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Healthy diet can reduce age-related eye problems

While 20/20 vision is a symbol of visual acuity, between now and the year 2020, more and more people will experience some extent of vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other sight-robbing diseases.

2 Jul 2010

Striking disparities persist; obesity rates highest among Blacks and Latinos

Adult obesity rates increased in 28 states in the past year, and declined only in the District of Columbia, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010, a report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

30 Jun 2010

G8 will fall short on their promises to cut child and maternal deaths, says World Vision

Last year, the G8 pledged $20 billion through 2012 to fund hunger alleviation programs, yet no mechanism exists to track the disbursement of the funds.

30 Jun 2010

Daily Nation reports on USAID's 2-year, $11.5M market linkages initiative to improve food security in East Africa

USAID will contribute $11.5 million for the Market Linkages Initiative (MLI), a two-year program aimed at promoting trade in "staple foods" in East Africa, the Daily Nation reports.

30 Jun 2010

Report finds countries in Africa face most severe water risks

"African nations led by Somalia, Mauritania and Sudan have the most precarious water supplies in the world while Iceland has the best," according to a report released Thursday, Reuters reports.

25 Jun 2010

BASF signs agreement to acquire Cognis for equity purchase price of euro 700 million

BASF SE has reached an agreement with Cognis Holding Luxembourg S.a r.l. controlled by Permira Funds, GS Capital Partners and SV Life Sciences to acquire the specialty chemicals company Cognis for an equity purchase price of euro 700 million. Including net financial debt and pension obligations, the enterprise value of the transaction is euro 3.1 billion. The acquisition is subject to clearance by the competent merger control authorities. Closing of the transaction is expected for November 2010 at the latest.

23 Jun 2010

Student receives two-year $46,000 fellowship to research on a parasite that causes Chagas' disease

Michelle Oppenheimer of Charlotte, N.C., a Ph.D. student in biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, has received a two-year $46,000 fellowship from the American Heart Association to advance her research on a parasite that causes Chagas' disease, which can lead to swelling and inflammation of the heart.

23 Jun 2010

Beyond Moose and Mountains initiative focuses on building Canada's business and regulatory environment

At its 2010 annual general meeting in Montreal yesterday, the national biotechnology association, BIOTECanada, confirmed a national team of industry leaders, whose expertise will ensure Canada keeps growing what today is an $84 billion bio-economy.

21 Jun 2010

Report examines G8's $22B food security pledge, highlights need for funding delivery

A report from the anti-poverty group ActionAid finds that less than one-third of the $22 billion that was pledged to improve food security during a 2009 G8 meeting in L'Aquila, Italy, is from new funding sources, the U.K. Press Association reports (6/18).

19 Jun 2010

Research on evolution of malaria parasite to develop improved control strategies

An international team, led by researchers at Imperial College London, have found that the potentially deadly tropical disease evolved alongside anatomically modern humans and moved with our ancestors as they migrated out of Africa around 60-80,000 years ago. The research is published in the journal Current Biology.

18 Jun 2010

U.S. officials announce new agriculture research initiative to aid farmers in developing countries

Citing USAID's Feed the Future initiative as "central" to U.S. foreign policy, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday announced plans to "leverage the work" of U.S. researchers to "benefit farmers in developing countries worldwide," PTI/The Hindu reports.

18 Jun 2010

Global agriculture output to meet world food demand as food prices escalate over decade, report says

Food prices are projected to rise over the next decade, with the cost of some grains increasing between 15 and 40 percent, according to an annual report, released Tuesday from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, VOA News reports (6/15).

17 Jun 2010

Dietary guideline on sodium puts Americans at risk

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture may increase health risks, including obesity, by ignoring sound science as they announce recommendations to reduce sodium consumption to 1,500 mg per day, says the Salt Institute.

16 Jun 2010

Taste is in tongue of beholder when it comes to vodka

A UC researcher proposes that taste is in the tongue of the beholder when it comes to vodka.

16 Jun 2010

Global drug distribution programs one factor in hastening drug resistance, report says

A Center for Global Development (CGD) report released Tuesday details factors leading to increased drug resistance worldwide, including drug distribution programs in developing countries, Reuters reports.

16 Jun 2010

IRIN, IPS examine pending U.S. legislation to address global hunger, FGM

IRIN reports on the Global Food Security Act, a bill aimed at expanding the U.S. government's role in combatting hunger around the world. The legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.).

15 Jun 2010

Scientists develop application of rare Earth elements to control phosphorus runoff from livestock manure

Nutrient runoff from livestock manure is a common source of agricultural pollution. Looking for an uncommon solution, a team of scientists has developed an application of rare earth elements to control and track runoff phosphorus from soils receiving livestock manure. In addition to reducing the solubility of phosphorus, this method shows particular promise for researchers interested in tracking the fate of manure nutrients in agricultural settings.

14 Jun 2010

Scientist succeeds in producing replica of human collagen from tobacco plants

A scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment has succeeded in producing a replica of human collagen from tobacco plants - an achievement with tremendous commercial implications for use in a variety of human medical procedures.

11 Jun 2010

DuPont reaches regulatory milestone with confirmation of Plenish high oleic soybean trait

DuPont announced it has reached a regulatory milestone and the final step of the U.S. regulatory process with confirmation from the United States Department of Agriculture that its Plenish high oleic soybean trait has been approved for cultivation in the United States.

9 Jun 2010

Pecans may delay progression of age-related motor neuron degeneration: Study

Eating about a handful of pecans each day may play a role in protecting the nervous system, according to a new animal study published in the current issue of Current Topics in Nutraceutical Research. The study, conducted at the Center for Cellular Neurobiology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, suggests adding pecans to your diet may delay the progression of age-related motor neuron degeneration. This may include diseases like amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

9 Jun 2010

Agriculture News and Research

Healthy diet can reduce age-related eye problems

Striking disparities persist; obesity rates highest among Blacks and Latinos

G8 will fall short on their promises to cut child and maternal deaths, says World Vision

Daily Nation reports on USAID's 2-year, $11.5M market linkages initiative to improve food security in East Africa

Report finds countries in Africa face most severe water risks

BASF signs agreement to acquire Cognis for equity purchase price of euro 700 million

Student receives two-year $46,000 fellowship to research on a parasite that causes Chagas' disease

Beyond Moose and Mountains initiative focuses on building Canada's business and regulatory environment

Report examines G8's $22B food security pledge, highlights need for funding delivery

Research on evolution of malaria parasite to develop improved control strategies

U.S. officials announce new agriculture research initiative to aid farmers in developing countries

Global agriculture output to meet world food demand as food prices escalate over decade, report says

Dietary guideline on sodium puts Americans at risk

Taste is in tongue of beholder when it comes to vodka

Global drug distribution programs one factor in hastening drug resistance, report says

IRIN, IPS examine pending U.S. legislation to address global hunger, FGM

Scientists develop application of rare Earth elements to control phosphorus runoff from livestock manure

Scientist succeeds in producing replica of human collagen from tobacco plants

DuPont reaches regulatory milestone with confirmation of Plenish high oleic soybean trait

Pecans may delay progression of age-related motor neuron degeneration: Study

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