Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
us scientists have produced a device that could potentially screen patients for lung cancer. The new device works from a known principal: lung cancer cells give off different chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (vocs), that healthy cells don't. Earlier experiments had established that dogs with their heightened sense of …
A study on Anoles, a class of lizards found in the Caribbean islands, has raised doubts over an existing theory of evolution. Evolutionary biologist Kirsten E Nicholson from the Central Michigan University, USA, who studied nearly 140 species of anoles, found that they don't have similar dewlap configurations, even though …
>> China has rejected a recent report of the International Energy Agency that had said the country would overtake the US as the world's biggest carbon dioxide emitter by 2008 (see
The us's National Association for Colored People will hold a symbolic funeral for the word "nigger' at the organisation's annual convention in July as part of its campaign to end the prevalence of racist and sexist language, images and concepts in the media. "Our unit in the youth and college …
>> US publications like The Washington Post and National Geographic are increasing their offerings of "green' content, hoping to attract readers and advertising revenues from manufacturers and retailers who are suddenly walking the earth-friendly path. The National Geographic Society has also rolled out a new site: Green.National Geographic.com. That site …
Willie Corduff, an Irish farmer who opposed oil giant Shell's plans to build a gas pipeline on his land, is among this year's recipients of the Goldman Environmental prize. Awarded annually to six grassroots environmental heroes by the California-based Goldman Foundation, the us $125,000 Goldman Environmental prize is often referred …
An alternative to car culture? www.worldcarfree.net Almost all of us have, at some point, rued our slavish dependence on cars. But the exasperation has always been fleeting. Most of us bear with traffic congestion and car breakdowns and brave unsafe roads, comforting ourselves with the thought that there are no …
British beekeepers have been confronted by a mysterious disease that has already affected the us and many European countries. Known as colony collapse disorder (ccd), it is possibly the most serious disease faced by bees. According to the uk's National Bee Unit, a branch of the Department for Environment, Food …
On April 12, 2007, the us government decided to relax emission norms for ethanol plants that are based on corn and other carbohydrate feedstock. The new rule is expected to boost ethanol production in the us. Previously, plants producing fuel-additive ethanol were allowed to emit 100 tonnes of air pollutants …
bowing to an aggressive us offensive, the Indian government recently allowed the import of the us's iconic Harley Davidson bikes. The decision, which came on April 13, 2007, is part of a deal that exempts all bikes with an engine displacement size of more than 800 cc from meeting Indian …
phthalates are known endocrine disruptors. But for the first time, a study has shown that these compounds, commonly found in lubricants, pesticides, paints and cosmetics, can lead to abdominal obesity and insulin resistance in adult men. Researchers from the department of community and preventive medicine of the University of Rochester …
For better brain A team of scientists in the US has found that exercise has links to brain cell regeneration. The team first looked at the brains of exercising mice using magnetic resonance imaging to follow blood flow through the brain. On post mortem testing, they found that brain cell …
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (nasa), usa, has announced a new open-source project called Cosmoscode. The project, which will be open to the public in coming weeks, aims to recruit volunteers who will write code for live space missions. The project has been initiated by CoLab, which is an effort …
Kerala's Cola rift A division bench of the Kerala High Court recently allowed Pepsico to begin operations in its plant in Puthussery village panhayat in Kerala's Palakkad district. In 2004, the panchayat cancelled the firm's licence to operate the plant, alleging that it used excessive groundwater leading to water shortage …
Has the time come to scrap the Internet and start anew? Some think so. Internet is 40-plus and growing. It faces many challenges today in terms of connection speed and data storage. Increasing mobility of devices and a lack of security threaten the reliability of the network. Scientists in the …
Mobile phone wallpapers and ringtones of endangered species are becoming popular among cell phone users. The images and sounds, introduced in December 2006 by us-based Center for Biological Diversity (cbd), are available for free download on www.rareearthtones.org. The initiative has already found many takers, with more than 60,000 people in …
Another world www.worldmapper.org This website presents a view of the world based on different subjects of interest. From inequalities and injustices to natural calamities, it has a collection of world maps classified under various subjects. It shows
On April 11, 2007, the us Senate voted to lift a key restriction by us president George W Bush on the federal funding of stem-cell research. Ignoring Bush's threat of a second veto, the Democrat-controlled Senate passed the Stem Cell Enhancement Act of 2007. But it failed to get the …
The article discussses the health effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). Between 1960 and 1977 Monsanto's Newport plant produced several types of PCB, that are persistent and ubiquitous and toxic. But their usefulness in industry made them too profitable to withdraw from the market until manufacturers were forced to do so …
This study examines the activities of governments and researchers in six cities and urban regions to integrate climate concerns into policy and programs, and to adapt to climate change. The cities/urban regions studied were: London, New York City and the Metro East Coast Region, Boston Metropolitan Region, Halifax Regional Municipality, …
