"Severe malnutrition and hunger among the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental has prompted a Santa Rosa activist to take up a collection for one of Mexico's most marginalized indigenous groups.
Carlos Romero, a dancer with the Aztec dance group Nanahuatzin, has spent the better part of last week visiting Roseland businesses and neighborhoods, collecting money that he hopes to take to the Sierra Tarahumara, as it often is called in Mexico.
Romero, who is of Mixteco ancestry, had collected $600 dollars as of Friday. On Sunday, he stood outside Resurrection Church in west Santa Rosa, hoping to collect more money.
'I do it because I consider myself indigenous and my people, indigenous people, always suffer on their own land,' Romero said.
Years of drought and record cold have led to food shortages that, according Mexico's La Jornada newspaper, have led to six deaths. Earlier this month, a false report that more than 50 Tarahumara Indians had committed suicide out of desperation and depression spread quickly over the Internet in Mexico.
The report, even though it was false, sparked a humanitarian relief effort by the Mexican Red Cross, nonprofit groups and neighboring states. The relief has reportedly staved off further starvation-related deaths.
But generations of isolation and neglect are not so easily alleviated, said Romero, whose plans to send the donations he collects to the Binational Front of Indigenous Organizations, a coalition of groups that support indigenous communities on both sides of the border.
The Tarahumara, most renowned for their legendary long-distance runners, have been living in the remote regions of the Sierra since Europeans first arrived in Mexico. The drought has devastated the region's corn harvest, said Bertha Rodriguez, a coalition spokeswoman.
Rodriguez said her organization, which has U.S. offices in San Diego, Fresno and Los Angeles, has been collecting funds since Jan. 18, making requests for donations on Spanish-language radio stations and on the Internet.
She said she hopes the group can collect at least $2,000, an amount she admits is modest because the campaign has been yet to gain momentum. In fact, Rodriguez said that as of Friday the group had only collected about $500 statewide.
'The donations have been slow,' she said. 'It's sad.'
Romero said that after he sends his donations to the indigenous coalition, he plans to travel to the Tarahumara region at his own expense.
'I want to go over there and check it out and see what's happening with my own eyes,' he said.
You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com.
(My note: At least he is trying to do something. How much do we do to help people we care about?)
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20120129/ARTICLES/120129426/1036/business?Title=Santa-Rosa-activist-rallies-aid-for-starving-Mexican-Indians
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Biotech's Fear Factor
"So did you hear the one about the fetal tissue in your soda?
Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey is being widely mocked for a bill to ban the use of human embryonic tissue in the production or research of food. Or, in the language of the bill:
'No person or entity shall manufacture or knowingly sell food or any other product intended for human consumption which contains aborted human fetuses in the ingredients or which used aborted human fetuses in the research or development of any of the ingredients.'
(Find a Word document of the bill here.)
I think this bill is anti-medicine, anti-biotech, and anti-business, but I also think that Shortey has a point, and that his effort highlights a deep divide in the way people understand and feel about science that no amount of mocking on Twitter or Andy-Kaufman-esque stunt articles on Gawker will change. So let’s take a look at what Shortey is actually talking about.
No person or entity is manufacturing food or other products intended for human consumption that contain aborted human fetuses. But some food companies are using cell lines that were originally derived from human fetuses in order to develop new food products. Moreover, many medicines and vaccines, which I suppose could be seen as 'meant for human consumption.' The Children of God For Life, which according to press reports inspired Shortey’s bill, also opposes standard vaccines for chickenpox, rubella and hepatitis A and drugs such as Roche’s Pulmozyme for cystic fibrosis and Amgen‘s Enbrel for rheumatoid arthritis. (See a list of products Children of God For Life say are unethical.)
The fetus-derived cell line we’re talking about was also created around the time I was born. This is 35-year-old technology. And it is widely used in cell biology. And there is no way you’ll consume them or that the cells would cause any health problems.
The cells, called HEK 293 cells (that stands for human embryonic kidney) were taken from an aborted fetus in the 1970s in the Netherlands. Bits of chopped up DNA from the adenovirus, a virus that causes a pretty severe cold. The kidney cells were forced to take up bits of DNA using a technique invented in 1973 that used a calcium solution. The resulting cells don’t act much like human cells at all, but they are very easy to work with and have become workhorses of cellular biology. That’s why they’re used in the development of drugs and vaccines. (Here’s the original paper on the creation of the HEK cells. ) No new fetal tissue has been used to keep the cell culture going; the use of this cell line isn’t leading to new abortions.
A tiny company called Synomyx, whose stock is trading near its 52-week low, has been working to use this new technology to create food additives. Synomix has isolated receptors found on cells that detect taste, and added them to the HEK cells. This allows them to test thousands of potential taste additives to see whether they might taste sweet or savory with a speed that would be impossible with human taste testers. (You can find a scientific paper on the Synomyx sweetener work here. ) Synomyx has announced collaborations with Pepsi, Nestle, and Coca-Cola. The stock market values the company at $140 million, which is not much by the standards of biotech.
There’s a huge public health upside to what Synomyx is doing. They are developing flavors that mimic sugar, salt, and also savory tastes. I’m a guy who doesn’t drink soda because of the health risk involved. But replacing ingredients that can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancer strikes me as a useful endeavor. The creation of a medicine like Pulmozyme for cystic fibrosis, which the Children of God For Life says also used HEK cells, seems even more worthwhile. So do the vaccines from Merck and GlaxoSmithKline that the group also opposes.
I don’t think many people in science or in the drug business would think of using HEK cells as 'using aborted fetuses.' To a very large extent, the HEK 293 line is being caught up in the embryonic stem cell politics of a decade later. But I can see how people who think fetal tissue should never be used in any medicine would see a problem here. I can also understand how a lot of biotechnology can seem a little scary and Frankenstein-like, because it emphasizes how malleable and manipulable our basic parts are. The fact that we can so manipulate biology challenges our view of ourselves as spiritual beings in control of our own destinies.
When the New York Times pooled its bestseller lists for last year, including e-books, hardcovers, and paperbacks, the number three title was a science book: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. That book followed the history of how cervical cancer cells taken from the tumor of Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman in the 1950s, became widely used research tools. It also followed her children as they grappled with the reality that cells from their dead mother’s cancer had been being used for decades. Some of the books most touching parts of the story come as Skloot and others try to explain what it means for cells to become immortal, for them to be used in research.
We’re all a little bit like Lacks’ children, dealing with a new kind of technology that is in many fundamental ways made of us. That’s going to become an even bigger problem as these technologies become more ubiquitous, as is likely to happen over the coming years as tools like DNA sequencing and synthetic biology – the power to really design cells in ways that the creators of the HEK line could only dream about – increase in their reach and usefulness. We’re embarking on something new and important as a species. Mocking the doubters for not being hip doesn’t quite seem the right way to move forward."
(My note: Use the link below to go to the article if you want to use one or more of the links indicated in the article.)
http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2012/01/27/fetal-cells-in-soda-not-quite-the-discomfort-behind-the-controversy/2/
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey is being widely mocked for a bill to ban the use of human embryonic tissue in the production or research of food. Or, in the language of the bill:
'No person or entity shall manufacture or knowingly sell food or any other product intended for human consumption which contains aborted human fetuses in the ingredients or which used aborted human fetuses in the research or development of any of the ingredients.'
(Find a Word document of the bill here.)
I think this bill is anti-medicine, anti-biotech, and anti-business, but I also think that Shortey has a point, and that his effort highlights a deep divide in the way people understand and feel about science that no amount of mocking on Twitter or Andy-Kaufman-esque stunt articles on Gawker will change. So let’s take a look at what Shortey is actually talking about.
No person or entity is manufacturing food or other products intended for human consumption that contain aborted human fetuses. But some food companies are using cell lines that were originally derived from human fetuses in order to develop new food products. Moreover, many medicines and vaccines, which I suppose could be seen as 'meant for human consumption.' The Children of God For Life, which according to press reports inspired Shortey’s bill, also opposes standard vaccines for chickenpox, rubella and hepatitis A and drugs such as Roche’s Pulmozyme for cystic fibrosis and Amgen‘s Enbrel for rheumatoid arthritis. (See a list of products Children of God For Life say are unethical.)
The fetus-derived cell line we’re talking about was also created around the time I was born. This is 35-year-old technology. And it is widely used in cell biology. And there is no way you’ll consume them or that the cells would cause any health problems.
The cells, called HEK 293 cells (that stands for human embryonic kidney) were taken from an aborted fetus in the 1970s in the Netherlands. Bits of chopped up DNA from the adenovirus, a virus that causes a pretty severe cold. The kidney cells were forced to take up bits of DNA using a technique invented in 1973 that used a calcium solution. The resulting cells don’t act much like human cells at all, but they are very easy to work with and have become workhorses of cellular biology. That’s why they’re used in the development of drugs and vaccines. (Here’s the original paper on the creation of the HEK cells. ) No new fetal tissue has been used to keep the cell culture going; the use of this cell line isn’t leading to new abortions.
