October 23, 2017 8:53 pm

Tuesday, Explore the World of Biotechnology with StarTalk All-Stars

What is bio-technology? Well, if you’re like me, it’s an industry that you’ve heard about but the specifics are still somewhat mysterious. This week on StarTalk All-Stars we dive into a discussion about biotechnology and its global impact.

Join astrobiologist and host David Grinspoon, Eureka! Science Comedy podcast host Allen Saakyan, comic co-host Harrison Greenbaum, and Randal J. Kirk, CEO of Intrexon as they explore the past, present, and future of biotechnology in this episode, which was recorded live at Worlds Fair Nano in September.

Although at first this episode may seem a little heavy on biotech terminology, the panel was very engaging and interesting to listen to throughout the podcast. You’ll hear them discuss the beginnings of biotechnology, the concerns about the industry, and some of the new developments happening in the world today.

You’ll also hear about how biotechnology is actually not new – we’ve been systemically genetically engineering for 12,000 years, however today it’s better (e.g.: it now allows apples not to brown) – and why we should consider ourselves Earth’s tech support, a discussion on “gene drive” technology and why biotechnology companies need to be responsible when developing and introducing new technologies of any kind. All that and more, plus answers to the age-old questions: “what are we doing here – why are we here?”

This episode is full of a lot of interesting and thought-provoking conversation on biotechnology but after listening myself, some of the ideas still seem a bit theoretical. Although very promising, just like any cutting-edge (no pun intended) technology, hard results will allow this industry to move forward. However, that’s just my opinion, be the judge for yourself!

Please join us tomorrow night for StarTalk All-Stars at Worlds Fair Nano: The Future of Bio-Technology at 7pm ET right here on our website, as well as on our All-Stars channels on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn. If you’re an All-Access subscriber, you can watch or listen to this episode ad-free at 7pm, too. And remember that you can also catch next week’s StarTalk All-Stars episode one week early on TuneIn, at tunein.com/startalkallstars.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
–Ian Mullen