GLP podcast and video: 10 myths about modern farming, debunked; New malaria and polio vaccines could save thousands of lives

Many harmful myths about farming persist on social media. Let’s explore some of the most common falsehoods about agriculture you’re likely to encounter on Twitter. New malaria and polio vaccines are on their way. Could these novel immunizations help us finally put two devastating diseases in check?

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Join host Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 225 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

• US agriculture: a toxic soup of factory farming, corporate greed and gene-altered crops? Debunking 10 myths around modern agriculture

So-called “factory farming” harms animals? New technologies only benefit large companies? These and a handful of other myths about modern agriculture continue to circulate online, deceiving millions of people about the safety and ethics of food production. One farmer has had enough of the nonsense. Let’s discuss her rebuttals to some of the most popular falsehoods about farming.

• A new malaria vaccine could save thousands of lives in Ghana. Here’s everything you need to know about it

Before 2015, the world had made significant progress in preventing the spread of malaria by controlling the mosquitoes that vector the disease. In recent years, and especially following the COVID pandemic, malaria has made somewhat of a resurgence. This unfortunate development had one silver lining, though: it spurred the production of a new malaria vaccine. Ghana is poised to begin giving the shot to thousands of people, hopefully encouraging surrounding countries to follow its lead. Combined with an earlier malaria vaccine and insect-control tools such as pesticides, experts are hopeful we can regain the ground we’ve lost to malaria over the last eight years.

• Old polio vaccines can mutate into a dangerous version of the disease — but a new ‘super-engineered’ vaccine is much safer

Existing polio vaccines have nearly eradicated the disease; today the virus is endemic in just two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, one of the lingering problems is that the oral polio vaccine can, on rare occasions, mutate and allow vaccinated individuals to spread polio to their unvaccinated neighbors. Scientists may have devised a permanent solution to this alarming side effect by engineering a polio vaccine that cannot mutate. The enhanced immunization is undergoing clinical trials to ensure its safety and efficacy. If it survives these rigorous tests, the new vaccine could help us finally eliminate polio.

Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter @camjenglish