Bio-Talk-Nowledge-y

Communicating the Science of Science Communication

Kevin M. FoltaProfessor and Chair

Horticultural Sciences Department

kfolta.blogspot.com@kevinfolta

kfolta@ufl.edu

"There is a path to truth and sincerity that you must guard and defend“

-- Teruyuki Okazaki

Structure:

Hour 1 Introductions, justification, nuts and bolts on how biotech crops work

Hour 2 Why is there a problem? Mythbusting.

Break Break

Hour 3 Rethinking biotech communication / missed opportunities

Goal

You should be able to:

Discuss these topics with authority

Organize public discussions, participate in debate

Forward the scientific discussion in social media

Today is a first step.

Why bother?

Negatives

You get a lot of grief.

It takes time.

Positives

It is sharing science, educating

Most people just don’t understand

The acceptance of good technology is delayed by non-scientific resistance.

What happens if we do nothing?

Introduction of bad public policy

Misdirection from legitimate problems

Delaying emerging science that could benefit

Suspicion of proven successes

Mistrust of science/scientists

Reliance on less useful technology

Public labs, small co’s can’t compete

Harming non-GMO industries

Communicating the Message (Specific)

• Master a central core of key concepts

• Understand mechanisms of current traits

• Know how to convey concepts to the scientifically illiterate without “dumbing it down”

• Be able to address basic mythology

• Emphasize lost opportunities

• Active engagement and participation

Increasing difficulty

Nuts and Bolts of Frankenfoods

Kevin M. FoltaAssociate Professor and Chair

Horticultural Sciences Department

kfolta.blogspot.com@kevinfolta

kfolta@ufl.edu

Central Core Concepts

Humans have always participated in plant genetic improvement.

Transgenic crop technology (familiar “GMO”) is a precise extension of conventional plant breeding.

“The techniques used pose no more risk (actually less risk) than conventional breeding.” (NAS, AAAS, AMA, EFSA many others)

In 18 years there has not been one case of illness or death related to these products

In the USA there are several traits used in only eight commercial crops (others have been deregulated, but are not currently used)

It is not natural…

The first step is to defuse the appeal to nature fallacy, that is, if it is natural, it is superior to anything with human intervention.

All due to mutations and genomic alterations

All required human intervention for breeding and/or selection

GM Adoption

GM Crops Available Now

Three Main Traits

Virus Resistance

Insect Resistance

Herbicide Resistance

How do we make a transgenic plant?

Get gene of interest into a single cell

Exploit the property of “Totipotency”

How Do We Add a Gene to a Plant?

Totipotency

Introduce the concept of plant cellular plasticity.

Cuttings, rooting

Plant cells can change identity

Some single cells can regenerate into a whole new plant, a clone.

Try that with your animal cells!

Agrobacterium tumefaciens

A plant pathogen that injects its DNA into the plant upon infection. This allows the bacterium to createan environment where it can best survive.

Agrobacterium species occur naturally and areresponsible for causing “galls” in infected plants.

Scientists have exploited this property of the organism to performgene transfer in the laboratory!

New plants contain new gene constructs

How Do We Make this Understandable?

Turn OFF something that normally is ON

Turn ON something that is normally OFF or not there

Central Dogma of Molecular Biology

DNA – genetic material, Hard copy safe in the nucleus of a cell

RNA – Transient copy of the same information (+/-)

Protein – Does the work! Enzymes, structures, etc.

Papaya Ringspot VirusGood example of RNAi suppression

Gene Silencing

GM papaya saved an industry, not a Big Ag product

Share the vision, what else could we silence? - allergens- anti-nutrients- physiology associated with post-harvest decay- many others!!

Turn something ON that isn’t there normally

GMO Crops Make Pesticides

Bt is one of many natural anti-insect proteins

Bt is one of many natural anti-insect proteins

How Bt Works

bt

Advantages

Decrease in broad-spectrum insecticide use on corn and cotton

Lower fuel and labor costs for farmers

Solid dividends in the developing world

No effect on beneficials

Limitations

Need to plant refugia to slow resistance

Pockets of resistance are seen and require use of insecticides

Requires careful scouting

Roundup Ready Products

A gene is inserted that allows plants to survive in the presence of the herbicide. Farmers can spray to kill non-transgenic plants.