A tiny company called Synomyx, whose stock is trading near its 52-week low, has been working to use this new technology to create food additives. Synomix has isolated receptors found on cells that detect taste, and added them to the HEK cells. This allows them to test thousands of potential taste additives to see whether they might taste sweet or savory with a speed that would be impossible with human taste testers. (You can find a scientific paper on the Synomyx sweetener work here. ) Synomyx has announced collaborations with Pepsi, Nestle, and Coca-Cola. The stock market values the company at $140 million, which is not much by the standards of biotech.
There’s a huge public health upside to what Synomyx is doing. They are developing flavors that mimic sugar, salt, and also savory tastes. I’m a guy who doesn’t drink soda because of the health risk involved. But replacing ingredients that can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancer strikes me as a useful endeavor. The creation of a medicine like Pulmozyme for cystic fibrosis, which the Children of God For Life says also used HEK cells, seems even more worthwhile. So do the vaccines from Merck and GlaxoSmithKline that the group also opposes.
I don’t think many people in science or in the drug business would think of using HEK cells as 'using aborted fetuses.' To a very large extent, the HEK 293 line is being caught up in the embryonic stem cell politics of a decade later. But I can see how people who think fetal tissue should never be used in any medicine would see a problem here. I can also understand how a lot of biotechnology can seem a little scary and Frankenstein-like, because it emphasizes how malleable and manipulable our basic parts are. The fact that we can so manipulate biology challenges our view of ourselves as spiritual beings in control of our own destinies.
When the New York Times pooled its bestseller lists for last year, including e-books, hardcovers, and paperbacks, the number three title was a science book: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. That book followed the history of how cervical cancer cells taken from the tumor of Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman in the 1950s, became widely used research tools. It also followed her children as they grappled with the reality that cells from their dead mother’s cancer had been being used for decades. Some of the books most touching parts of the story come as Skloot and others try to explain what it means for cells to become immortal, for them to be used in research.
We’re all a little bit like Lacks’ children, dealing with a new kind of technology that is in many fundamental ways made of us. That’s going to become an even bigger problem as these technologies become more ubiquitous, as is likely to happen over the coming years as tools like DNA sequencing and synthetic biology – the power to really design cells in ways that the creators of the HEK line could only dream about – increase in their reach and usefulness. We’re embarking on something new and important as a species. Mocking the doubters for not being hip doesn’t quite seem the right way to move forward."
(My note: Use the link below to go to the article if you want to use one or more of the links indicated in the article.)
http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2012/01/27/fetal-cells-in-soda-not-quite-the-discomfort-behind-the-controversy/2/
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Teens Don't Eat Enough Grains
"An Article in the January Issue of Food Nutrition & Science Includes Results of a Study Showing Teens Need More Grains for Sustained Wellness; Also in this Issue: How Apps are Transforming the Food World; Information on the 2012 Fish Trend: the Australis Barramundi; How the Carbon Footprint of Beef is Shrinking; and more.
Teens are not consuming enough whole grain foods, according to a recent study from the University of Minnesota at St. Paul and featured in the January issue of Food Nutrition & Science.
The study, that analyzed adolescents aged 12 to 19 years old in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 1999-2004), found that less than one third consumed more than .5 whole grain ounce equivalents per day.
The most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released in January 2011 recommends that all adults eat at least half their grains as whole grains - that's at least three-to-five servings of whole grains. Even children need two-to-three servings or more. According to the Whole Grains Council, consumption lags far behind these recommendations. For example, the average American eats less than one daily serving of whole grains, and some studies show that over 40 percent of Americans never eat whole grains at all.
'This is an opportunity for food companies, school nutrition programs and retailers to market the health benefits of grains and create easier access to products and recipes,' says Phil Lempert, founder of Food Nutrition & Science and CEO of The Lempert Report and SupermarketGuru.com. 'Whole grain intake has been associated with improved chronic disease risk factors and weight status in adults, and we know that healthy food habits start young.'
Also in this month's Food Nutrition & Science, an article on how food apps are connecting younger consumers to shopping and cooking. The article highlights Truffehead, an app that features over 260 recipes, comprehensive information on ingredients and kitchen tools, step-by-step demos and sustainability tips, user forums, and more. Although Trufflehead's recipes are appealing for any cooking level, its architecture was designed specifically for inexperienced and intermediate cooks.
'People tend to consume less and eat more healthfully at home than in restaurants, so cooking is virtually essential to maintaining a healthy weight and it's also fun,' says Lempert. 'I applaud these apps that help consumers shop smarter, eat healthier, learn to cook and better understand the products and food they're selecting from.' -------------------
Among other articles in this month's Food Nutrition & Science, the results of a Washington State University study that suggests the carbon footprint of beef is shrinking. The study compared today's beef production impact to that of the production system in 1977, revealing some striking improvements in current practices.
Published in a recent issue of the Journal of Animal Science, the study found that, compared to beef production in the 70s, each pound of beef raised in 2007 used 33 percent less land, 12 percent less water, 19 percent less feed and 9 percent less fossil fuel energy. Waste outputs were similarly reduced, shrinking the carbon footprint of beef by 16.3 percent in 30 years. ----------------
For more information or to subscribe to Food Nutrition & Science, please visit www.FoodNutritionScience.com .
SOURCE Food Nutrition & Science"
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/teens-dont-eat-enough-grains-2012-01-30
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Teens are not consuming enough whole grain foods, according to a recent study from the University of Minnesota at St. Paul and featured in the January issue of Food Nutrition & Science.
The study, that analyzed adolescents aged 12 to 19 years old in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 1999-2004), found that less than one third consumed more than .5 whole grain ounce equivalents per day.
The most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released in January 2011 recommends that all adults eat at least half their grains as whole grains - that's at least three-to-five servings of whole grains. Even children need two-to-three servings or more. According to the Whole Grains Council, consumption lags far behind these recommendations. For example, the average American eats less than one daily serving of whole grains, and some studies show that over 40 percent of Americans never eat whole grains at all.
'This is an opportunity for food companies, school nutrition programs and retailers to market the health benefits of grains and create easier access to products and recipes,' says Phil Lempert, founder of Food Nutrition & Science and CEO of The Lempert Report and SupermarketGuru.com. 'Whole grain intake has been associated with improved chronic disease risk factors and weight status in adults, and we know that healthy food habits start young.'
Also in this month's Food Nutrition & Science, an article on how food apps are connecting younger consumers to shopping and cooking. The article highlights Truffehead, an app that features over 260 recipes, comprehensive information on ingredients and kitchen tools, step-by-step demos and sustainability tips, user forums, and more. Although Trufflehead's recipes are appealing for any cooking level, its architecture was designed specifically for inexperienced and intermediate cooks.
'People tend to consume less and eat more healthfully at home than in restaurants, so cooking is virtually essential to maintaining a healthy weight and it's also fun,' says Lempert. 'I applaud these apps that help consumers shop smarter, eat healthier, learn to cook and better understand the products and food they're selecting from.' -------------------
Among other articles in this month's Food Nutrition & Science, the results of a Washington State University study that suggests the carbon footprint of beef is shrinking. The study compared today's beef production impact to that of the production system in 1977, revealing some striking improvements in current practices.
Published in a recent issue of the Journal of Animal Science, the study found that, compared to beef production in the 70s, each pound of beef raised in 2007 used 33 percent less land, 12 percent less water, 19 percent less feed and 9 percent less fossil fuel energy. Waste outputs were similarly reduced, shrinking the carbon footprint of beef by 16.3 percent in 30 years. ----------------
For more information or to subscribe to Food Nutrition & Science, please visit www.FoodNutritionScience.com .
SOURCE Food Nutrition & Science"
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/teens-dont-eat-enough-grains-2012-01-30
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
(in India) Lucknow hosts National Seminar on transcriptomics in April
"Lucknow: In order to provide theoretical and practical exposure of transcriptomics among academicians and technocrats, the BCS-InSilico Biology is organizing a national seminar on the same.
The 'National Seminar on Transcriptomics: A Recent Era' will be held on April 7 this year in the city. It aims to educate the academicians and technocrats in order to cater the industrial and academic need.
Eminent personalities from reputed organizations will attend the seminar and enlighten the participants in the related fields.
Transcriptomics is one of the most widely explored areas in the science arena and hence system biology and functional genomics are facing the challenge to integrate the wide variety of information from the 'Transcriptomics'.
It is believed to be quite useful in fields like Gene Expression Profiling, Microarray Technology, MIAME & Array Express, Toxicity Assessment, Functional Genomics, Nutrigenomics, Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography, Phosphoproteomics and Glycoproteomics, Post translational Modification (Phosphorylation, Ubiquitination).
Those willing to participate will have to submit an abstract of one page in English describing their original research. The papers selected will be published in "International Journal of Biology, Pharmacy and Allied Sciences" (IJBPAS).
The last date for the Oral/Paper presentation Abstract submission is February 29, 2012."
http://www.pardaphash.com/news/lucknow-hosts-national-seminar-on-transcriptomics-in-april/687621.html
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
The 'National Seminar on Transcriptomics: A Recent Era' will be held on April 7 this year in the city. It aims to educate the academicians and technocrats in order to cater the industrial and academic need.
Eminent personalities from reputed organizations will attend the seminar and enlighten the participants in the related fields.
Transcriptomics is one of the most widely explored areas in the science arena and hence system biology and functional genomics are facing the challenge to integrate the wide variety of information from the 'Transcriptomics'.
