicine, and our identities.



On this episode of Science Facts and Fallacies, Rappoport joins GLP managing editor Cameron English to discuss these innovations in modern genetics and why everybody needs to take an interest in how they work.







Joshua Z. Rappoport, Ph.D., is the executive director, Research Infrastructure at Boston College, and the author of the newly published Mapping Humanity: How Modern Genetics Is Changing Criminal Justice, Personalized Medicine, and Our Identities. Follow him on LinkedIn



Cameron J. English is the GLP’s managing editor. BIO. Follow him on Twitter @camjenglish