Highlighting the use of evidence
I spotted this blog article on Friday morning and sent it on to one of my colleagues, and soon it was sent around all the blog team here at CABI. This whole topic of the use of an icon/logo to highlight the use of peer-reviewed evidence has caused a great deal of discussion and a…
What do you know about biodiversity?
(Fischer, A.; Young, J. C., 2007) What do you know about biodiversity? Would you like to be more involved in biodiversity management policies in your local area? Biodiversity is a hot topic in environmental sciences and policy, often linked with a growing awareness of the need for sustainability and conservation of a species-rich and diverse…
A parasite that affects the mind
A colleague recently drew my attention to a study1 entitled ‘Is Toxoplasma gondii a potential risk for traffic accidents in Turkey?’; it appears that it is, which lends support to the idea that it is a more significant public health problem than it is often thought to be. T. gondii is a protozoan parasite whose…
Consultation on proposed EU Soil Framework Directive
The EU proposed a Framework Directive for Soils in September 2006, after a consultation with member states discovered that only nine had legislation to protect against soil degradation. This directive lays down a framework within which Member States must introduce domestic law and policy to protect their soils from various threats and ensure remediation of…
Why should we? – India and China won’t
As well as blaming people for building/buying on floodplains (we all need somewhere to live and 10% of total land in England lies within areas of flood risk) people can reduce the impact of heavy rainfall by installing water butts to capture runoff and by providing plenty of permeable surfaces around their property. Built up…
Two pints of lager and a tin of sardines
Here’s one for the pub this weekend: omega-3 fortified Bacardi Breezers, or maybe a Tropical Reef with the rest of the aquarium thrown in? Make mine an old-fashioned snowball made with omega-3 fortified eggs
No go for the GM Danio
Last week tropical fishkeepers in New Zealand were alerted to the presence of GM zebra danios available for sale online. The fish, which have been engineered to produce fluorescent proteins, are not authorised for sale in NZ and biosecurity officials have said that any fish traced would be collected and put down. The fish known…
Bamboo socks and bicycles
Is there no end to the usefulness of bamboo? They can now make bamboo socks that stop your feet smelling! The makers claim that they are softer and more durable than cotton and contain a natural odour-eating magic ingredient called “Bamboo-kin” – an anti-microbial agent that kills the organisms that create smelly feet. The cellulose…
Take one funny film twice daily
I saw this paper while selecting items for the database and had to share it. This study found that laughing at a comic film increases melatonin excretion into breast milk and babies fed this milk suffer fewer atopic eczema symptoms. Sounds like the treatment for atopic eczema could suddenly become fun! Hajime Kimata, the author…
What are my chances of catching an interesting parasite?
For most of the time that I have worked at CABI I have dealt, among other things, with articles on parasitology, and reading about some of the things that can be caught from undercooked meat or fish has made me tend to avoid it. However, on a recent holiday on the Trans-Siberian railway I stopped…