It is believed to be quite useful in fields like Gene Expression Profiling, Microarray Technology, MIAME & Array Express, Toxicity Assessment, Functional Genomics, Nutrigenomics, Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography, Phosphoproteomics and Glycoproteomics, Post translational Modification (Phosphorylation, Ubiquitination).
Those willing to participate will have to submit an abstract of one page in English describing their original research. The papers selected will be published in "International Journal of Biology, Pharmacy and Allied Sciences" (IJBPAS).
The last date for the Oral/Paper presentation Abstract submission is February 29, 2012."
http://www.pardaphash.com/news/lucknow-hosts-national-seminar-on-transcriptomics-in-april/687621.html
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Monday, January 30, 2012
Should DNA Data Belong to Private Companies?
Should DNA Data Belong to Private Companies? The Genetic Alliance Fights For Open Access
Imagine you’re feeling ill. You go to visit the doctor. He runs some tests. He phones you a few days later. You expect a diagnosis, along with some sort of advice for treatment. If you just have the flu, then this is fine. But it's not fine. Your illness is something far more serious: A genetic disorder that could impact you for the rest of your life. Perhaps doctor has a file of your genome. Your doctor sequenced it, isolating the places where he recognizes a disorder. But he doesn’t hand this information over to you. He even refuses to share his research into potential treatments.
After her two children were diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, Sharon Terry became frustrated with the communication of research. She wanted her own copy of her children’s sequences to compare them with current research, but the doctor running the tests would not comply. When this happened to Terry, she fought back. She founded Genetic Alliance, a nonprofit health advocacy organization. It's website Geneticalliance.org allows patients and medical researchers to share genetic sequences and suggest treatments for genetic disorders. Terry believes that our DNA does not belong to the scientists running tests and using it for their own scientific projects. It belongs to us.
The debate over who owns your DNA is only one facet of an ongoing controversy about the privatization of science. While many projects are publicly funded, research typically takes place behind closed doors. Data remains a secret. Analysis is often published in a small number of highbrow, industry journals. Results may take years to reach the average citizen. Movements like Terry's to make science less expensive and more accessible are pushing back.
As genetic analysis becomes cheaper and more widespread, a number of ethical issues arise. Pages of data on nucleic acids don’t mean much in the hands of the average American. But at the same time, those nucleic acids—subunits of a much larger genome—are the personal property of that individual. They're like test results from the SAT, or your car’s emission exams. Why shouldn’t you be allowed to access a blueprint of your own genome?
This problem is particularly important if your genome is being sequenced for a potentially lethal disorder. Creating a public library for genetics—democratizing the information sharing process—seems like a completely reasonable solution. In her video on the Genetic Alliance website, Terry compares the movement to iTunes, which revolutionized the music industry. Individuals could look for treatments to their own disorders using the public database. Additionally, they could use the structure of their own genome to select a treatment that worked for someone with a similar DNA structure.
The problem with this public sharing is liability. ---------------- If public sites like Genetic Alliance become more popular, this experiment could be at the elite end of the spectrum featured on the webpage.
Genetic Alliance offers an opportunity to involve the public in medical research. It could inspire donations, foster support and generate a host of other effects that we can’t predict just yet. But in our letigious environment, a misdiagnosis could trigger a lawsuit. Liability issues pose steep restrictions on the use of medical information. Publicizing genetic and research results, therefore, will force users to take responsibility for their own medical choices. This isn’t familiar territory for the U.S. legal or medical community. ------------------ "
http://www.policymic.com/articles/3633/should-dna-data-belong-to-private-companies-the-genetic-alliance-fights-for-open-access/category_list
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Imagine you’re feeling ill. You go to visit the doctor. He runs some tests. He phones you a few days later. You expect a diagnosis, along with some sort of advice for treatment. If you just have the flu, then this is fine. But it's not fine. Your illness is something far more serious: A genetic disorder that could impact you for the rest of your life. Perhaps doctor has a file of your genome. Your doctor sequenced it, isolating the places where he recognizes a disorder. But he doesn’t hand this information over to you. He even refuses to share his research into potential treatments.
After her two children were diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, Sharon Terry became frustrated with the communication of research. She wanted her own copy of her children’s sequences to compare them with current research, but the doctor running the tests would not comply. When this happened to Terry, she fought back. She founded Genetic Alliance, a nonprofit health advocacy organization. It's website Geneticalliance.org allows patients and medical researchers to share genetic sequences and suggest treatments for genetic disorders. Terry believes that our DNA does not belong to the scientists running tests and using it for their own scientific projects. It belongs to us.
The debate over who owns your DNA is only one facet of an ongoing controversy about the privatization of science. While many projects are publicly funded, research typically takes place behind closed doors. Data remains a secret. Analysis is often published in a small number of highbrow, industry journals. Results may take years to reach the average citizen. Movements like Terry's to make science less expensive and more accessible are pushing back.
As genetic analysis becomes cheaper and more widespread, a number of ethical issues arise. Pages of data on nucleic acids don’t mean much in the hands of the average American. But at the same time, those nucleic acids—subunits of a much larger genome—are the personal property of that individual. They're like test results from the SAT, or your car’s emission exams. Why shouldn’t you be allowed to access a blueprint of your own genome?
This problem is particularly important if your genome is being sequenced for a potentially lethal disorder. Creating a public library for genetics—democratizing the information sharing process—seems like a completely reasonable solution. In her video on the Genetic Alliance website, Terry compares the movement to iTunes, which revolutionized the music industry. Individuals could look for treatments to their own disorders using the public database. Additionally, they could use the structure of their own genome to select a treatment that worked for someone with a similar DNA structure.
The problem with this public sharing is liability. ---------------- If public sites like Genetic Alliance become more popular, this experiment could be at the elite end of the spectrum featured on the webpage.
Genetic Alliance offers an opportunity to involve the public in medical research. It could inspire donations, foster support and generate a host of other effects that we can’t predict just yet. But in our letigious environment, a misdiagnosis could trigger a lawsuit. Liability issues pose steep restrictions on the use of medical information. Publicizing genetic and research results, therefore, will force users to take responsibility for their own medical choices. This isn’t familiar territory for the U.S. legal or medical community. ------------------ "
http://www.policymic.com/articles/3633/should-dna-data-belong-to-private-companies-the-genetic-alliance-fights-for-open-access/category_list
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Extreme heat hurts wheat yields as world warms-study
"SINGAPORE, Jan 30 Extreme heat can cause wheat crops to age faster and reduce yields, a U.S.-led study shows, underscoring the challenge of feeding a rapidly growing population as the world warms.
Scientists and farmers have long known that high heat can hurt some crops and the Stanford University-led study, released on Monday, revealed how the damage is done by tracking rates of wheat ageing, or senescence.
Depending on the sowing date, the grain losses from rapid senescence could reach up to 20 percent, the scientists found in the study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Lead author David Lobell and his colleagues studied nine years of satellite measurements of wheat growth from northern India, tracking the impact of exposure to temperatures greater than 34 degrees Celsius to measure rates of senescence.
They detected a significant acceleration of ageing that reduced the grain-filling period. The onset of senescence imposes a limit on the time for the plant to fill the grain head.
'What's new here is better understanding of one particular mechanism that causes heat to hurt yields,' Lobell told Reuters in an email. He said that while there had been some experiments showing accelerated ageing above 34 degrees Celsius, relatively few studies considered temperatures this high.
'We decided to see if these senescence effects are actually occurring in farmers' fields, and if so whether they are big enough to matter. On both counts, the answer is yes.'
Climate scientists say that episodes of extreme heat are becoming more frequent and more prevalent across the globe, presenting huge challenges for growing crops.
Wheat is the second most produced crop in the world after corn and the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization says global food production must increase by 70 percent by 2050 to feed a larger, more urban and affluent population.
LEARNING TO ADAPT
Wheat is particularly sensitive to temperature and is typically sown in late autumn or early winter and harvested before the heat of summer.
Lobell said his team's findings could help refine steps to adapt crops and growing times as the planet warms.
'Heat-tolerant varieties will be key. Whether this means faster growing in order to escape extreme heat, more capable of coping with extreme heat, or a combination of both is hard to say,' he said. ------------------
A 2010 study by scientists in Australia found wheat output fell by up to half during a growing season where temperatures were two degrees Celsius higher than average, with much of the losses caused by temperatures above 34 degrees Celsius. ---------------- "
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/29/climate-crops-idUSL4E8CR1SC20120129
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Scientists and farmers have long known that high heat can hurt some crops and the Stanford University-led study, released on Monday, revealed how the damage is done by tracking rates of wheat ageing, or senescence.
Depending on the sowing date, the grain losses from rapid senescence could reach up to 20 percent, the scientists found in the study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Lead author David Lobell and his colleagues studied nine years of satellite measurements of wheat growth from northern India, tracking the impact of exposure to temperatures greater than 34 degrees Celsius to measure rates of senescence.
They detected a significant acceleration of ageing that reduced the grain-filling period. The onset of senescence imposes a limit on the time for the plant to fill the grain head.
'What's new here is better understanding of one particular mechanism that causes heat to hurt yields,' Lobell told Reuters in an email. He said that while there had been some experiments showing accelerated ageing above 34 degrees Celsius, relatively few studies considered temperatures this high.