How Herbicide Resistance Works

A B C Aminoacids proteins

epsps

glyphosate

XPlants

How Herbicide Resistance Works

A B C Aminoacids proteins

epspsglyphosate

X

A B C Aminoacids proteins

epsps

Plants

Bacteria

glyphosate

How Herbicide Resistance Works

A B C Aminoacids proteins

epsps

epsps

Plants

X

glyphosate

A B C Aminoacids proteins

Bacteria

glyphosate

How Herbicide Resistance Works

A B C Aminoacids proteins

epsps

Plants

glyphosate

Resistance!

•Talk about limitations

The point is– this is not a scientific debate.- benefits far outweigh limitations and new solutions are coming.

This is not a farming debate.-farmers freely choose the technology because it works.

This is a SOCIAL debate fueled by fear and misinformation.

Mythbusting – What We Hear vs What Actually Is True

Kevin M. FoltaAssociate Professor and Chair

Horticultural Sciences Department

kfolta.blogspot.com@kevinfolta

kfolta@ufl.edu

Who is most influential in the discussion?

Oz Smith Shiva Adams Mercola Food Babe

There is money to be made in manufacturing risk.

Activists can hijack venues that appear scientific

Predatory publishing allows publication of work that lacks scientific rigor

A lot of this is anti-corporate sentiment

“They hate corporations more than they love people” – Hank Campbell, Science 2.0

Manufacturing Risk

True or False?

“Terminator” Seeds

Farmers Forced to Buy Seeds

Farmers do what works

Seeds are well trialed before adoption

Non-transgenic options are available

They do sign a binding agreement when buying seeds

Litigation for severe breaches, not for “a few seeds blown into field”

Agent Orange Seeds!

2,4-D is a synthetic auxin

It was used as a component of Agent Orange, one of the “rainbow herbicides”

2,4-D and 2,4,5-T were used in Agent Orange, as defoliant in SE Asia military campaigns

2,4,5-T contained co-purifying dioxin that caused health problems

Manufactured by 16 companies for the campaign

The disinformation machine

Manufacture of risk around transgenic technologyTo make a few bucksTo promote their productsTo drive an anti-corporate agenda

This false information resonates to concerned individuals

The bad information clouds the conversation and slows deployment of good technology

True or False?

Kathage and Qian 2012

True or False?

Seralini et al 2012Figure 3

Relative number of Starbucks

Organic food sales

Manufacturing the Perception of Riskconfusing correlation and causality

Standard Curve

Log (Input) ng/ml

Det

ectio

n Lo

g ng

/ml

*cord*maternal

GROWTH in CULTURE HORMONE DETECTION

3/21/15

But what does the anti-GM movement say?

The disinformation machine

Manufacture of risk around transgenic technologyTo make a few bucksTo promote their productsTo drive an anti-corporate agenda

This false information resonates to concerned individuals

The bad information clouds the conversation and slows deployment of good technology

Part 3 – How to Talk About How to Talk About Science

Kevin M. FoltaProfessor and Chairman

Horticultural Sciences Department

kfolta.blogspot.com@kevinfolta

kfolta@ufl.edu

Everyone Loves New Technology

New Awareness

FarmersDeveloping World

The NeedyFood Safety

Environment

Consumers

But What About Agricultural Biotechnology?

Generally:

People don’t have any idea what it is.

People don’t know how biology works.

Few understand farming and supply chains.

The just know that they don’t like biotech crops.

Rel

ativ

e nu

mbe

r in

popu

latio

n

Relative scientific understanding

ActivistsFarmers,scientists,

Etc.

MOST PEOPLE!!!!

Based on findings from UF PIE Center

1996 Today Wide ApplicationSmart RegulationPublic Participation

Minor CropsConsumer Traits

Acceptance GapX years

Minor effectors:Continued safe implementationConsumer-centric traits

Major effectors:Decreasing credibility of vocal minorityRecognition as complementary / synergistic

with organic/sustainable

#1 EffectorCommunication via high-credibility channels

Less impact of “leaders”

Lost opportunities rise

Shifting the Middle

Communicating the Message (General)

• Communication is listening and responding• You must prove that you understand their concern• Always discuss strengths and limitations• If you don’t know, offer to find out• This is about sharing science, not beating people

to death with it.

• This is not as much a scientific exercise as a communications exercise.

