Chandora says that the funding for paddy rice was a one-off offer an emergency response to flooding in southern Brazil last year.
and sometimes war, in their wake.""Its eradication is a huge, huge, achievement that has happened largely under the radar of most of the virology
The committee would also approve all future research on live rinderpest virus to ensure that its benefits outweigh the risks.
or shipped to approved high-security labs. The approach is modelled on the post-eradication phase of the smallpox campaign
He and others say that the biggest threat is forgotten from long samples of virus from past research programmes,
vaccine strains will need probably to be maintained in high-security labs in several regions so that they can be shipped swiftly to any outbreak,
a force thought to be responsible for the Universe s rapid expansion, snapped its first images on 12 Â September.
Rainforest threat Deforestation is on the rise again in the Brazilian Amazon. The amount of clear-cut land hit 522 â°square kilometres in August 2012, up from 163 â°km2 in the same month last year,
On 19 Â September, the consumer protection group Consumers Union, based in Yonkers, New york, and the US Food and Drug Administration released reports that found inorganic arsenic in rice products.
Horwitz (pictured) created AZT in the 1960s to combat cancer, but he shelved the drug after it showed little efficacy against the disease.
The explosion of media coverage about the findings has energized opponents of GM food especially in Europe.
say that they have been surprised by the"violence and immediacy of scientists criticisms. They argue that most of the critics are not toxicologists,
Need for flu surveillance reiteratedthe emergence of the H1n1 influenza virus that leapt from pigs to humans in 2009,
Vietnam, says that the study"certainly underscores the need for surveillance of mammals. But he adds that humans, poultry,
wild birds and other species are also important targets for surveillance, and endemic countries have limited resources."
"The importance of the surveillance is not in question. The issues are how to undertake it in a smart,
is the key to environmental protection in the long run. So I believe we should pursue what I call a"No Regrets policy steps that will lead to lower emissions,
whether the risks of global warming materialize and regardless of whether other nations take effective action.
and to ensure our national security, but today the UK, Singapore, China, and Korea are making competitive investments in research.
We have made also critical investments in research and development to bolster our national security and defense. And my budget continues to support making permanent the R&d tax credit
global pandemics and/or deliberate biological attacks? To further improve preparedness, we must continue to invest in the best public health monitoring systems that can be built.
To the contrary, teachers unions are consistently on the front lines fighting against initiatives to attract and retain the best teachers,
and scientists say energy security and sustainability are major problems facing the United states this century.
And all Americans can rest assured that the nation s security is no longer beholden to unstable but oil-rich regions half way around the world.
and enforcing strong environmental protections that ensure all energy development activity is conducted in a safe and responsible manner.
and environmental protection can go hand-in-hand if the government focuses on transparency and fairness instead of seeking to pick winners
as well as animal diseases and even terrorism pose risks. What steps would you take to ensure the health, safety and productivity of America s food supply?
and children and the elderly were more at risk. I signed the most comprehensive reform of our nation s food safety laws in more than 70 years â oe giving the Food and Drug Administration the resources,
bolstered surveillance used to detect contamination problems earlier, and responded to illness outbreaks faster. I am also working to bolster the use of organic farming methods
so that we can decrease the use of those pesticides that have higher risks of health impacts.
because they provide the greatest control over the potential risks of contamination and are generally the most cost-effective.
and others in the supply chain with specific knowledge of the risks, diversity of operations in the industry,
. and global fresh water is now at risk because of increasing consumption, evaporation and pollution. What steps,
which will serve as a sanctuary for native Florida plants and wildlife. We have created or enhanced more than 540 public coastal recreation areas,
and protect our national security; to create the jobs of the future, and live longer, healthier lives.
India s forest area in doubtto judge from India s official surveys, the protection of its forests is a success. Somehow,
and coal mining is ravaging the region s protected forests. He says that he has seen the deforested areas at first-hand
boosting the risk of food-borne illnesses and diarrhoeal diseases, they add.""Food safety will in future be a crucial issue.
among those who had smoked never, women consuming about 40 â°micrograms of acrylamide per day doubled their risk of developing cancers of the womb
Despite the uncertainties over the dangers of acrylamide Europe s legislators and food producers vowed to take action.
and all control French-fry cooking times to limit browning. In 2007, the European commission instructed the EFSA to collate yearly data on acrylamide levels.
and communicated risk before the earthquake that hit the Italian city of L aquila in April 2009, killing 309 people.
