Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchMango Domestication and Diversity
Episode 156
The mango is an incredibly important fruit worldwide, yet little is known about its precise origins or domestication. Today’s podcast explores this i…
7 years, 10 months ago
Listener Questions; LaCroix Water Lawsuit
Episode 155
Today’s episode is where Kevin Folta answers common questions from listeners. In the second half, we discuss the recent lawsuit against LaCroix and t…
7 years, 10 months ago
Nitrogen Fixing and Corn
Episode 154
Nitrogen is required for plant growth, and is a significant input in terms of cost and environmental impact. While plants are literally surrounded by…
7 years, 10 months ago
Thalidomide- Molecular Mechanism of Action
Episode 153
The drug thalidomide was developed with tremendous promise in managing a variety of disorders, such as anxiety and morning sickness. However, a few …
7 years, 11 months ago
Vanilla Uses, Diversity and Improvement
Episode 152
There is a vanilla crisis. The familiar flavor agent is a mixture of chemicals from an orchid- and there’s not enough being produced to satisfy dema…
7 years, 11 months ago
Effectiviolgy – Sharpening Critical Thinking Skills
Episode 151
In framing effective discussions about any subject it is important to understand human psychology, and the mistakes we make in debate. It also is im…
7 years, 11 months ago
Glyphosate Trends in Agriculture
Episode 150
The herbicide glyphosate has been in use for over 40 years. It is non-selective (kills all plants), it is inexpensive and has extremely low toxicity…
7 years, 11 months ago
Transparency vs. Confidentiality
Episode 149
This last week podcast host Kevin Folta found himself in a difficult predicament. There was palpable outrage by those affiliated with a science webs…
8 years ago
Malaria, Artemisia and Artemisinin
Episode 148
Malaria is a tremendous world health problem, affecting the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the developing (and industrialized) world. One…
8 years ago
Chicken Domestication
Episode 147
The chicken is by far the most abundant animal farmed on earth, grown for meat and eggs. But where did it come from? What kinds of birds were domes…
8 years ago