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Organic diet for children means less exposure to pesticides

In a new study researchers in the U.S. have shown that organic diets meant that children had less exposure to two common pesticides.

21 Feb 2006

Animals diseases jumping to humans faster than ever before

According to scientists in the U.S. and Scotland, 75% of the 38 species of harmful organisms and viruses identified in the past 25 years are believed to have "jumped" from animals to humans.

21 Feb 2006

Lack of progress in reducing children's exposures to pesticides

The lack of progress in reducing children's exposures to pesticides, despite passage in 1996 of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), will be highlighted during a symposium organized by The Organic Center on Sunday, February 19th at the 2006 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

19 Feb 2006

Organic diets lower children's exposure to pesticides

Organic diets lower children's dietary exposure to two common pesticides used in U.S. agricultural production, according to a study by Emory University researcher Chensheng "Alex" Lu, PhD. The substitution of organic food items for children's normal diets substantially decreased the pesticide concentration to non-detectable levels.

19 Feb 2006

Death toll reaches 93 as bird flu hits India, France and Egypt

Health officials in India say they have found the country's first cases of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, following the death of chickens from the virus on poultry farms in the western town of Navapur.

19 Feb 2006

Science is bypassing poor people

Applying science and technology to build a Pluto-bound spacecraft that travels more than 10 times faster -- 47,000 miles per hour -- than a speeding bullet is a great achievement. But can we apply technology to feed the 800 million hungry people in the world whose plight isn't improving in a modern world?

17 Feb 2006

Advancing knowledge of diet-gene interactions

Josi Ordovas, PhD, director of the Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University joined more than eighty other leading researchers in the fields of nutrition and genetics to co-author a report outlining their strategy for maximizing the impact of nutrigenomics research on global poverty and health.

16 Feb 2006

More wild birds threatened with slaughter as bird flu spreads across Europe

German officials have confirmed that two swans found on a beach on the Baltic island of Rugen have tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus.

16 Feb 2006

African countries should step up surveillance and border controls for bird flu

The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus often spreads through the movement of affected birds, FAO/World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said.

13 Feb 2006

FDA affirms safety of Aspartame

The Calorie Control Council has stated that a rat study conducted by Italy's Ramazzini Institute is totally contradictory to the extensive scientific research and regulatory reviews conducted on aspartame. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has said they are not recommending any changes in the use of aspartame.

13 Feb 2006

Bird flu found in wild birds in Greece, Italy and Bulgaria

According to European officials, the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus has been found in wild birds in Italy and Greece, and in Bulgaria.

12 Feb 2006

10-minute test for Escherichia coli bug

A handheld sensor that can quickly spot contamination by deadly strains of the Escherichia coli bug could help prevent infected food reaching consumers.

2 Feb 2006

Two wild birds dead from bird flu in Hong Kong in two weeks

The Hong Kong government has confirmed another wild bird has been found to have died from bird flu.

30 Jan 2006

Deadly birdflu virus reaches Cyprus

According to European Union officials the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu has been detected in poultry in northern Cyprus.

30 Jan 2006

Saudi Arabia culls falcons with bird flu

According to the Agriculture Ministry in Saudi Arabia, 37 falcons have been culled after five of them tested positive to the H5 virus of the avian flu.

29 Jan 2006

Proof that proteins can be custom-designed

Ever since the advent of recombinant-DNA technology, scientists have conceived that it will be feasible to create entirely new enzymes for specific needs.

27 Jan 2006

Cranberry proanthocyanidins inhibit growth of tumor cells

New data shows that proanthocyanidins, or PACs, found in cranberries inhibit the growth of lung tumors and colon and leukemia cells in vitro.

25 Jan 2006

New research helps in war against international drugs trade

An increased demand for meat in Afghanistan could play an important role in stemming the international flow of heroin, according to a new study led by the Macaulay Institute, Aberdeen.

24 Jan 2006

$2 billion to fight bird flu

At an international conference in Beijing almost $2 billion has been pledged to stop the spread of bird flu.

18 Jan 2006

Village in China under quarantine following outbreak of foot and mouth disease

According to officials in China strict quarantine measures are being imposed in a village in east China's Jiangsu Province, which has experienced an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

18 Jan 2006