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Global News, Rachel Parent, and a Deliberate Hit Piece

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 I remember going back to Chicago to visit my father just before Christmas in 2015.  The previous months had been brutal, and I was finally healing after activists deliberately misinterpreted my emails and the New York Times made false accusations that I traded grants for lobbying time. The personal and professional fallout was awful, but subsiding. It was perfect timing for those seeking my demise to pile-on, to take another shot at a career academic researcher that has dedicated his time to research in indoor agriculture lighting and the genomics of small fruit flavor. His efforts to communicate the science behind biotechnology still were not appreciated by many.   US Right to Know, a now irrelevant fossil of the anti-science crusade against biotechnology commissioned Allison Vuchnich of Global News Canada to drop the hammer in a carefully coordinated next phase of career assassination.  After all, I survived a their claims of malfeasance, quid-pro-quo payoffs, and colluding with c

Colchicine and COVID19

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 The response from plant biologists was a unified "YIKES!" Colchicine?  Really?  That's the stuff we use to wreck biology, or at least give its decedents too many chromosomes.  A recent press release exclaimed the therapeutic effects of this regent in the treatment of COVID19.  A clinical trial of 6000 planned individuals was performed in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multi institutional study. The study was piloted by the Montreal Heart Institute. Other international institutions are also examining its effect in separate clinical trials.  Colchine is derived from the crocus flower, and is best known for its ability to arrest cell division by disrupting the molecular cables that attach to chromosomes. These tiny fibers pull normally pull half of the chromosomes into each new daughter cell. Colchicine disrupts their formation, meaning one cell gets a heavy load of genetic material.  In plant biology that can be a good thing.  Plants with extra sets of

Anti-Vaxer Wins the Battle

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In a recent online event, a graphic was posted to introduce the speakers of a COVID19 vaccine panel. In the first 30 seconds a remotely-controlled cursor festooned the graphic with swastikas and grade-school-quality penis line art. The audio belched forth misogynist filth and racial epithets. The screen was commandeered with a pornographic video. A thought bubble over one the seminar’s presenters was stating, “I hate n — — rs.” Red ink is mine. Leaving the words is just so much more visceral, but I can’t do it Be disgusted. Understand the climate of thoughtful pandemic science communication in the Zoom Era. The presentation was arranged by Dr. Miriam Fein from the Science Advocacy of Long Island (SALI). I was one of the speakers. All of us volunteered our time in the interest in promoting better public health, and pushing back against copious disinformation around SARS-CoV2 and its impending vaccinations. The audience was good, over 50 at the start. Dr. Fein moved quickly and attempte

Understanding mRNA Vaccines - Webinar

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  As the COVID19 vaccine rolls out it is critical to understand how it works, its efficacy, as well as its risks and benefits.  Actively opposing disinformation will be key in achieving broad public compliance and ultimately ensuring public health. What is the history of the mRNA vaccine?   How does this approach differ from previous vaccination strategies?  Is this really new technology?  These questions and many more will be answered, along with your specific questions.  Hosted by Dr. Kevin Folta, molecular biologist and host of the Talking Biotech Podcast.