Could it bee your mobile phone?
One serious cause of honey bee die-off in the US is Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). It leads to collapse of the hive often with complete absence of bees or only the queen and few other individuals remaining. A story in the Independent yesterday highlighted a theory that radiation given off by mobile phones and other…
Where have all the bees gone?
Recent reports of disappearing bees may initially come as a relief to some of us, but this is actually very serious news considering bees pollinate a large proportion of our plants, including some food crops, and are keystone species in the ecosystem. Today the Bumblebee Conservation Trust invited the UK public to send in sightings…
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
Hurtling around the planet, some 23 km above our heads, will be a network of 30 satellites making up the EU Galileo positioning system. The 675 kg spacecraft will carry the equipment necessary to potentially pinpoint the position of a transponder on the Earth’s surface with centimetre-accuracy. Assuming the project overcomes the economic and political…
Ticks: be aware, but don’t panic
Over Easter I took the opportunity for a few days’ break in the Scottish Highlands; although it’s a bit too early in the year for blood-sucking arthropods to be a problem, I was reminded of the publication a few months ago of a new edition of ‘Ticks: your pets, your family and you’, by Alison…
Hitching a flight
We have all heard stories in the past about how invasive species have travelled along transport networks or have managed to hitch a ride from one country to the next. For example: Japanese Knotweed has spread rapidly down road and rail networks in both the UK and USA. Zebra Mussels have been transported around North…
Wine has many uses
The antioxidant protective effect of fruits and vegetables, notably tomatoes and green leafy vegetables, is well known. But did you know that a wine extract can protect your skin against the damaging effects of UV radiation? Sunburn, immune suppression and skin cancers develop from overexposure of skin to solar UV radiation, which results in the…
1000 diseases mapped!
This month sees the publication of map number 1000 of Distribution Maps of Plant Diseases the authoritative source for accurate data on the worldwide distribution of plant diseases of economic or quarantine importance, published by CABI in association with the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). First published in 1942, Distribution Maps of Plant…
Tourism threat to cradle of evolution
The pressures on one of the world’s most famous centres of biodiversity, the Galapagos Islands where Darwin studied his famous finches which contributed to the theory of evolution, have been highlighted by Ecuador’s President and Unesco, the UN’s scientific and cultural body. The president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, has warned that he is considering a…
Cancer Prevention for Pets?
Cancer prevention is a relatively new concept within the medical and veterinary research community, with emphasis predominantly on treatment. However, this month the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation in the USA has announced the launch of a major cancer prevention trial in pet dogs. The study, funded by Procter & Gamble Pet Care, will enroll…
Origins of BSE?
The recent publication of a paper describing an atypical form of BSE, referred to as ‘bovine amyloidotic spongiform encephalopathy’ (BASE) could help in explaining the mystery of the origin of the BSE epidemic. This different type of BSE was identified in two cattle, aged 11 and 15 years, in Italy, and a similar strain of…