Phones and tumours Italy s highest civil court has stated that mobile phones can cause brain tumours to the dismay of medical experts who say no study has proven a clear causal link between health risks
Biodiversity cash Wealthy nations have agreed to double their support to developing countries for protecting biodiversity
among other things, would have removed forest protection along rivers and slopes, and would have allowed lawbreakers to receive a blanket amnesty.
The country s National Congress initially passed a bill to roll back forest protection in April
Chimp haven The US National institutes of health (NIH) said on 17 Â October that it will send 20 Â chimpanzees to permanent retirement in a federally funded sanctuary by August 2013 double the number it announced last month.
The animals are among 110 Â NIH-owned chimpanzees that the agency is removing from the New Iberia Research center in Lafayette, Louisiana Officials at the 80-hectare Chimp Haven sanctuary in Keithville,
they have all been survived teeth that owing to the presence of protective enamel. The teeth have provided enough information for palaeontologists to say that the animals ate insects
The film touts the risks of genetically engineered (GE) organisms, calling them"the most dangerous thing facing human beings in our generation.
In one case, James Murray, another geneticist at the University of California, Davis, was told in 2003 that the USDA had rejected his proposal to develop a goat that produces milk rich in human lysozymes enzymes that fight diarrhoeal disease
sparing farmers the danger and expense of removing them. Van Eenennaam says that she might do better by disrupting the genes that lead to horns,
Politicians also reference unforeseen dangers from GE foodstuffs. The FDA evaluates animals as strictly as it does drugs.
a war, complete with armed marksmen and camouflaged saboteurs, is about to erupt from the hedgerows.
Both sides claim science as their ally. At issue is the badger (Meles meles), one of the largest predators left in The british Isles after millennia of human occupation.
it is a menace that infects their cattle with bovine tuberculosis (TB). The disease, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis,
Animal-rights activists   a potent force in Britain   are furious, and are planning protests,
Battles over wildlife management are hardly unique to England. In the United states, environmentalists and ranchers spar over wolves,
The plan included increased surveillance and security measures on farms, as well as what the government described as a"science-led policy of killing badgers in areas of high bovine TB.
Problems ranged from the lack of backup control rooms to substandard risk assessments. See go. nature. com/cbbiah for more.
Breast-milk molecule raises risk of HIV transmissiona type of sugar that occurs naturally in breast milk can double the likelihood of a HIV-negative baby acquiring the virus through breast feeding
The same study in Zambia found that five more of the 150-odd complex sugars in breast milk seem to have a protective effect.
At the symposium, Bode described how his lab has pinpointed an HMO called disialyllacto-N-tetraose (DSLNT) that seems to underlie breast milk s contribution to NEC risk.
and a six-year drug war. Enrique Pe  a Nieto will have his hands full
the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) controlled the country for seven decades until 2000.""Many of these things will take more than six years, points out Ezcurra."
Europe s Ariane  5 rocket launcher, which is more expensive than competitors, was the focus of fraught discussions:
Plant defenses which can include induced cell fortification, cell suicide, toxic chemicals, and defensive enzymes and proteins typically were sufficient to keep the infection in check,
I think it's just a general weak pathogen of plants, Leonard says, something that can infect plants
held at a field gene bank in Papua new guinea (PNG), is under threat from a disease outbreak close to the gene bank.
but distinct from, the bacteria that cause the better known Lethal Yellowing disease that attacks palm species. Ironically,
everyone will be placed better to assess the threat both to coconuts and livelihoods in general
Fungus that controls zombie-ants has own fungal stalkeran article by Scientific American. An unsuspecting worker ant in Brazil's rainforest leaves its nest one morning.
A specialized but global threat The ants best known for getting zombified by the Ophiocordyceps fungus are tree-dwelling carpenter ants found in Brazil and Thailand,
and with as many as 90 million ash trees at risk, the disease threatens to irreversibly change the shape of The british countryside.
fights for females and food with a formidable horn. Thomas Martin, Jean-Philippe Sobczak & Hendrik Dietz, TU Munichentomologist J Â rgen Schmidl collects arboreal insects in San Lorenzo forest by fogging trees with biodegradable insecticides.
