Do cows sneeeze in June?
Its that time of year again. If I were a master criminal, this would be the one time of year I would not commit a crime, all Mr. Sherlock Holmes would have to do would be to release grass pollen in my vicinity and he’d track me down by the uncontrollable fits of sneezing. Family…
What a load of rubbish!
Last week there was a lot of rubbish on TV and radio. Literally. On Thursday I watched Channel 4’s Dispatches, snappily titled Bin Wars. And Friday evening the topic of recycling popped up again on Radio 4’s Any Questions?. Apparently Britain is drowning in its own garbage and the government can only think of extreme…
David Hemming
Dr David Hemming Editor, CAB ReviewsI’ve been writing news about agricultural biotechnology since I joined CABI in 1988, following a genetics PhD at the University of Liverpool. It’s always been a fascinating area, at a scientific level and in terms of the responses to the technology. While working at CABI I took a Diploma in…
Grasping the Great Ape Situation
Last night I attended a talk by Dr Richard Leakey entitled Climate Change and the Great Apes: Can anything be done? It was a thought-provoking evening. Leakey covered a number of contentious issues from biofuels to nuclear energy, and poverty to mass consumerism. The main thrust of his talk was that the threat of extinction…
Tim Holmes
Dr Timothy Holmes Business Innovations Executive As part of the Business Innovations Team at CABI, I look for new and interesting ways to apply technologies to the activities of our not-for-profit organisation. The CABI blog is an exciting channel that we can use to communicate with our customers. I came to CABI from a science…
Glycerol, a Byproduct of the Biodiesel Industry, in Livestock Feeds
The rapid growth of ethanol and biodiesel production in the United States and elsewhere has raised questions about possible uses for the byproducts of this industry. To date the use of ethanol byproducts, in particular distillers’ dried grains with solubles, in animal feed has received much attention. The burgeoning biodiesel industry on the other hand,…
Philip Roberts
Dr Philip Roberts Editor, Content Development (Environmental Sciences) I have always been interested in nature conservation, ecology and environmental management. Ever since school I volunteered at my local nature reserve. I then went on to study for a B.Sc. Environmental Science and Environmental Geography, at the University of Bradford. This was the first course that…
Gareth Richards
Dr Gareth RichardsEditor, CABI Compendium Program I’ve been an Editor in CABI’s Compendium Programme for the past seven years. With a degree in zoology and following up on my interests in fish (aquarium, sports, and I like eating them too), I completed my PhD (at Liverpool University, UK) on Gyrodactylus spp. parasites of poeciliid fishes…
Not all doom and gloom (but not far off)…
A news item from Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BCGI) has reported on the Plant a Billion Trees campaign started in January. The aim was to have 1 billion trees planted by the end of this year. This target has not only already been met but more that 13 million trees over the 1 billion have…
Melamine contamination is spreading to meat and fish supplies
Melamine contamination of pet food in North America is more than two months old story now, but the end of crisis is still nowhere in sight. Thousands of dogs and cats that have eaten contaminated foods have suffered kidney problems or died, although there are somewhat conflicting reports as to the actual numbers of pets…