'We decided to see if these senescence effects are actually occurring in farmers' fields, and if so whether they are big enough to matter. On both counts, the answer is yes.'
Climate scientists say that episodes of extreme heat are becoming more frequent and more prevalent across the globe, presenting huge challenges for growing crops.
Wheat is the second most produced crop in the world after corn and the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization says global food production must increase by 70 percent by 2050 to feed a larger, more urban and affluent population.
LEARNING TO ADAPT
Wheat is particularly sensitive to temperature and is typically sown in late autumn or early winter and harvested before the heat of summer.
Lobell said his team's findings could help refine steps to adapt crops and growing times as the planet warms.
'Heat-tolerant varieties will be key. Whether this means faster growing in order to escape extreme heat, more capable of coping with extreme heat, or a combination of both is hard to say,' he said. ------------------
A 2010 study by scientists in Australia found wheat output fell by up to half during a growing season where temperatures were two degrees Celsius higher than average, with much of the losses caused by temperatures above 34 degrees Celsius. ---------------- "
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/29/climate-crops-idUSL4E8CR1SC20120129
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Danger of Biological Warfare Made Worse by Genetically Modified Foods
"In December of 2011, Hillary Clinton delivered a policy statement at a UN Biological Weapons Convention, stating that biological warfare not only remains a significant threat in the world today, but that the danger from terrorists obtaining and abusing the technology is a growing threat that shouldn’t be ignored.
Clinton made it clear that the U.S. was aware of activities on the part of terrorist organizations to actively obtain and utilize biological warfare technologies against Western countries and citizens.
She reported intelligence that showed Al Qaeda leadership wanted, 'brothers with degrees in microbiology or chemistry…to develop a weapon of mass destruction.'
The irony of the statement was especially poignant when Clinton stated, '…the emerging gene synthesis industry is making genetic material more widely available. This obviously has benefits for research but could also potentially be used to assemble the components of a deadly organism.'
The irony comes from the fact that U.S. producers of genetically modified foods are already creating an environmental scenario where the interactions between GM plants and nature itself may produce such deadly organisms – without the need for terrorist instigators. --------------
While Clinton reported that the ease with which genetic modification is becoming possible, creating the potential for terrorists to obtain the technology more easily, an even greater danger comes from the use of the technology from major corporations.
A paper titled, 'Analysis of the Threat of Genetically Modified Organism for Biological Warfare' published by National Defense University researchers in May of 2011 reveals just how unpredictable the technology can be, even in a well-funded laboratory. -----------------
The authors conclude that due to the ease with which this biotechnology can negatively affect animals, plants and the entire ecosphere itself, the technology represents a serious threat.
'We conclude that, broadly state, peaceful scientific advances, global statistics and demographics of GMOs suggest that the potential for corruption of biotechnology to catastrophic malevolent use is considerable.'
A paper published by The Ecologist agrees with this assessment, and applied it to the food industry and the pharmaceutical industry, stating that there is a significant danger posed by the cross-use of the biotechnology.
In one case, a U.S. firm accidentally contaminated food intended for human consumption with a genetically engineered variety intended to create a vaccine. ----------------
One of the 'intended' effects of much of the genetic engineering of food crops is to make the plant resistant to disease, pests and viruses that typically cause crop losses.
While the intent seems innocent enough on the surface, the unintended ecological ramifications of tampering with nature could lead to disaster.
An article published by the Union of Concerned Scientists titled 'Risks of Genetic Engineering' covers these dangers in great detail, including how introducing a genetic tolerance to certain viruses could produce a more virulent strain of that virus.
One of the most common applications of genetic engineering is the production of virus-tolerant crops. Such crops are produced by engineering components of viruses into the plant genomes. For reasons not well understood, plants producing viral components on their own are resistant to subsequent infection by those viruses. Such plants, however, pose other risks of creating new or worse viruses through two mechanisms: recombination and transcapsidation.
The writers explain that either the recombination of plant produced viral genes with the genes of incoming viruses, or the encapsulation of genetic material of the virus by the plant’s viral proteins, can ultimately produce viruses that are far more dangerous than the parent virus was – hybrid viruses that never would have existed if there had been no genetically altered plant.
Some researchers actually question whether the “unintended” side-effects – stronger diseases or weeds that require ever-changing genetic modifications in the plants, or stronger herbicides to kill the hybrid weeds – might actually be an intended side-effect by profit-hungry GM industrial giants like Monsanto, the producer of both genetically modified plants as well as weed-killer products.
Likewise, if spraying of herbicides becomes more regular due to cultivars, surrounding weeds could develop a resistance to the herbicide tolerant by the crop. This would cause an increase in herbicide dose or change in herbicide, as well as an increase in the amount and types of herbicides on crop plants. Ironically, chemical companies that sell weed killers are a driving force behind this research. (Steinbrecher, 1996)
Effect on Human Health Still Unknown
Last but most importantly, science still has not proven conclusively whether or not genetically modified foods have negative side-effects on the human body.
As with many scientific unknowns, there is evidence on both sides to suggest in some cases that the foods are safe, while there is evidence on the other side that shows the foods are harmful. Both sides attack studies conducted by the other. -------------
In one case, a 2009 study published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences reported that rats fed GM corn developed kidney and liver problems. Monsanto countered the study, claiming that there were methodological flaws with the study.
However, despite the fact that science has yet to conclude one way or the other on the safety of GM foods, those foods are being approved and stocked in U.S. supermarkets – again, without any labels revealing that they are GM foods.
'Today the vast majority of foods in supermarkets contain genetically modified substances whose effects on our health are unknown. As a medical doctor, I can assure you that no one in the medical profession would attempt to perform experiments on human subjects without their consent. Such conduct is illegal and unethical. Yet manufacturers of genetically altered foods are exposing us to one of the largest uncontrolled experiments in modern history.'
–Dr. Martha R. Herbert, pediatric neurologist
No matter your position on the safety of genetically modified foods, there are two core principles that for some reason those in charge of protecting U.S. consumers from harm seem to ignore. The first is that the FDA appears to be siding with the GM food companies rather than using caution for the sake of consumer safety.
The second is that companies like Monsanto appear to have free reign to introduce dangerous lab-produced creations into nature with no consideration given to the impact that careless activity will have on future generations."
http://www.topsecretwriters.com/2012/01/danger-biological-warfare-genetically-modified-foods/
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Clinton made it clear that the U.S. was aware of activities on the part of terrorist organizations to actively obtain and utilize biological warfare technologies against Western countries and citizens.
She reported intelligence that showed Al Qaeda leadership wanted, 'brothers with degrees in microbiology or chemistry…to develop a weapon of mass destruction.'
The irony of the statement was especially poignant when Clinton stated, '…the emerging gene synthesis industry is making genetic material more widely available. This obviously has benefits for research but could also potentially be used to assemble the components of a deadly organism.'
The irony comes from the fact that U.S. producers of genetically modified foods are already creating an environmental scenario where the interactions between GM plants and nature itself may produce such deadly organisms – without the need for terrorist instigators. --------------
While Clinton reported that the ease with which genetic modification is becoming possible, creating the potential for terrorists to obtain the technology more easily, an even greater danger comes from the use of the technology from major corporations.
A paper titled, 'Analysis of the Threat of Genetically Modified Organism for Biological Warfare' published by National Defense University researchers in May of 2011 reveals just how unpredictable the technology can be, even in a well-funded laboratory. -----------------
The authors conclude that due to the ease with which this biotechnology can negatively affect animals, plants and the entire ecosphere itself, the technology represents a serious threat.
'We conclude that, broadly state, peaceful scientific advances, global statistics and demographics of GMOs suggest that the potential for corruption of biotechnology to catastrophic malevolent use is considerable.'
A paper published by The Ecologist agrees with this assessment, and applied it to the food industry and the pharmaceutical industry, stating that there is a significant danger posed by the cross-use of the biotechnology.
In one case, a U.S. firm accidentally contaminated food intended for human consumption with a genetically engineered variety intended to create a vaccine. ----------------
One of the 'intended' effects of much of the genetic engineering of food crops is to make the plant resistant to disease, pests and viruses that typically cause crop losses.
While the intent seems innocent enough on the surface, the unintended ecological ramifications of tampering with nature could lead to disaster.
An article published by the Union of Concerned Scientists titled 'Risks of Genetic Engineering' covers these dangers in great detail, including how introducing a genetic tolerance to certain viruses could produce a more virulent strain of that virus.
One of the most common applications of genetic engineering is the production of virus-tolerant crops. Such crops are produced by engineering components of viruses into the plant genomes. For reasons not well understood, plants producing viral components on their own are resistant to subsequent infection by those viruses. Such plants, however, pose other risks of creating new or worse viruses through two mechanisms: recombination and transcapsidation.
The writers explain that either the recombination of plant produced viral genes with the genes of incoming viruses, or the encapsulation of genetic material of the virus by the plant’s viral proteins, can ultimately produce viruses that are far more dangerous than the parent virus was – hybrid viruses that never would have existed if there had been no genetically altered plant.
