Join me as we dig into a heaped serving of GMO crops through the lens of science, history, and culture. From the Victorian origins of plant genetics through to the genetically modified world we live in today. I’m Dr. Orlando de Lange and I’ll be your guide as we explore true stories that just might change how you think about the past, present and future of food.
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A quick update on what to expect from Season 2 and when to expect it.
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, Emm
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 S
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 in
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 stu
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/biot
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
From hacking bacteria to blasting your way into the heart of the cell, in this episode we explore the ways to get a transgene into a plant cell and go from there to a whole genetically engineered plant. Key references Herrera-Estrella L. My journey into the birth of plant transgenesis and its impact on modern plant biology. Plant Biotechnol J. 2020 Chimeric Genes as Dominant Selectable Markers in Plant Cells. Herrera-Estrella et al., 1983, the EMBO Journal. - First publication of delivering a recombinant T-DNA plasmid into plant cells. History of Plant Tissue Culture. Trevor A Thorpe. Universi
How did a few labs in the San Francisco area transform our relationship to life itself?
What actually is plant breeding and how did it become so deeply intertwined with genetics?
Learn what sushi and sugar beets can teach us about how to turn a plant into a crop and how this connects to GMOs.
Ant plants, Chameleon plants, and skinny-peel mangoes. Let's dive into your questions and I'll do my best to answer them. References Leaf Mimicry in a Climbing Plant Protects Against Herbivory - Gianoli & Carrasco-Urra - Current Biology, 2014 Boquila trifoliata Mimics Leaves of an Artificial Plastic Host Plant - White & Yamashita - Plant Signaling & Behavior, 2021 Endophytic Bacterial Communities are Associated with Leaf Mimicry in the Vine Boquila trifoliata - Gianoli et al. - Scientific Reports, 2021 How the Tulip Breaking Virus Created Striped Tulips - Wong, Carrero & Hillen - Communication
How do plants defend themselves, fighting a war of attrition cell by cell? And how did a scientist in Minnesota in the 1950s reshape how we understand plant immune systems and the genetics at their heart. And of course, how does this all connect to GMOs? Let’s find out.
What are these little bundles of DNA we call genes and how does a bunch of genes work together to make a whole plant? In this episode we’ll take a journey through plant genetics and see why scientists have been so keen to unlock these secrets and ultimately to shape them to human ends. References: On the history of Japanese rice research in Taiwan: Tracing the Roots of Taiwanese Rice. Cathy Teng, photos Chuang Kung-ju, tr. by Scott Williams July 2016 Leow, W.Y. (2020). Horai Rice in the Making of Japanese Colonial Taiwan. Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review 9(1), 40-66. Wikip
Around the same time as Miescher was tinkering with DNA in Tubingen castle, a middle aged friar-scientist Gregor Mendel was experimenting with inheritance of pea plants. He was the first to define a set of mathematical rules behind inheritance that birthed the field of genetics - a field that lay dormant for a few decades before exploding in the 1900s, and continues to develop to this day. Genetics gives us the tools to reshape the living world with intention and at speed. References: 1. Versuche über Pflanzenhybriden. Zwei Abhandlungen. (1865 und 1869.) Von Gregor Mendel. Herausgegeben von Er
Genes can be a metaphor for our sense of self. But they are also real, physical, things made up of DNA parts, locked inside the cells of every living organism. In this episode we explore the materiality of genes, as well as some of the human stories behind the science. References: Waclaw Szybalski on Martha Chase - Cold Spring Harbor laboratory - Oral history collections. Martha Chase at the University of Rochester: The Woman in STEM Who Was Forgotten. The Journal of Undergraduate Research - University of Rochester. Spring 2024, Volume 22, Issue 2. Michelle A. Bischoff ‘24, Xuke Wang, Erin Son
The roots of today’s genetically modified world stretch back two centuries, to a castle kitchen in Southern Germany. This episode will set the stage for our whole podcast introducing key themes and foundational concepts of genetics and molecular biology.
Everything you wanted to know about GMO crops and hopefully a lot of things you would have never thought to ask. Announcing Modified, a new podcast by Dr. Orlando de Lange - plant scientist, biotechnology educator, and lover of podcasts. This announcement episode briefly introduces the podcast and lets you know what to expect.
