Leonardo Da Vinci’s water theory: the bedrock of hydrology

Water is the driving force of all nature (Leonardo Da Vinci, 1452-1519) Whilst screening a pile of publications, I recently came across a new book entitled Leonardo Da Vinci’s Water Theory: on the origin and fate of water. As Da Vinci himself, the book is fascinating, revealing and inspiring. Leonardo Da Vinci’s water theory opens…
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Man Flu Really Exists, New Study Shows

Man flu is considered by large segments of society to be the psychological condition of men with colds. It is often said that when men have a cold they think it is a flu and as a consequence they moan more than women and stay longer in bed until they feel better. Man flu is…
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Pandemic influenza: the worst economic scenario

The threat of an influenza pandemic has disappeared from headlines again lately, at least in the UK where a political scandal around MPs expenses has driven everything else off the news. But that doesn't mean that the outbreak has died down yet. In fact, just over 1000 new cases have been confirmed worldwide in the…
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Ask our invasive expert a question today

Arne Witt is the coordinator for Invasive Species at CABI Africa based in Nairobi, Kenya. Arne is responsible for coordinating all CABI activities associated with Invasive Alien Species (IAS) on the African continent. He is also the current International Project Coordinator for the UNEP-GEF project, “Removing Barriers to Invasive Plant Management in Africa”. You can…
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New ideas in global health biotechnology: the outpouring of creativity!

Can tomatoes be taught to make antiviral drugs for people who eat them? Would zapping your skin with a laser make your vaccination work better? Could malaria-carrying mosquitoes be given a teensy head cold that would prevent them from sniffing out a human snack bar?
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H1N1 Flu Panic Hits Pigs and Producers Hard

More than a month since the first reports of influenza in humans in Mexico, the first case of the H1N1 influenza in pigs has been reported. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced on 2 May that a H1N1 influenza virus was found in a pig herd in Alberta. Since then, the CFIA has assured…
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The curious research of Mark Button

I thought the hand picked readers might want a little distraction from A/H1N1 virus flu (the flu previously known as swine flu), so I thought how about a blog on toenails for a change? Well, it’s about a research paper I came across recently, which used toenail clippings to detect human exposure to arsenic (As).…
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‘Swine flu’ travel response: pandering to stupidity?

We have been featuring H1N1 influenza heavily here on 'Hand picked' lately, in line with the worldwide headlines the virus has been making since the emergence of an outbreak in Mexico. From the daily travel news alerts which hit my inbox, the virus has not only hit tourism in Mexico severely, but has also raised…
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I have a flu – how do I know it isn’t swine flu (H1N1 virus flu)?

Well, I don’t! And I probably will never know. Read on to find out why…  
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Pigs Escape Influenza, but They Get Slaughtered Anyway

Since the first reports of a new strain of H1N1 influenza virus causing human casualties in Mexico, and then in other countries there has been a deluge of news, special reports, opinions and interviews on the topic. Most of them erroneously refer to the disease as “Swine Flu”. However, according to the Centers for Disease…
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