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Fungi help increase food-production without the need for massive amounts of fertilizers

The next agricultural revolution may be sparked by fungi, helping to greatly increase food-production for the growing needs of the planet without the need for massive amounts of fertilizers according to research presented today at the 111th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in New Orleans.

24 May 2011

Synthon opens state-of-the-art laboratory for biotechnology

Synthon opened its state-of-the-art laboratory for biotechnology today, an important step in the company’s development into a ‘specialty pharmaceutical’ firm. Ms. Renée Bergkamp, Director-General of Enterprise and Innovation of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, and Mr. Thom de Graaf, Mayor of Nijmegen, attended the official opening.

22 May 2011

FAO launches anti-locust program to protect food security for 20M people in Central Asia, the Caucasus

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said Thursday it would help 10 countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus to preserve 25 million hectares of cultivated farmland from a "locust crisis" that is threatening food security for 20 million people, Agence France-Presse reports.

21 May 2011

Healthy breakfast containing protein-rich foods can help people stay satisfied longer

A University of Missouri researcher has found that eating a healthy breakfast, especially one high in protein, increases satiety and reduces hunger throughout the day. In addition, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) the researchers found that eating a protein-rich breakfast reduces the brain signals controlling food motivation and reward-driven eating behavior.

20 May 2011

New York Times examines DDT use in Uganda

"In the Apac region of Uganda, the United States focused on two conflicting agendas: developing organic farming and eradicating malaria, ultimately affecting the livelihoods of tens of thousands of farmers.

20 May 2011

New experimental vaccine prevents infection of horses with deadly Hendra virus

CSIRO scientists have shown that a new experimental vaccine helps to protect horses against the deadly Hendra virus. Dr Deborah Middleton from CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) will announce the successful progress to develop the vaccine at the Australian Veterinary Association conference in Adelaide today.

18 May 2011

Experts urge McDonald’s to stop marketing junk food to kids

McDonald’s has incurred the wrath of over 550 health professionals and organizations who have signed a letter to McDonald's Corp. asking the maker of Happy Meals to stop marketing junk food to kids and retire Ronald McDonald.

17 May 2011

LDC conference ends with 10-year action plan

The Fourth U.N. Conference on Least Developed Countries closed in Istanbul on Friday "with a number of recommendations seeking to halve, from 48 to 24, the number of LDCs during the next 10 years," the Guardian's "Global Development" blog reports.

17 May 2011

DuPont completes Danisco tender offer for DKK 700 per share

DuPont, through its wholly owned subsidiary DuPont Denmark Holding ApS, announced today that it has successfully completed its tender offer for all outstanding shares of common stock of Danisco for DKK 700 cash per share.

16 May 2011

Sinovac first quarter sales increase 5.3% to $4.7 million

Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, announced today its unaudited first quarter financial results for the period ended March 31, 2011.

13 May 2011

16-year-old uses supercomputing network to invent new drug cocktail for cystic fibrosis

While many 16-year-olds are content with PlayStation, Toronto-area student Marshall Zhang used the Canadian SCINET supercomputing network to invent a new drug cocktail which could one day help treat cystic fibrosis.

11 May 2011

ICARIA study shows 6% of Spanish workers have high risk of cardiovascular disease

The first study into the prevalence of overall cardiovascular risk in the Spanish working population shows that 6% of workers have a high risk. This prevalence increases with age in both sexes, and is highest in the farming sector, followed by construction, industry and services.

11 May 2011

Fourth U.N. Conference on the Least Developed Countries opens in Istanbul

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday in Istanbul opened the Fourth U.N. Conference on the Least Developed Countries "to discuss a new 10-year aid plan to help lift nations out of poverty," Agence France-Presse reports.

10 May 2011

Opinions: Democracy needed in epidemic outbreaks; U.S. food aid; development partnerships in Africa

After mentioning the riots that broke out in Haiti after the start of the cholera epidemic last year, Richard Evans, a professor of history and president of Wolfson College at the University of Cambridge, writes in a Guardian opinion piece that "popular disturbances during epidemics are nothing new." He goes on to provide several other examples.

10 May 2011

Clinton calls for immediate action on global food shortage, food price spikes

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at a meeting of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome said that without immediate action, food shortages and volatile prices could spark global destabilization, the Associated Press reports.

7 May 2011

Parents' work influences how often family meals are eaten outside of home

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Americans are spending about half their food budget in restaurants. As it is widely known, food prepared away from home, as compared to food prepared at home, is often higher in calories, saturated fat, and sodium.

6 May 2011