Communicating the Message (Specific)

• Master a central core of key concepts

• Understand mechanisms of current traits

• Know how to convey concepts to the scientifically illiterate without “dumbing it down”

• Be able to address basic mythology

• Emphasize lost opportunities

• Active engagement and participation

Increasing difficulty

Central Core Concepts

Humans have always participated in plant genetic improvement.

Transgenic crop technology (familiar “GMO”) is a precise extension of conventional plant breeding.

“The techniques used pose no more risk (actually less risk) than conventional breeding.” (NAS, AAAS, AMA, EFSA many others)

In 17 years there has not been one case of illness or death related to these products

In the USA there are several traits used in only nine commercial crops

How do we fix this?

First – Dispelling the Naturalistic Fallacy

Remind audiences that genetic improvement of food is a continuum.

Very little of the food you eat comes from here.

None of the food you eat is like its “natural” form

GM technology is simply the most precise version of an age-old practice.

COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

“FACTS DON’T MATTER.”- Tamar Haspel

People reject the validity of scientific conclusions if they contradict their deeply held views

“Backfire Effect”- when confronted with evidence that is contrary to their views, people tend to believe that the evidence is distorted. They also “dig in the heels” with their beliefs

Cultural Cognition – belief in trangenic harm as part of a package of beliefs

False Equivalence, “no consensus among scientists”

To win hearts and minds we have to come at it from a different angle.

Humanization- I’m a parent… I care about my community… My family’s health is my priority…

Your Priorities- Profits for farmers… low environmental impacts… Food for those that need it… affordable, safe food in the industrialized world…

You can lead smart people to a conclusion- Ask questions, based on impacts for people and the environment.

Your Role is to be a More Trusted Source

1. Your job- “I work for you”, “I would not be able to sleep at night knowing I did something dangerous”

2. Your funding- “all public record”, “companies sell to farmers, if they are not happy, we don’t profit”, “if anyone were to be harmed we’d be out of business”

3. If you have connections to ag companies, talk about them.

4. Know the role of your institution in sponsorship, etc.

Transparency builds trust, trust helps communication.

Avoid these Mistakes

Avoid “feed the world” rhetoric

Discuss strengths and limitations

Not a panacea, not a disaster

Never get backed into the “science no”

“Can you guarantee that these are absolutely safe?”

Rely on Graphics Over Words

Instead of “glyphosate is relatively harmless- don’t worry about it.”

Emphasize the acceptance of technology by farmers.

• Farmers have credibility

• Farmers are tough customers

• Emphasize yield trials, farm trials

Emphasize Scientific Consensus

Social Media Action Step

Start a blog. Write weekly

Get a Twitter account. Post daily

Talk to one person a week that does not understand biotechnology

Contact your representatives and make your voice heard.

Know how to find the educators and reach out to them.

Watch the News, Engage the Comments, Create the Contrast

Use your real name

Provide an email address

Offer to help interpret the media

Always be as kind as possible

My outreach program centers on biotech education

• Improved public understanding• Teaching scientists to be better communicators• Engaging public audiences• Contributing to the social media discussion• Helping to teach those that do not understand

the technology.

Outreach program

Funding from Federal, State sources, some hort crops industry• “How much from Monsanto?”

• Folta = $0• Folta Research = $0• Horticultural Sciences Department (5 years) = $0• UF (5 years) =~$21,000

How do we participate effectively? Winning the Emotional CapitalConsequences and Lost Opportunities

Opposition to this technology has significant costs.

The needyThe environmentFarmersConsumers

Technology Exists NOW

Research has been published demonstrating that transgenic techniques can:

Help farmers.

Biofortify foods with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients

Grow plants in marginal areas

Grow plants with fewer inputs Efficient use of fertilizersInsect resistanceDisease resistance

GMO 2.0

Kevin M. FoltaAssociate Professor and Chair

Horticultural Sciences Department

kfolta.blogspot.com@kevinfolta

kfolta@ufl.edu

Technology Exists NOW

Research has been published demonstrating that transgenic techniques can:

Biofortify foods with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients

Grow plants in marginal areas

Grow plants with fewer inputs Efficient use of fertilizersInsect resistanceDisease resistance

Strawberries requiring less fungicide

Strawberries are the most fungicide-intensive crop

Overexpression of the NPR1 gene allows them to grow in presence of high fungal pressure.

Plants overexpressing NPR1 were inoculated with a series of pathogens and moved to warm, humid conditions.

