1000 diseases mapped!
This month sees the publication of map number 1000 of Distribution Maps of Plant Diseases the authoritative source for accurate data on the worldwide distribution of plant diseases of economic or quarantine importance, published by CABI in association with the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). First published in 1942, Distribution Maps of Plant…
Cancer Prevention for Pets?
Cancer prevention is a relatively new concept within the medical and veterinary research community, with emphasis predominantly on treatment. However, this month the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation in the USA has announced the launch of a major cancer prevention trial in pet dogs. The study, funded by Procter & Gamble Pet Care, will enroll…
Orangutan Diary
Last night saw the beginning of the BBC’s Orangutan Diary, a week in the life of orangutans at the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Project in Borneo. The programme highlighted the enormous problems being faced by orangutans – from being kept as pets through to devastating habitat loss. During the capture of an adult orangutan from a…
Funky and unusual, it brings you lots of luck!
But less luck for the toad… Cane toads have been in the news again lately. Huge specimens have been found and last week one individual, dubbed ‘Toadzilla’, was picked up weighing in at just under two pounds. The toxic toads have become a pest since their introduction in 1935 and, in desperation, Australians are spending…
Peat – sink or source
It was reported in the news today that the UK’s carbon emissions rose by 1.25% over the last year, while overall greenhouse gas emissions stayed on Kyoto targets. Many people won’t be too concerned by this rise, seeing that we are still well below the 1995 CO2 emissions and have reduced other greenhouse gases. I…
A healthy dose of stress
Stress may not be good for our health, but it seems that it might be at the heart of the recent crop of reports that organic fruits and vegetables might be better for us than those grown by conventional methods. After a paper published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture found…
MUM’s not going to poison you
When I buy mineral water, though I don’t usually read the label, I generally expect it to contain the usual sodium, magnesium, calcium salts. Commercial bottled waters in most countries I have travelled to supply this information as a result of a legal requirement. What did come as a surprise was the approximate mineral composition…
Cataloguing Life
Today sees the launch of the Catalogue of Life, a taxonomic checklist of 1 million of the world’s organisms. The catalogue contains contributions from 47 databases constructed by more than 3000 taxonomists and species specialists from around the world. Jointly produced by Species 2000 and ITIS, this 7th edition encapsulates data from 1 million species…
China’s functional food honey-trap
Two brief reports in the most recent edition of Food Manufacture magazine reflect the fascination that the western industrialised world has in the opportunities and dangers of doing business in China. On the one hand, a delegation of food manufacturers and academics brought back information on some 8000 ingredients used in traditional Chinese medicine from…
World Water Day
March 22nd is World Water Day, which this year is themed: ‘Coping with Water Scarcity’. This year’s theme highlights the increased significance of water scarcity across the globe – From Africa and increased desertification, Australia and the increase in the number of droughts in past years to the UK and the water shortage that hits…