Can Bt Maize Beat Down Mycotoxins?
Reducing fumonisin through Bt could have significant benefits in developing countries, especially where unprocessed maize is a key part of the diet
Bruno, Bruce and the Penan
More than 10 years ago I came across a magazine article about Bruno Manser, a Swiss activist, who had gone to live among a nomadic tribe in Borneo called the Penan. I was fascinated by the way he had become part of the tribe to understand how they lived within the forests of Sarawak. At…
The final Steve Irwin croc paper
Published today online, and freely available to all at PLoS ONE is Steve Irwin’s final paper. This paper is a must read for all, especially those interested in animal navigation. The study aims “to record and interpret the movements of translocated large male estuarine crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) after their release and to investigate their homing…
Bluetongue virus: knocking at the door.
The big animal health story in the newspapers in the UK this summer has been the return, after 6 years, of foot and mouth disease. The outbreak was almost certainly caused by the escape of the virus from the virology research laboratory in Pirbright, Surrey. It seemed as if the outbreak had been contained quickly…
From NASA to the takeaway – does HACCP overburden small businesses?
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend the Sixth National HACCP Conference – The New HACCP Regulation on Catering and Retail: One Year On, in London in June this year. This was a great insight into the people and science involved in caring for my well being when eating out or taking away…
Vote for the winner of the “Peer-Reviewed Research Reporting” icon contest
As mentioned in a previous article, there is growing debate in the blog sphere over the need for a means to identify the sources of science being reviewed or used as evidence by bloggers. Well, the authors of “Bloggers for Peer-Reviewed Research Reporting” or BP3 for short, devised an icon design competition for which CABI,…
Food colourings studies – Handle with care!
So, food colourants cause hyperactivity in children. Or do they? Today’s news about the food colourants study undertaken at the University of Southampton in the UK highlights just how carefully studies need to be designed and how even more care needs to be taken in interpreting the results.
Bloggers For Peer Reviewed Research: The Contest
You may remember that we commented on an approach to enable blog entries covering peer reviewed research to be identified in some way (Highlighting the use of evidence). Well, whilst we had some comments about the specifics of the approach being taken, we broadly supported the idea. Now there is a competition to design an icon to…
So long, and thanks for all the fish
Dolphin sightings in the Bay of Biscay are down by around 80% according to the Biscay Dolphin Research Programme. Is this due to a reduction in fish stocks, and is this in turn linked to climate change? The Bay of Biscay is a bit of a special place for me as its where I had…
Water cleaning eggs!
H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presented the 2007 Stockholm Junior Water Prize to (from left) Carlos Hernández Mejía, Dalia Graciela Díaz Gómez and Adriana Alcántara Ruiz of Mexico. The 2007 Stockholm Junior Water Prize was presented last night during the World Water Week events in Stockholm to three Mexican high-school students for their project…