Golden Rice

X

Farmers

Consumers

Environment

Needy

Opposition to golden rice cost $2 billion to farmers in developing countries and 1.4 million human years – Wesseler et al., 2014

Cassava

Virus Resistant Cassava (VIRCA)

Biocassava Plus (BC Plus)

250 million depend on cassava

50 million tons lost to virus.

X

X Farmers

Consumers

Environment

Needy

Survives moderate drought, especially at key times like flowering It is based on overexpression of a maize stress gene

Non transgenic transgenic

X

X Farmers

Consumers

Environment

Needy

Allergy-Free Peanuts

Peanut – RNAi suppression Ara h2 X

Farmers

Consumers

Environment

Needy

Allergy Free Wheat Using RNAi to repress gliadin levels

BS2 TomatoA pepper gene in tomato eases black spot and wilt.

X

X Farmers

Consumers

Environment

Needy

High Anthocyanin TomatoA transcription factor excites anthocyanin production in fruits

X

X Farmers

Consumers

Environment

Needy

X

Longer shelf life too.

Acrylamide Free, non Browning Potatoes

XX

Farmers

Consumers

Environment

Needy

Non Browning ApplesSilencing a gene that leads to discoloration

XX

Farmers

Consumers

Environment

Needy

Small Business!X

Grapes resistant to Pierce’s Disease

XX

Farmers

Consumers

Environment

Needy

X

Virus Resistant Beans Embrapa, Brazil

Important Central American Crop

transgenic

Non-transgenic

From BASF website

Improved Oil Composition

One acre of omega-3 producing soybeans yields as much oil as 10,000 fish!

Stopping Citrus Greening

Spinach defensin

NPR1

Lytic peptides

Many show promise

Earliest deregulation is 2019

Edible Cotton Seeds!

Gossypol- free

Defense compound to protect seeds

Protein rich seeds could feed 500 M people

Transgenic cotton with suppressed gossypol synthesis

Edible Cotton Seeds!

Chestnut blight has destroyed the American Chestnut.

A single gene confers resistance to the disease.

Not food… so deregulation is an interesting question.

Nitrogen Use Efficiency

Canola, wheat, rice, corn, others

Water Use EfficiencyBetter yields during water deficit

XX

Farmers

Consumers

Environment

Needy

XX

Bacterial Wilt in Bananas

>70% of calories for some areas

GM trials in Uganda

X

X

Farmers

Consumers

Environment

Needy

X

Golden Bananas Beta carotene producing

X

Farmers

Consumers

Environment

Needy

Plant Based Vaccines

Plants can be used to generate antibodies “Plantibodies”

X

Farmers

Consumers

Environment

Needy

X

Where to Learn More About the Pipeline?

www.isaaa.org

National Academies of Sciences

Academics Reviews

kevinfolta@gmail.com

@kevinfolta

Illumination (blog)

Biofortified.org

Genetic Literacy Project.com

gmoanswers.com

Provide a Trail to Good Information

Academics Review : GMOLOL on Facebook : GMO Skeptiform (facebook)Illumination (my blog) :

Conclusions:

The pipeline started with farm-centric products

Few horticultural crops are commercialized due to cost and high barriers in deregulation.

The future products emphasize traits with direct consumer benefit

Emphasizing benefits for consumers, the environment, the developing world and the farmer helps to change hearts and minds.

Other countries will independently pursue the technology.

1996 Today Wide ApplicationSmart RegulationPublic Participation

Minor CropsConsumer Traits

Acceptance GapX years

Minor effectors:Continued safe implementationConsumer-centric traits

Major effectors:Decreasing credibility of vocal minorityRecognition as complementary / synergistic

with organic/sustainable

#1 EffectorCommunication via high-credibility channels

Less impact of “leaders”

Lost opportunities rise

Action StepStart a blog. Write weekly

Get a Twitter account. Post daily

Talk to one person a week that does not understand biotechnology

Contact your representatives and make your voice heard.

Know how to find the educators and reach out to them.

In Conclusion

Our mission is to develop genetics and production methods to generate more food on the same space with fewer inputs.

Learn the basics, or at least learn where to find the basics

When communicating these topics, remember, DON’T BE SUCH A SCIENTIST. Facts don’t matter. You need to be a trusted conduit first, before information can be persuasive.