"This research provides the smoking gun that cheese manufacture was practiced by Neolithic people 7, 000 years ago, says Bogucki."
Nor did it highlight uncertainty around any potential risks of ingesting such rice. The CCTV programme disclosed an email sent by Yin to Tang in
It s a serious offence either way
Seven days: 30 november 6 december 2012nasa/JHUAPL/Carnegie Inst. Washington/NAIC, Arecibo Observ. Water ice on Mercury Craters on Mercury may hold as much as one trillion tonnes of water ice,
The move is the latest in a three-year legal battle between Myriad Genetics, a diagnostics company in Salt lake city
Ultimately, Miller and Duren envisage a trio of geostationary satellites that would allow constant surveillance of greenhouse-gas emissions not just over Los angeles,
data and knowledge demonstrating that GMO foods are not a danger to public health, it added.
and the regulatory institutions should be empowered to enable them do assessment on all imports to safeguard against the bypassing of the law,
The attacks are a protest at the suicide of Aaron Swartz, an Internet activist who killed himself earlier this month.
Stem-cell reforms California s US$3-billion stem-cell agency the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) in San francisco is to reform its governance structure to minimize conflicts of interest,
Coffee at risk Costa rica has declared a national coffee-growing emergency. The fungus Hemileia vastatrix which causes coffee rust,
On 22 Â January, the government signed an emergency bill to tackle the outbreak. The disease has attacked already coffee crops in South and Central america.
Global Fund boost Germany has announced a donation of  1  billion (US$1. 3  billion) to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS
On 22 Â January, Costa rica enacted emergency legislation to speed up the flow of government money towards fighting the fungus.
Other nations are also stepping up the fight. Last week the Nicaraguan government reportedly declared that it would include coffee rust on a list of special research projects designed to safeguard the country s agriculture.
Kevin Wolf/APENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCYDEPARTING: Lisa Jackson On entering office in 2009, Jackson (pictured) laid the groundwork for climate regulations by formally declaring carbon dioxide a dangerous pollutant.
Perciasepe, currently deputy administrator at the environment agency, developed a watershed-protection programme while previously at the agency under Bill clinton.
itself inspired by a similar defence-department programme, says Cohen. Once technologies are developed, government agencies could use their buying power to expand production
ratios of oxygen and nitrogen isotopes in the core show that some 6, 000 Â years after the onset of the Eemian,
That may not be a menace to civilization yet. But, says Dahl-Jensen, if Antarctica s massive ice sheets do disintegrate as the NEEM core suggests they did before we could face an extremely rapid sea-level rise around the world.
000 kilograms-force per square centimeter), the boron nitride pellets formed round lumps about two millimeters across that were"colorless and totally transparent,
The data in the new study only show how the nano-twinned boron nitride responded to indentation loads with up to seven newtons of force."
Dust and plant sap contaminated with the chemicals may also pose a risk to bees,
"It is obvious to us that EFSA has found itself under political pressure to produce a hurried and inadequate risk assessment,
and validity of previous risk assessments by the EU and member states that have permitted the use of its products.
The company says that it intends to resolve the dispute and is working separately to settle the USDA s previous complaint by 31 january.
the high court ended a 3. 5-year legal battle in which two researchers working with adult stem cells challenged the legality of the National institutes of health (NIH) funding the work,
US food safety On 4 january, the US Food and Drug Administration released the first of its long-awaited proposals for protecting food safety.
On 2 Â January, the NIH announced its final determination that Boston University s National Emerging Infectious diseases Laboratory poses little risk to the surrounding community.
The now-separate firm plans to expand the market for its blockbuster anti-inflammatory antibody Humira (adalimumab),
The company is embroiled in intellectual-property disputes with two other firms in a prenatal genetic testing market potentially worth billions (see Nature 486
and protection and health research in the region. Source: MUNICH REAROUND 9, 500 people lost their lives last year in natural disasters less than one-tenth of the ten-year average.
