Bioethanol production arrives in the UK
British Sugar Plant, East Anglia, UK Britain is now officially a producer of bioethanol fuel. The plant, already in operation for a few months, was declared open for business yesterday. Biofuels promise so much, carbon neutrality and reduced reliance on fossil fuels to name a couple. But there are potential pitfalls too – Katherine blogged…
The superfood of the future – Chenopodium quinoa
You may or may not have heard of this already. It’s called quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) and it’s a pseudocereal with properties that have made it an attractive staple food to peoples since the Incas – it was cultivated as early as 3000 BC.Nutritionally, quinoa is thought to be superior to cereal crops as it has…
Happy holidays! ‘Tis the season to be hypertensive
With Thanksgiving now upon us, the holiday season has well and truly arrived. This not being a diet blog, I will most likely be indulging with the best of them. Well it would be rude not to, wouldn’t it? However, while the marketers are encouraging us to stuff it all in (if you’re UK based,…
Pass the Tamiflu!
A bear, a lion and a chicken meet up in a chat room. The bear types: "If I roar in the forests of North America, the entire forest is shivering with fear." Not to be outdone by a mere bear, the lion taps in, "If I roar on the great plains of Africa, the entire…
Maps – Finding Our Place in the World
If you can’t get to Chicago for the Festival of Maps which is currently underway, then why not pop along to the virtual gallery of the exhibition. Navteq have recreated the Chicago Field Museum Maps exhibit in interactive 3D, allowing you to tour the rooms where the maps are hung. By clicking on each of…
Do you blog about peer reviewed research?
If so, the recent announcement from BPR3 (Bloggers for Peer-Reviewed Research Reporting) might be of interest to you and potentially increase the readership of your blog.
Poverty and Human Development, Global theme issue, supported by Tropical Diseases Bulletin
This is the editorial which I wrote for the November issue of Tropical Diseases Bulletin (vol 104 (11), 2007) in support of an international publishing event on Poverty and Human Development. Last month, 234 journals worldwide agreed to publish simultaneously editorials and articles on the theme of Poverty and Human Development, to raise awareness and…
Katrina, flu and bioterrorism
Hello from the American Public Health Association conference. “Whats hot?” you ask. I’d say Katrina, flu and bioterrorism. Yesterday I heard talks from a passionate bunch of people disturbed about how the US government is treating public health in the era of bioterrorism. They talked on flu, bioterrorism and hurricane Katrina but some common threads…
Goliath and Titan – running out of leg room
A long, long time ago in a land far away, lived giant beasts stomping, scurrying and soaring over the earth. No, not a fairy tale but an image of life on earth around 290 million years ago before the climate continued to change, oxygen levels decreased and animals shrunk in size and long before humans…
How we keep women workers in poverty
Next time you have a few minutes I would urge you to read ActionAid’s report Who Pays? How British supermarkets are keeping women workers in poverty, which describes how those low, low supermarket prices impact the workforce in the developing world. The report highlights how women, in particular, are more likely to be negatively affected…