Some researchers actually question whether the “unintended” side-effects – stronger diseases or weeds that require ever-changing genetic modifications in the plants, or stronger herbicides to kill the hybrid weeds – might actually be an intended side-effect by profit-hungry GM industrial giants like Monsanto, the producer of both genetically modified plants as well as weed-killer products.
Likewise, if spraying of herbicides becomes more regular due to cultivars, surrounding weeds could develop a resistance to the herbicide tolerant by the crop. This would cause an increase in herbicide dose or change in herbicide, as well as an increase in the amount and types of herbicides on crop plants. Ironically, chemical companies that sell weed killers are a driving force behind this research. (Steinbrecher, 1996)
Effect on Human Health Still Unknown
Last but most importantly, science still has not proven conclusively whether or not genetically modified foods have negative side-effects on the human body.
As with many scientific unknowns, there is evidence on both sides to suggest in some cases that the foods are safe, while there is evidence on the other side that shows the foods are harmful. Both sides attack studies conducted by the other. -------------
In one case, a 2009 study published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences reported that rats fed GM corn developed kidney and liver problems. Monsanto countered the study, claiming that there were methodological flaws with the study.
However, despite the fact that science has yet to conclude one way or the other on the safety of GM foods, those foods are being approved and stocked in U.S. supermarkets – again, without any labels revealing that they are GM foods.
'Today the vast majority of foods in supermarkets contain genetically modified substances whose effects on our health are unknown. As a medical doctor, I can assure you that no one in the medical profession would attempt to perform experiments on human subjects without their consent. Such conduct is illegal and unethical. Yet manufacturers of genetically altered foods are exposing us to one of the largest uncontrolled experiments in modern history.'
–Dr. Martha R. Herbert, pediatric neurologist
No matter your position on the safety of genetically modified foods, there are two core principles that for some reason those in charge of protecting U.S. consumers from harm seem to ignore. The first is that the FDA appears to be siding with the GM food companies rather than using caution for the sake of consumer safety.
The second is that companies like Monsanto appear to have free reign to introduce dangerous lab-produced creations into nature with no consideration given to the impact that careless activity will have on future generations."
http://www.topsecretwriters.com/2012/01/danger-biological-warfare-genetically-modified-foods/
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
UNICEF Issues Urgent Appeal to Aid Starving Kids
"On a day when CNN reported on a death hoax involving Cher and Kim Kardashian, MSNBC delved into Demi Moore's 911 call and Fox News told us that Rolls-Royce had sold out of its Year of Dragon luxury cars, the United Nation's Children's Fund released its annual Humanitarian Action for Children report.
The analysis, made public Friday, decried rising levels of starvation and malnutrition among children under the age of 5 in many of the world's troubled regions. In particular, the crisis in Somalia and other Horn of Africa countries accounted for one third of the total amount, according to the report.
In concert with the survey, UNICEF appealed for $1.28 billion to fund its 2012 humanitarian operations in more than 25 countries across the globe. That's a 9 percent drop from last year's funding requirement.
Nutrition support for children now accounts for 30 percent of UNICEF's total spending, up from 19 percent only a year ago.
A recent forecast revealed 1 million cases of severe malnutrition in the Sahei region of Africa, south of the Sahara Desert, impacting eight countries. Most of those affected were in Niger. UNICEF said up to 60 percent of the children were likely to die without emergency assistance. Other countries affected were Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon and Burkino Faso."
http://www.boiseweekly.com/CityDesk/archives/2012/01/28/unicef-issues-urgent-appeal-to-aid-starving-kids
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
The analysis, made public Friday, decried rising levels of starvation and malnutrition among children under the age of 5 in many of the world's troubled regions. In particular, the crisis in Somalia and other Horn of Africa countries accounted for one third of the total amount, according to the report.
In concert with the survey, UNICEF appealed for $1.28 billion to fund its 2012 humanitarian operations in more than 25 countries across the globe. That's a 9 percent drop from last year's funding requirement.
Nutrition support for children now accounts for 30 percent of UNICEF's total spending, up from 19 percent only a year ago.
A recent forecast revealed 1 million cases of severe malnutrition in the Sahei region of Africa, south of the Sahara Desert, impacting eight countries. Most of those affected were in Niger. UNICEF said up to 60 percent of the children were likely to die without emergency assistance. Other countries affected were Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon and Burkino Faso."
http://www.boiseweekly.com/CityDesk/archives/2012/01/28/unicef-issues-urgent-appeal-to-aid-starving-kids
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Maternal health determines future diabetes risk of offspring
"It is the micronutrient deficiencies in the mother, specifically that of vitamin B12, that lay the foundation for adult onset disorders, such as diabetes, in later life. In fact, risk factors, such as smoking or a fatty diet, may only act as precipitators, but it is the mother's health that programmes a baby's future health, C.S. Yajnik, Director, Diabetes Unit, KEM Hospital, Pune, has said.
Dr. Yajnik, diabetologist and researcher, was delivering the keynote address on ‘Experience and prospects for cohorts and biobanks' at the Indo-Swiss symposium on cohorts and biobanks, with special reference to chronic non-communicable diseases, that began here on Friday.
'To put it simply, life begins before birth. A large part of a baby's programming for future health takes place within the first 1,000 days of life from the time conception takes place in the mother's womb. The risk factors which make one predisposed to adult onset disorders are invariably linked to the mother's health. In fact, the health of the adolescent girls of the day determines the health of the future generations,' Dr. Yajnik said.
Maternal health and nutrition should be the focus areas if foetal programming of diabetes is to be tackled and the future generations are to be saved from the risk of Type 2 diabetes, he said.
The intra-uterine environment or the condition inside the mother's womb, which is determined by maternal health, is today recognised as a major determinant of Type 2 diabetes.
Even mild changes in the intra-uterine environment affect the baby's prospects for life by altering the gene functioning.
The Pune Maternal Nutrition Study, led by Dr. Yajnik, is one of the first prospective community-based studies to investigate the relationship between maternal nutrition and foetal growth and its future risk of type 2 diabetes. The study, which started in 1993, is continuing.
The study had observed that nearly 70 per cent of the mothers who were being followed up had low levels of vitamin B12.
'A predominantly vegetarian diet leads to vitamin B12 deficiency. When the children were followed up over six years, we found that the children of mothers who had a high concentration of vitamin B12 during pregnancy had lower insulin resistance, while children of mothers with low vitamin B12 and high levels of folic acid had high levels of insulin resistance,' Dr. Yajnik said.
'Vitamin B 12 deficiency, which seems to be widespread among Indian women, has not received any attention from health policy makers. Supplementation of this vitamin can improve the insulin sensitivity in the offspring and prevent the risk of diabetes in the future generation,' he said."
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/article2839757.ece
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Dr. Yajnik, diabetologist and researcher, was delivering the keynote address on ‘Experience and prospects for cohorts and biobanks' at the Indo-Swiss symposium on cohorts and biobanks, with special reference to chronic non-communicable diseases, that began here on Friday.
'To put it simply, life begins before birth. A large part of a baby's programming for future health takes place within the first 1,000 days of life from the time conception takes place in the mother's womb. The risk factors which make one predisposed to adult onset disorders are invariably linked to the mother's health. In fact, the health of the adolescent girls of the day determines the health of the future generations,' Dr. Yajnik said.
Maternal health and nutrition should be the focus areas if foetal programming of diabetes is to be tackled and the future generations are to be saved from the risk of Type 2 diabetes, he said.
The intra-uterine environment or the condition inside the mother's womb, which is determined by maternal health, is today recognised as a major determinant of Type 2 diabetes.
Even mild changes in the intra-uterine environment affect the baby's prospects for life by altering the gene functioning.
The Pune Maternal Nutrition Study, led by Dr. Yajnik, is one of the first prospective community-based studies to investigate the relationship between maternal nutrition and foetal growth and its future risk of type 2 diabetes. The study, which started in 1993, is continuing.
The study had observed that nearly 70 per cent of the mothers who were being followed up had low levels of vitamin B12.
'A predominantly vegetarian diet leads to vitamin B12 deficiency. When the children were followed up over six years, we found that the children of mothers who had a high concentration of vitamin B12 during pregnancy had lower insulin resistance, while children of mothers with low vitamin B12 and high levels of folic acid had high levels of insulin resistance,' Dr. Yajnik said.
'Vitamin B 12 deficiency, which seems to be widespread among Indian women, has not received any attention from health policy makers. Supplementation of this vitamin can improve the insulin sensitivity in the offspring and prevent the risk of diabetes in the future generation,' he said."
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/article2839757.ece
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
new technologies aimed at reducing food losses
"The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus is developing new technologies aimed at ensuring the food we grow is nutritious and safe for consumption.
Producing enough food to feed the world’s growing population is becoming a major concern. But making sure the food we grow is safe, nutritious and good enough to eat is also fraught with difficulty.
In developing countries disease and decay can inflict losses of up to 100% on crops that left the field in perfect condition. These losses occur during harvesting, handling, shipment and after purchase by the consumer.
A new Centre of Excellence for Post-harvest Biotechnology (CEPB) has opened in the School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. It is led by Dr Asgar Ali who is an expert in post-harvest biology and technology.
The centre is developing new technologies aimed at reducing food losses, improving overall quality and food safety. The aim is to increase profits for growers and marketers and make quality and nutritious food available to consumers.