This idea makes such intuitive sense that biologists are stunned now by genome-sequencing data suggesting that the sponges were preceded by complex marine predators called comb jellies.
copycat proliferation of their technology, are already working on terminator-like safeguards. Bowman was a regular customer for Monsanto s herbicide-resistant soya beans for his main crop,
Without that protection, companies say, they have little recourse to prevent someone from buying seed
For accurate billing and theft protection, Gingko needs to control that use, so it is developing
what Kelly calls a gene-guard technology: a genetic tweak that makes production of the desired chemical dependent on a proprietary additive,
Bininda-Emonds adds that the team estimated the timing of the placental evolutionary explosion using just fossil information
"They haven t really done anything to resolve this ongoing dispute
Alert over South korea toxic leaksby Mid-december, the chill winter winds had stripped South korea s trees bare.
and injured at least 18 others, including plant employees and emergency personnel. Thousands of local citizens say that inhaling the acid has damaged their health.
including education of factory workers, firefighters, medical doctors and public servants about the risks of toxic chemicals.
Surveillance-camera footage seen By nature shows two workers attempting to connect a hose to a valve on top of a HF tank.
Neither is wearing protective gear. Suddenly, white vapour gushes from the tank, engulfing the workers and killing them instantly.
Some firefighters failed to use chemical-protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus because they did not initially understand the threat posed by HF.
Almost a day passed before they began using calcium hydroxide to neutralize the acid, which is standard procedure after such a leak.
or even sabre-tooth cats although species that have been extinct for more than a few thousand years are unlikely to be found preserved with enough DNA intact to permit their restoration.
and plants has bolstered protection for a number of species. Besides agreeing to clamp down more strongly on the trade in ivory and rhino horn,
and Flora (CITES) took the unprecedented step of granting protection to sharks and various species of tropical timber tree in their final vote today.
Enforcement of rhino protection is also to be strengthened, with Mozambique and Vietnam now required to toughen up their controls on trade in horns.
which restricts trade in species not at immediate risk of extinction but in need of protection.
there may be more immediate threats to forests in the next 20 to 30 years from extreme weather events.
"The take-home message is that social learning learning from others rather than through individual trial and error is a more potent force in shaping wild animals behaviour than has been recognized so far,
David Wiley, research coordinator at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric administration's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in Scituate,
midway between Shanghai and Beijing the first case from Shandong province (not shown on map.
Risk maps developed for human infection by another, well-established avian flu virus H5n1 may help to target H7n9 surveillance and control efforts.
The map shows human cases of H7n9 (blue circles) superimposed on a risk map developed for H5n1,
with light yellow representing lowest risk, and darker areas higher risk (risk-map source: ref. 1).(This is a large map
and so may take several seconds to display in Google earth. To download map file to view in Google earth click here.
To stem the current surge of human cases, scientists must identify the sources of the virus,
. Although the risk factors for the spread of H7n9 are known not, voluminous research on its cousin,
and health officials to target their surveillance and control efforts. For H5n1, researchers integrate large data sets that combine information on many potentially important factors, such as poultry trade routes,
and as well as positive H5n1 results from active surveillance in markets. Marius Gilbert, a co-author of one such study published in PLOS Pathogens in 20111,
although the risk factors for H7n9 may be given different the current dearth of information, H5n1 risk maps are probably a good starting point for identifying areas most at risk.
Indeed, when human cases of H7n9 are overlaid on a risk map that Marius and his co-authors supplied to Nature,
they seem to fall within the highest risk areas for H5n1. The map suggests that high-risk areas for H7n9 might include Shandong province
(which reported its first case on 23 april) and a belt extending around the Bohai Sea to Liaoning province in the north.
risk modelling and mapping were discussed as one means to devise targeted surveillance. Such information could also be used to help to modify farming and trade practices to reduce the risk of human exposure to the virus. As more is learned about H7n9,
such models can be refined further. H7n9 cases to 16 april 2013 (red circles), and population densities of humans (A;
The resulting maps and data may give an idea of where the zones of immediate highest risk worldwide might be.
and Republican senator Roger Wicker (Mississippi) was charged with threatening injury and death by the Federal bureau of investigation on 18 april.
A former postdoctoral researcher at St jude Children s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, Bois last year successfully challenged a DHHS judge s denial of his request for a defence hearing.
