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Michigan State University secures $7.9 million award to improve food security in Mozambique

Michigan State University has secured a $7.9 million award to improve agriculture and food security in Mozambique through increasing the African nation's agricultural productivity, creating economic opportunities and enhancing nutrition.

24 Feb 2011

Erik Parens to speak on behavioral genetics at Presidential Commission meeting

Hastings Center Scholar Erik Parens, PhD, will speak about behavioral genetics to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues on Monday, February 28. The meeting kicks off the Commission’s examination of the ethical and policy issues raised by genetics and neuroscience. Topics will include the use of genetics, neuroscience, and neuroimaging for testing, research, diagnosis, risk identification, and health promotion. Parens was invited to discuss what he considers the most pressing ethical and social issues that behavioral genetics research raises.

24 Feb 2011

Toxic contamination of groundwater: South Australia residents warned

Australia’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has announced fears of groundwater contamination beneath up to 2000 homes. The EPA said that industrial activity at the former Hills Industries site in Edwardstown, south of Adelaide, caused dangerous materials - including a chemical known to cause cancer - to seep into the groundwater.

23 Feb 2011

Genetic testing should be conducted by qualified health professionals

In a letter to theFood and Drug Administration (FDA), the American Medical Association (AMA) today called for genetic testing to be conducted under the guidance of a physician, genetic counselor, or other genetics specialist. The letter was sent to the Molecular and Clinical Genetics Panel of the FDA's Medical Devices Advisory Committee regarding direct to consumer genetic tests prior to the panel’s hearings on the topic, scheduled for March 8 and 9.

23 Feb 2011

Study: Mormon polygamy reduces strength of sexual selection on males by 58%

Polygamy practiced by some 19th century Mormon men had the curious effect of suppressing the overall offspring numbers of Mormon women in plural marriages, say scientists from Indiana University Bloomington and three other institutions in the March 2011 issue of Evolution and Human Behavior.

23 Feb 2011

New analysis: Female scientists win fewer awards for research

Women scientists must confront sexism when competing for awards that recognize their research, according to a new analysis.

23 Feb 2011

Research: Tobacco outlets still concentrated around elementary and secondary schools

For years the tobacco industry has argued that efforts to ban tobacco advertising near schools would constitute a total ban on tobacco advertising in urban areas.

23 Feb 2011

Former U.N. Secretary-General Annan discusses Africa's agriculture potential at IFAD conference

Kofi Annan, the former U.N. secretary-general who now heads the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), discussed the possibilities for agriculture in Africa and called for reforms to improve farming on the continent in a speech given Saturday during the opening day of the U.N. International Fund for Agricultural Development's (IFAD) annual meeting in Rome, Italy, the Jakarta Post reports (Asrianti, 2/21).

23 Feb 2011

As G20 financial leaders discuss food prices, some push for fulfillment of G8 pledges

As G20 financial leaders met in Paris over the weekend, the Washington Post reports on the "debate over how to respond" to the recent increase in food prices. France, the G20 chair, spurred discussion about "whether new regulations on commodity trading might prevent speculators from pushing up prices by investing heavily in grains or other goods on the expectation that they will increase even further in value. Yet it is unclear how much of a role speculation plays in the movement of prices," the Washington Post writes.

23 Feb 2011

New study explores link between consumer behaviour and fear of death

Fear of death is a universal human emotion, but does it influence our behaviour as consumers? A new study, conducted by a graduate student at Concordia University's John Molson School of Business, has explored how fear of the Grim Reaper translates into Canadian buying patterns. The research has several implications for marketers in these uncertain times.

23 Feb 2011

New study shows strong link between climate and air pollution

Differences in air pressure over the North Atlantic have meant that the last two winters in Gothenburg, Sweden, have been extremely cold. This has led to the air in Gothenburg being more polluted with nitrogen oxides than ever before. A new study from the University of Gothenburg shows that there is a strong link between climate and air pollution.

23 Feb 2011

Research reveals men attend childbirth classes only for partner's sake

Although their involvement is very different, childbirth is an important shared experience for the first-time father and his partner, yet men generally attend childbirth classes only for their partner's sake, reveals research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

22 Feb 2011

EUFIC, University of Surrey publish European nutrition labelling consumer research results

The European Food Information Council, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Surrey, UK, has published the results of its latest European nutrition labelling consumer research - now focusing on portion information.

21 Feb 2011

Watershed management and its impact on health

For Margot Parkes, Canada Research Chair in Health, Ecosystems and Society at the University of Northern British Columbia, watersheds are living systems that are essential for healthy communities.

21 Feb 2011

NOAA, DOI plan to develop PEIS to advance ongoing natural resource restoration planning process

To advance the ongoing natural resource restoration planning process following the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA and the Department of the Interior today announced plans to develop a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement in cooperation with state co-trustees as part of the ongoing Natural Resource Damage Assessment.

21 Feb 2011

New York smoking ban gone too far? Health experts disagree

Now there is a faction that believes the soon-to-pass smoking ban on most parks and many beaches throughout New York City to be “going too far” and is questioning the bill.

20 Feb 2011

CDC maps least and most active Americans

A new government commissioned study has found that Colorado has one of the most active populations in the country and Kentucky has one of the least active. This study is the third in a series of county-focused reports by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The first two looked at diabetes and obesity rates, says Ann Albright, director of the CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation.

20 Feb 2011

Study: Women have greater empathetic capacity than men

A study by the University of the Basque Country has carried out the first Spanish study into the emotional differences between the sexes and generations in terms of forgiveness. According to the study, parents forgive more than children, while women are better at forgiving than men.

19 Feb 2011

G20 finance ministers kick off meeting in Paris after groups call for food price issues to be addressed

"G20 ministers gather in Paris Friday to hammer out common criteria for measuring global economic imbalances at a two-day session that host France hopes will lead to an overhaul of world finance," Agence France-Presse reports.

19 Feb 2011

Ban called for allegedly carcinogenic caramel component in sodas

A consumer advocacy group has urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this Wednesday to ban some chemically enhanced caramel food colorings used in widely consumed cola drinks as they could cause cancer.

16 Feb 2011