'In developing countries losses of between 10 to 100% have been recorded. Tropical countries like Malaysia have a particular problem because of the number of micro-organisms that exist due to humidity.
'Cutting post-harvest losses could add a sizable quantity to the global food supply,' said Dr Asgar.
With funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) in the United Kingdom, the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry and the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministries in Malaysia and private sector organisations in Malaysia, the CEPB is working with other universities across the world to find solutions to the problem of post-harvest waste. --------------------
Prof Jerry Roberts who is Academic Champion of the University’s Global Food Security Priority Group, said: 'The opening of this new Centre of Excellence is a good example of the work that is being undertaken across the University’s campuses in the area of Global Food Security. The centre will act as a focal point for our research to reduce post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables and will provide the opportunity for staff in industry to receive the training necessary to limit waste in the food chain.'
Global Food Security is a key project within the University’s new appeal, Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, which is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future.
The University is ideally positioned – scientifically, geographically and politically – to make a significant contribution to global food security.
It has been awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, for its research on Global Food Security — which includes everything from growing more crops with less fertiliser, to improving the nutrition, safety and taste of food on the plate."
http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2012/1/29/education/10538865&sec=education
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Producing enough food to feed the world’s growing population is becoming a major concern. But making sure the food we grow is safe, nutritious and good enough to eat is also fraught with difficulty.
In developing countries disease and decay can inflict losses of up to 100% on crops that left the field in perfect condition. These losses occur during harvesting, handling, shipment and after purchase by the consumer.
A new Centre of Excellence for Post-harvest Biotechnology (CEPB) has opened in the School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. It is led by Dr Asgar Ali who is an expert in post-harvest biology and technology.
The centre is developing new technologies aimed at reducing food losses, improving overall quality and food safety. The aim is to increase profits for growers and marketers and make quality and nutritious food available to consumers.
'In developing countries losses of between 10 to 100% have been recorded. Tropical countries like Malaysia have a particular problem because of the number of micro-organisms that exist due to humidity.
'Cutting post-harvest losses could add a sizable quantity to the global food supply,' said Dr Asgar.
With funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) in the United Kingdom, the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry and the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministries in Malaysia and private sector organisations in Malaysia, the CEPB is working with other universities across the world to find solutions to the problem of post-harvest waste. --------------------
Prof Jerry Roberts who is Academic Champion of the University’s Global Food Security Priority Group, said: 'The opening of this new Centre of Excellence is a good example of the work that is being undertaken across the University’s campuses in the area of Global Food Security. The centre will act as a focal point for our research to reduce post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables and will provide the opportunity for staff in industry to receive the training necessary to limit waste in the food chain.'
Global Food Security is a key project within the University’s new appeal, Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, which is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future.
The University is ideally positioned – scientifically, geographically and politically – to make a significant contribution to global food security.
It has been awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, for its research on Global Food Security — which includes everything from growing more crops with less fertiliser, to improving the nutrition, safety and taste of food on the plate."
http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2012/1/29/education/10538865&sec=education
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Marin volunteers seek labels for engineered foods
"Ann Thomas is the first to admit that she's no expert in the science behind genetically-modified foods.
And while she has 'some legitimate concerns' about the safety of crops created in a laboratory, that's not the reason the Corte Madera resident has volunteered to collect signatures for a California ballot measure that would require foods containing genetically-modified organisms to carry a special label.
'People want to know what's in their food,' Thomas said. 'This ballot measure isn't designed to put anyone out of business. It's just something to give shoppers another piece of information about their food products, in the same way that companies are required to disclose calories and fat content. It helps people select what they want to purchase.'
Thomas is one of several volunteers who helped lead a 2004 effort to ban the growing of genetically modified crops in Marin County. That ballot measure, Measure B, passed with about 62 percent of the vote, and Thomas hopes many of those who took part in the 2004 campaign will join in the current call for statewide labeling.
'We need about 550,000 valid signatures statewide — but to get there, we know we'll really need to collect a little more than 800,000 signatures,' said Thomas, who has so far mustered a group of about 100 volunteers. Her group will be collecting signatures between Feb. 18 and April 22, with the goal of placing the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act on the November 2012 ballot.
Genetically modified foods are typically created through the process of transgenesis — taking a gene from one organism and implanting it in another, in order to create a new life form with desirable traits, such as resistance to pesticide or a longer shelf life. Supporters of modified organisms note that they often require fewer pesticides than conventional crops, and that opponents can point to few scientific studies that support their concerns.
In addition, food manufacturers note that the federal Food and Drug Administration has not restricted the sale of products made from genetically-engineered corn, soybeans, tomatoes and other crops, and that they are generally considered to be safe for human and animal consumption.
'Currently, labeling food products that contain GM ingredients is not prohibited, and foods labeled non-GM are readily available for consumers who prefer such products,' said Tom Helscher, a spokesman for Monsanto, the agricultural biotechnology company whose subsidiary, Calgene, developed the first genetically modified crop, a tomato. 'The FDA has determined that where genetically modified crops don't differ in composition, nutrition or safety from non-GM crops, products containing them are not required to be labeled.'
Those with concerns about genetically modified foods, however, argue that the jury is still out on whether products made from those foods have been adequately tested by the FDA.
'Some of those products have been shown to cause allergic reactions in some people. But unfortunately, no one is really looking into it,' said Mark Squire, co-owner of Good Earth Foods in Fairfax, which has thrown its support behind the labeling movement. 'GMOs should be prohibited from appearing in food products until there has been rigorous, thorough research into their long-term health effects.'
Albert Straus, whose Straus Creamery has been a pioneer of the organic movement in Marin County, was shocked years ago to discover that the grain he feeds his cattle — billed as organic — included genetically modified crops. Today, he carefully tests his feed grains for markers of genetic engineering, and he's pushed for labeling of modified foods, both at the state and national level.
'Right now, 70 to 80 percent of the food people eat has some form of GMO contamination,' Straus said. 'I think customers want to know what is in their food. And I think they have that right.' ------------------- "
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_19838810
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
And while she has 'some legitimate concerns' about the safety of crops created in a laboratory, that's not the reason the Corte Madera resident has volunteered to collect signatures for a California ballot measure that would require foods containing genetically-modified organisms to carry a special label.
'People want to know what's in their food,' Thomas said. 'This ballot measure isn't designed to put anyone out of business. It's just something to give shoppers another piece of information about their food products, in the same way that companies are required to disclose calories and fat content. It helps people select what they want to purchase.'
Thomas is one of several volunteers who helped lead a 2004 effort to ban the growing of genetically modified crops in Marin County. That ballot measure, Measure B, passed with about 62 percent of the vote, and Thomas hopes many of those who took part in the 2004 campaign will join in the current call for statewide labeling.
'We need about 550,000 valid signatures statewide — but to get there, we know we'll really need to collect a little more than 800,000 signatures,' said Thomas, who has so far mustered a group of about 100 volunteers. Her group will be collecting signatures between Feb. 18 and April 22, with the goal of placing the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act on the November 2012 ballot.
Genetically modified foods are typically created through the process of transgenesis — taking a gene from one organism and implanting it in another, in order to create a new life form with desirable traits, such as resistance to pesticide or a longer shelf life. Supporters of modified organisms note that they often require fewer pesticides than conventional crops, and that opponents can point to few scientific studies that support their concerns.
In addition, food manufacturers note that the federal Food and Drug Administration has not restricted the sale of products made from genetically-engineered corn, soybeans, tomatoes and other crops, and that they are generally considered to be safe for human and animal consumption.
'Currently, labeling food products that contain GM ingredients is not prohibited, and foods labeled non-GM are readily available for consumers who prefer such products,' said Tom Helscher, a spokesman for Monsanto, the agricultural biotechnology company whose subsidiary, Calgene, developed the first genetically modified crop, a tomato. 'The FDA has determined that where genetically modified crops don't differ in composition, nutrition or safety from non-GM crops, products containing them are not required to be labeled.'
Those with concerns about genetically modified foods, however, argue that the jury is still out on whether products made from those foods have been adequately tested by the FDA.
'Some of those products have been shown to cause allergic reactions in some people. But unfortunately, no one is really looking into it,' said Mark Squire, co-owner of Good Earth Foods in Fairfax, which has thrown its support behind the labeling movement. 'GMOs should be prohibited from appearing in food products until there has been rigorous, thorough research into their long-term health effects.'
Albert Straus, whose Straus Creamery has been a pioneer of the organic movement in Marin County, was shocked years ago to discover that the grain he feeds his cattle — billed as organic — included genetically modified crops. Today, he carefully tests his feed grains for markers of genetic engineering, and he's pushed for labeling of modified foods, both at the state and national level.
'Right now, 70 to 80 percent of the food people eat has some form of GMO contamination,' Straus said. 'I think customers want to know what is in their food. And I think they have that right.' ------------------- "
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_19838810
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Saturday, January 28, 2012
UNICEF issues appeal to aid starving kids, urges Canadians to contribute
"OTTAWA - The perpetual problem of starving children in Africa is too big to ignore, but the head of UNICEF's Canadian branch frankly admits most people in this country will do just that.