Europe debates risk to beesdebate over neonicotinoids has become fierce. Conservation groups and politicians in the United kingdom and Europe have called for a ban on their use,
In January, the European Food safety Authority in Parma, Italy, Europe s food-chain risk-assessment body, concluded that three commonly used neonicotinoids clothianidin,
But risk is a product of hazard and exposure. However, David Goulson, a bee researcher at the University of Sussex, UK, thinks that most of the major studies have used realistic doses
neonicotinoid use should be restricted immediately as a precaution. One of the few studies to be conducted in the field served only to stoke the controversy after its release in March6.
So daunting are the challenges that the team plans to ask the engineering arm of the Brazilian military for help.
said Jerry Melillo, a senior scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts,
antiretrovirals will be vital for protecting infants during this time. They suggest follow-up studies to see
and tell public health workers where the public health threat lies. But with H7n9, it is only the appearance of new human cases that shows where the silent spread in birds
interim head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisations's Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES) in Rome.
But despite intensive surveillance of poultry, wild birds, pigs and other animals, the animal reservoirs remain largely unknown.
to discuss the surveillance and other measures needed to try to prevent the introduction of the virus. Nailing down the transmission routes of the virus in China alone is a huge challenge;
Martin will convene a meeting of international experts to be at the FAO in Rome to help draw up surveillance guidelines for China and the wider region.
 It's too soon to say how big a threat H7n9 poses because we don't know how many animals
says Vincent Martin, interim head of the FAO s Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES) in Rome.
It would be next to impossible to detect H7n9 through routine surveillance for sick poultry among China s 6 Â billion domestic birds."
29 march 4 april 2013uk open access Rules making publicly funded research in the United kingdom free to read came into force on 1 Â April.
setting up water-recycling plants and establishing an emergency headquarters to deal with extreme air-quality problems.
Shanghai launched its own air-pollution plan on 1 Â April, providing emergency measures for when air quality declines below a set target.
Most of the 1, 174 people surveyed said that those living in at-risk areas should bear the costs of making their communities more resilient.
Yasuyoshi Chiba/FAOLOCUST plague The worst locust plague to hit Madagascar in decades prompted the United nations on 26 Â March to call for US$41 Â million in funding from donors to implement immediate emergency and longer
and improved aerial and ground surveillance to monitor the threat. Bird flu deaths Two men have died after being infected with a type of bird flu never before seen in humans
GM crop deal Two agricultural biotechnology giants agreed on 26 Â March to settle a lengthy legal battle over patent rights to next-generation genetically modified (GM) soya beans.
Scientists stress that it is much too early to do a full risk assessment of the potential pandemic threat.
or maybe because of shortcomings in surveillance or reporting. A key requirement now, Peiris says, is to track down which birds
It's not an atmosphere of alarm, but an atmosphere of concern
Mutant mosquitoes lose lust for human scentmosquitoes that are modified genetically to lack some of their sense of smell cannot tell humans from other animals
These findings, published online today in Nature1, could help scientists to design insect repellents to combat malaria, dengue and agricultural pests.
or emigrate and helped catalyse the country s bloody war of independence from Great britain. Working from 150-year-old dried leaves, two competing teams have sequenced now the genome of the single-celled organism that wreaked havoc on The irish potato crop.
eventually resulting in The irish War of Independence in 1919. Long before it hit Europe, P. infestans probably circulated in the Toluca Valley in central Mexico,
Weigel s team also found nothing in the nuclear genomes of the famine strains to explain their ferocity.
security, manufacturing, infrastructure, health costs, and natural resources and the environment. Laura Leon/Polaris/eyevineendangered ecosystems get listed The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on 8 may updated the criteria for its Red List of Ecosystems (D. Â A. Â Keith et
the new list ranks ecosystems using factors such as rate of shrinkage, disruption to wildlife and risk of ecosystem collapse.
An online media surveillance tool can track concerns and rumours about vaccines as they occur in real time.
if trust in vaccines falls. 18-21 may The American Society for Microbiology holds its annual general meeting in Denver, Colorado,
with scientific discussions including threats from the avian influenza viruses H7n9 and H5n1. gm. asm. org21-23 may The Pasteur institute in Paris hosts an international symposium on HIV research,
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