Now wash your hands
Handwashing. So simple, so easy, and so effective at preventing the spread of diseases. Use soap and water, rub all surfaces of the hand while singing Happy Birthday twice! The result? Up to 50% reduced diarrhoea and respiratory infections. Handwashing is the most cost effective health activity there is, says the World Health Organization. Read…
Canada strikes gold, but Olympics given a bronze rating on climate change
Canada's gold medal winner – Picture by BBC Sport. Yesterday, Canada ended its 34 year wait for an Olympic gold medal won on home soil, with a win for Alexandre Bilodeau in the men's moguls event in Vancouver. But the 2010 Winter Olympics were given only a bronze medal for climate protection initiatives by the Vancouver-based David…
Could new rubber plantations cause malaria re-emergence in northeastern Thailand?
If you’ve been to Thailand recently you probably enjoyed a week or two in a stunningly beautiful country with great tropical weather and lots of interesting culture. What’s more you were probably relieved to be able to enjoy all this without the inconvenience of taking anti-malarial drugs every day unlike many other tropical destinations. However,…
Where now for GM food in India?
India has this week deferred commercial cultivation of what would have been its first genetically modified (GM) food crop. Production of Bt aubergine has been put on hold while further research is done. India has grown transgenic cotton since 2002, and GM varieties now account for 80% of plantings, but aubergine would have been the…
Can ecotourism help save the tiger?
Last week, fellow hand-picked blogger Vicki Bonham posted an article about the problems facing tigers in the wild. Coincidentally, a few days after reading this a set of news alerts on tigers hit my inbox. At the end of January, a high-level meeting in Thailand for the first time laid the groundwork for joint action…
Will Non-Transgenic GM Plants Win Favour with Regulators and the Public?
The creation of transgenic plants often involves the use of DNA sequences from bacteria and other non-plant organisms – in particular as vectors to introduce the desired genes. However, some people are concerned about the use of DNA from such distantly related sources, and regulators require separate rules to be complied with for transgenic plants…
2010: Chinese Year of the Tiger
If, like me, you were born in Year of the Tiger, you’ll be glad to know that tiger people are lively and brave, are well liked and always land on their feet. Unfortunately, for tigers in the wild the outlook for 2010 doesn’t look too good… Tigers are under a severe and growing threat from…
Can Haiti’s struggling agro-economy recover?
The earthquake that hit Haiti may have killed as many as 200,000, and delivering food to survivors is proving very difficult. However, Haiti was already suffering from major problems in trying to feed itself well before the earthquake struck, as detailed in many papers on CAB Abstracts. Haiti has a notable problem of food security, write…
Agricultural ‘Research for Development’
Last week I posted a blog article reporting the UK's publication of a new science strategy designed to help improve food security and sustainability. One bit of the Food and Innovation Research Strategy announcement which caught my eye was the statement that research investment in agriculture by the UK's DFID (Department for International Development) was…
The 50 Best Inventions of 2009
I came across the Time Magazine 50 best inventions of 2009 list this morning and thought it’s worth sharing with the ‘handpicked and carefully sorted’ readers. The list includes number 1 – NASA’s Ares Rockets; number 4 – the smart thermostat; number 8 – the AIDS vaccine; number 22 – the custom puppy; and number…