David Morley was appealing for public donations as Friday's annual report from the UN children's agency decried the rising levels of starvation and malnutrition among children under the age of five in many of the world's troubled regions.
Morley echoed the message of the report, which is that without extra money, grinding persistent poverty will ultimately cause political instability, especially in East and West Africa.
But with Canadians facing cuts to public services in a looming federal budget as well as other economic challenges in their daily lives, Morley said his job is tough sell.
'It's not going to be an issue right now, no. It's going to be lower priority,' Morley said in an interview.
Aid agencies, he said, will continue to swim against the tough economic tide.
'The group of us who are working internationally have to continue to try to show everybody in Canada how fortunate we are. This report is about this year. Our belief is a long-term one.'
UNICEF is appealing for $1.28 billion in donations this year, down nine per cent from its funding requirement last year.
However a much bigger slice of its proposed spending is now swallowed battling persistent starvation among Third World kids.
Nutrition support for children has increased 47 per cent this year and now accounts for 30 per cent of UNICEF's total spending requirements, up from 19 per cent a year earlier.
'That nutrition component is up and that's really key,' Morley said.
'When parents are unable to care for their children, when adolescents, particularly young men, don't see any possible future, that leads to political instability.'
Morley said the crisis is especially acute in East and West Africa — the Horn of Africa countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia that were struck with famine last year, and the Sahel belt further west that remains vulnerable to the same affliction.
Extreme hunger and famine in the Horn of Africa last year affected 13 million people and killed tens of thousands of children.
In West Africa, food prices have gone up and harvests are weaker, said Morley.
As leaders, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, gathered in Davos this week for the World Economic Forum, Morley wasn't hearing anything that might be interpreted as comfort to the planet's most vulnerable people.
'Clearly there is an economic crisis, but the humanitarian crisis for children is just too big to ignore. That's a real life or death crisis … the crisis of rising food prices, there's a huge, huge crisis,' he said.
'We need to be talking about that — the people in Davos — because that's a true crisis.'
The UNICEF report documents the response to last year's hunger woes. The statistics of misery include vitamin supplements, vaccinations and de-worming for 36 million children, and targeted nutritional support to 19 million women and children. -------------------- "
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/unicef-issues-appeal-to-aid-starving-kids-urges-canadians-to-contribute-138185814.html
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
David Morley was appealing for public donations as Friday's annual report from the UN children's agency decried the rising levels of starvation and malnutrition among children under the age of five in many of the world's troubled regions.
Morley echoed the message of the report, which is that without extra money, grinding persistent poverty will ultimately cause political instability, especially in East and West Africa.
But with Canadians facing cuts to public services in a looming federal budget as well as other economic challenges in their daily lives, Morley said his job is tough sell.
'It's not going to be an issue right now, no. It's going to be lower priority,' Morley said in an interview.
Aid agencies, he said, will continue to swim against the tough economic tide.
'The group of us who are working internationally have to continue to try to show everybody in Canada how fortunate we are. This report is about this year. Our belief is a long-term one.'
UNICEF is appealing for $1.28 billion in donations this year, down nine per cent from its funding requirement last year.
However a much bigger slice of its proposed spending is now swallowed battling persistent starvation among Third World kids.
Nutrition support for children has increased 47 per cent this year and now accounts for 30 per cent of UNICEF's total spending requirements, up from 19 per cent a year earlier.
'That nutrition component is up and that's really key,' Morley said.
'When parents are unable to care for their children, when adolescents, particularly young men, don't see any possible future, that leads to political instability.'
Morley said the crisis is especially acute in East and West Africa — the Horn of Africa countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia that were struck with famine last year, and the Sahel belt further west that remains vulnerable to the same affliction.
Extreme hunger and famine in the Horn of Africa last year affected 13 million people and killed tens of thousands of children.
In West Africa, food prices have gone up and harvests are weaker, said Morley.
As leaders, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, gathered in Davos this week for the World Economic Forum, Morley wasn't hearing anything that might be interpreted as comfort to the planet's most vulnerable people.
'Clearly there is an economic crisis, but the humanitarian crisis for children is just too big to ignore. That's a real life or death crisis … the crisis of rising food prices, there's a huge, huge crisis,' he said.
'We need to be talking about that — the people in Davos — because that's a true crisis.'
The UNICEF report documents the response to last year's hunger woes. The statistics of misery include vitamin supplements, vaccinations and de-worming for 36 million children, and targeted nutritional support to 19 million women and children. -------------------- "
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/unicef-issues-appeal-to-aid-starving-kids-urges-canadians-to-contribute-138185814.html
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Teck and BASF Announce Partnership to Reduce Zinc Deficiency Through Micronutrient Food Solutions
"Teck Resources Limited ("Teck") and BASF SE announced at the World Economic Forum today that they have signed a three year agreement to jointly develop innovative and affordable zinc fortification and supplementation solutions, with the goal of reducing zinc deficiency among 100 million people in developing countries by 2015.
Malnutrition is one of the world's most serious but least addressed health problems - nearly a third of children in developing countries are undernourished. Zinc is an essential micronutrient for all living organisms that protects the body from illnesses and helps fight infections, yet two billion people around the world are not getting enough zinc through their diet. According to the World Health Organization, zinc deficiency is one of the leading risk factors associated with diseases such as diarrhea, contributing to the deaths of 800,000 people each year.
Through this agreement, BASF and Teck aim to make safe and cost-effective high-quality zinc solutions available to populations at risk of zinc deficiency in developing countries. Zinc from Teck's Trail Operations will be turned into high grade zinc oxide by GH Chemicals in Montreal, which BASF will use to make food fortification supplements.
'Providing healthy food and nutrition to a growing world population is one of the major challenges of the future. Together with its customers and partners such as Teck, BASF contributes to the development of innovative, sustainable solutions,' said Kurt Bock, CEO of BASF.
This three year partnership leverages the strengths and competencies of each company, including BASF's cost-effective micronutrient solutions, analytical and formulation expertise, application and quality control know-how and distribution partnerships, and Teck's high quality, affordable zinc products and commitment to raising awareness about, and finding solutions to zinc deficiency. The agreement builds on Teck's existing Zinc and Health program which includes partnerships with UNICEF, Free the Children, the Micronutrient Initiative, the Government of Canada and other organizations.
'As one of the world's largest producers of zinc, we recognize we have the ability to make a difference,' said Don Lindsay, President and CEO of Teck. 'Through this partnership, we are developing solutions that will enhance zinc micronutrient distribution systems, reduce instances of zinc deficiency in developing countries and ultimately improve human health.'
'We welcome that BASF and Teck are combining their respective expertise to work together to help to alleviate one source of malnutrition,' said George Kell, Head of UN Global Compact.
This partnership forms part of the "Scaling-up Nutrition" (SUN) process and it aims to help the United Nations in their efforts to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals, particularly the goal to half poverty and hunger by 2015, by contributing to the realization of the Human Right to Food.
'We need to break the links between poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition. This requires the full engagement of many sectors and actors, including the private sector,' said United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.
The agreement supports the goals of the United Nations Global Compact, aiming to demonstrate leadership in UN-Business collaboration. It will be guided by the "Fundamentals of Effective UN-Business Partnerships" as developed by the Global Compact LEAD. ------------------ "
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/teck-and-basf-announce-partnership-to-reduce-zinc-deficiency-through-micronutrient-food-solutions-2012-01-27?reflink=MW_news_stmp
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Malnutrition is one of the world's most serious but least addressed health problems - nearly a third of children in developing countries are undernourished. Zinc is an essential micronutrient for all living organisms that protects the body from illnesses and helps fight infections, yet two billion people around the world are not getting enough zinc through their diet. According to the World Health Organization, zinc deficiency is one of the leading risk factors associated with diseases such as diarrhea, contributing to the deaths of 800,000 people each year.
Through this agreement, BASF and Teck aim to make safe and cost-effective high-quality zinc solutions available to populations at risk of zinc deficiency in developing countries. Zinc from Teck's Trail Operations will be turned into high grade zinc oxide by GH Chemicals in Montreal, which BASF will use to make food fortification supplements.
'Providing healthy food and nutrition to a growing world population is one of the major challenges of the future. Together with its customers and partners such as Teck, BASF contributes to the development of innovative, sustainable solutions,' said Kurt Bock, CEO of BASF.
This three year partnership leverages the strengths and competencies of each company, including BASF's cost-effective micronutrient solutions, analytical and formulation expertise, application and quality control know-how and distribution partnerships, and Teck's high quality, affordable zinc products and commitment to raising awareness about, and finding solutions to zinc deficiency. The agreement builds on Teck's existing Zinc and Health program which includes partnerships with UNICEF, Free the Children, the Micronutrient Initiative, the Government of Canada and other organizations.
'As one of the world's largest producers of zinc, we recognize we have the ability to make a difference,' said Don Lindsay, President and CEO of Teck. 'Through this partnership, we are developing solutions that will enhance zinc micronutrient distribution systems, reduce instances of zinc deficiency in developing countries and ultimately improve human health.'
'We welcome that BASF and Teck are combining their respective expertise to work together to help to alleviate one source of malnutrition,' said George Kell, Head of UN Global Compact.
This partnership forms part of the "Scaling-up Nutrition" (SUN) process and it aims to help the United Nations in their efforts to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals, particularly the goal to half poverty and hunger by 2015, by contributing to the realization of the Human Right to Food.
