Take care with reintroductions
I recently came across an item in Science Daily describing an article1 in Current Biology about the introduction of a notorious pathogen to an endangered animal population by reintroductions from a captive breeding programme. The Mallorcan Midwife Toad, Alytes muletensis, classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, has been found to be infected with the fungus…
Should pastoralism get a better press?
A rich vein of news and information on the environment, conservation and development is finding its way into the mainstream media at the moment from the IUCN World Conservation Congress currently taking place in Barcelona, Spain. Among the reports making the science news headlines is the latest Red List of threatened species, suggesting that as…
Environmental Impact!
CABI launches Environmental Impact internet resource A huge amount of information on the effects of humans on the biosphere is widely available on the internet and elsewhere – it’s hard to escape the constant deluge of information on climate change even when you’re not looking for it – but where can researchers go to separate…
Janice Osborn
Janice Osborn Senior Editor, Content Development (Socioeconomics, Human Science) I’ve been producing content for CABI’s socioeconomics area since 1985. On leaving the party capital of the North, Newcastle upon Tyne, with a B.Sc. in agricultural economics, I joined CABI as an abstractor based in the far more sedate city of Oxford. I am now responsible…
Canine distemper and Paget’s disease: zoonotic?
I came across a brief report in a local Michigan paper (thanks to the internet) of an outbreak of distemper in Manistee County, Michigan. The short report said that “Police said they’ve recently shot at least a dozen foxes and raccoons wandering around backyards and golf courses. A local veterinarian was reported to have said…
Is Your Dog Over 60?
Dogs age more rapidly than humans, especially large breed dogs, and it is thought that one year to a human can be as many as seven years biologically for a pet dog. For example, if your dog is eight years of age, in “human years” your pet is approaching his sixties. The life expectancy of…
Mine is 5.68 – what is yours?
I’m talking about my carbon footprint, of course, which I just had calculated for me by British Gas, and I thought I’d share it with you. It is actually the carbon footprint for my household, which I found out is a bit above the British household average (5.1 tonnes per year). I also found out…
How Green are Biofuels?
Palm oil and ethanol from maize and wheat may contribute to energy security, but are counterproductive in limiting climate change.”
Only 2 Days Left until World Rabies Day 2008!
Organisations around the world will be aiming to raise awareness and understanding about the importance of rabies prevention on the second annual World Rabies Day on 28 September. The Alliance for Rabies Control (ARC) is leading World Rabies Day (WRD) initiative, which is sponsored by numerous human and animal health organizations worldwide too. Its aim…
Hospital Food Anyone?
There’s a new virus spreading around geriatric wards of the UK’s National Health Service and it’s got hospital managers quaking in their pinstriped suits. Even more worrying than MRSA, this infectious little viral is set to infect the elderly, making them – and their carers – proactive.