'We need to break the links between poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition. This requires the full engagement of many sectors and actors, including the private sector,' said United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.
The agreement supports the goals of the United Nations Global Compact, aiming to demonstrate leadership in UN-Business collaboration. It will be guided by the "Fundamentals of Effective UN-Business Partnerships" as developed by the Global Compact LEAD. ------------------ "
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/teck-and-basf-announce-partnership-to-reduce-zinc-deficiency-through-micronutrient-food-solutions-2012-01-27?reflink=MW_news_stmp
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Panel Urges Study of Nanomaterial Risks
"Nanoparticles are really tiny manufactured objects, no bigger than a clump of atoms. They are being engineered into materials with unique electrical, chemical and optical properties. They are used in a wide array of products from cosmetics and food additives to solar cells and medical devices.
But concerns are growing that almost nothing is known about the risks these materials might pose to human health or the environment. Now, a federal science panel is calling for a systematic review of the safety of nanotechnology.
The nano market is booming. In 2009 developers generated $1 billion from the sale of nanomaterials. The global market for products that rely on these materials is expected to grow to $3 trillion by 2015.
Yet without a coordinated research plan to assess, manage and avoid risks to human health and the environment, the future of safe and sustainable nanotechnology is uncertain. That’s the conclusion of a new report by the National Research Council, the research arm of the National Academy of Sciences.
'What we think we need and what we speak to in this report is how would we develop ways to predict what materials might be hazardous?' says Jonathan Samet, who heads the Institute for Global Health at the University of Southern California and chaired the expert panel that wrote the report.
For example, little is known about the health effects of nanomaterials being absorbed, inhaled or ingested, or what happens when nanomaterials escape into the environment. Samet says steps must be taken in the short-term to answer these questions, especially as new and more complex nanomaterials are engineered. --------------- "
(My note: Are you ready for nanobots in your bloodstream? What if they were delivering a potent cancer drug right to and into your cancer cells? Cancer drug delivery by nanotechnology is pretty advanced already. There will be many more applications.)
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/science-technology/Panel-Urges-Study-of-Nanomaterial-Risks-138212949.html
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
But concerns are growing that almost nothing is known about the risks these materials might pose to human health or the environment. Now, a federal science panel is calling for a systematic review of the safety of nanotechnology.
The nano market is booming. In 2009 developers generated $1 billion from the sale of nanomaterials. The global market for products that rely on these materials is expected to grow to $3 trillion by 2015.
Yet without a coordinated research plan to assess, manage and avoid risks to human health and the environment, the future of safe and sustainable nanotechnology is uncertain. That’s the conclusion of a new report by the National Research Council, the research arm of the National Academy of Sciences.
'What we think we need and what we speak to in this report is how would we develop ways to predict what materials might be hazardous?' says Jonathan Samet, who heads the Institute for Global Health at the University of Southern California and chaired the expert panel that wrote the report.
For example, little is known about the health effects of nanomaterials being absorbed, inhaled or ingested, or what happens when nanomaterials escape into the environment. Samet says steps must be taken in the short-term to answer these questions, especially as new and more complex nanomaterials are engineered. --------------- "
(My note: Are you ready for nanobots in your bloodstream? What if they were delivering a potent cancer drug right to and into your cancer cells? Cancer drug delivery by nanotechnology is pretty advanced already. There will be many more applications.)
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/science-technology/Panel-Urges-Study-of-Nanomaterial-Risks-138212949.html
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Calls for GMO Labeling Keep Cropping Up
"Like a persistent mosquito that keeps coming back no matter how many times you bat it away, the controversial issue of mandated labeling for genetically engineered foods in the United States just won't go away.
The latest example of that persistence is legislation proposed in Washington state that would require genetically engineered foods, or food items that contain genetically engineered foods, to be labeled so consumers can make an informed choice about what they buy.
If approved, for the most part, the labeling requirement as proposed by legislation in Washington state would kick in on July 1, 2014. Fines for not labeling such foods are included in the legislation.
Simply put, genetic engineering is the deliberate modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic material. Genetically modified organisms, often referred to as GMOs, are those whose genetic material (DNA or RNA) have been altered in ways that would not occur naturally through mating or cell division.
Examples of genetically modified crops are corn, potatoes and cotton that have had the microbe bT (Bacillus thuringiensis), a naturally occurring pesticide, inserted into their genes so they can resist pests, such as, in the case of corn, the European corn borer, that harm or destroy the crops.
The genetic engineering of plants is generally geared to boost production, improve their ability to survive in specific environments, give them better resistance to pests and diseases, improve their nutritional qualities, and to create immunity to certain herbicides.
Labeling supporters, including Nature's Path Organic, say that GMO ingredients are found in 80 percent of packaged foods in the United States.
Labeling supporters also say that the bottom line in all of this is that people have no idea if the foods they're eating are genetically engineered or contain ingredients from genetically engineered foods because there's no labeling to tell them that.
Their common mantra comes down to this: 'We have the right to know what we're eating and feeding to our families.' ---------- "
(My note: There is much, much more to this article. Here is the link.)
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/01/calls-for-gmo-labeling-keep-flaring-up/
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
The latest example of that persistence is legislation proposed in Washington state that would require genetically engineered foods, or food items that contain genetically engineered foods, to be labeled so consumers can make an informed choice about what they buy.
If approved, for the most part, the labeling requirement as proposed by legislation in Washington state would kick in on July 1, 2014. Fines for not labeling such foods are included in the legislation.
Simply put, genetic engineering is the deliberate modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic material. Genetically modified organisms, often referred to as GMOs, are those whose genetic material (DNA or RNA) have been altered in ways that would not occur naturally through mating or cell division.
Examples of genetically modified crops are corn, potatoes and cotton that have had the microbe bT (Bacillus thuringiensis), a naturally occurring pesticide, inserted into their genes so they can resist pests, such as, in the case of corn, the European corn borer, that harm or destroy the crops.
The genetic engineering of plants is generally geared to boost production, improve their ability to survive in specific environments, give them better resistance to pests and diseases, improve their nutritional qualities, and to create immunity to certain herbicides.
Labeling supporters, including Nature's Path Organic, say that GMO ingredients are found in 80 percent of packaged foods in the United States.
Labeling supporters also say that the bottom line in all of this is that people have no idea if the foods they're eating are genetically engineered or contain ingredients from genetically engineered foods because there's no labeling to tell them that.
Their common mantra comes down to this: 'We have the right to know what we're eating and feeding to our families.' ---------- "
(My note: There is much, much more to this article. Here is the link.)
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/01/calls-for-gmo-labeling-keep-flaring-up/
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Friday, January 27, 2012
New genetic technology asks hard life and death questions
"WE naturally rejoice in the extraordinary achievement of the human genome project and other research, which has contributed so much to our understanding of the human condition and which is so pregnant with therapeutic possibilities.
The big problem is that for the foreseeable future the principal use of this technology will not be therapeutic at all. Alongside ultrasound and other procedures, genetic technology will be used for testing the unborn, and where diagnosed as carrying some disease or other unwanted characteristic the child will routinely be 'terminated'.
Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, diabetes, asthma: where will the list of conditions or 'defects' end? A 1993 American poll found that 11 per cent of couples would abort a foetus with a predisposition to obesity. More recently, it has been suggested that autism could be detected prenatally and affected babies eliminated. In India and China widespread antenatal testing followed by abortion for female babies, combined with infanticide for girls who make it to birth, has resulted in serious sex imbalances and millions of 'missing women'.
The unasked question is: who decides which genetic qualities warrant death, before or after birth, on what basis and in whose interests? Some years ago I was consulted about an ethical and pastoral conundrum for some hospital staff. A couple suffering from achondroplasia (dwarfism) had presented requesting genetic screening of their quite advanced unborn child. On being told their child was of normal stature they declared they wanted an abortion because they wanted only a dwarf child. The clinical staff were stunned. Despite long experience of abortion on demand they had never before faced a case where a child was to be aborted specifically because she or he was (in common parlance) 'normal'.
This raised for them all sorts of questions about the nature of health and disability, about who should decide which conditions should warrant the death of a child and according to what criteria. --------------- "
(My note: Please read all of this article. We must think about all of this. Here's the link.)
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/new-genetic-technology-asks-hard-life-and-death-questions/story-e6frg8y6-1226255535327
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
The big problem is that for the foreseeable future the principal use of this technology will not be therapeutic at all. Alongside ultrasound and other procedures, genetic technology will be used for testing the unborn, and where diagnosed as carrying some disease or other unwanted characteristic the child will routinely be 'terminated'.
Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, diabetes, asthma: where will the list of conditions or 'defects' end? A 1993 American poll found that 11 per cent of couples would abort a foetus with a predisposition to obesity. More recently, it has been suggested that autism could be detected prenatally and affected babies eliminated. In India and China widespread antenatal testing followed by abortion for female babies, combined with infanticide for girls who make it to birth, has resulted in serious sex imbalances and millions of 'missing women'.
The unasked question is: who decides which genetic qualities warrant death, before or after birth, on what basis and in whose interests? Some years ago I was consulted about an ethical and pastoral conundrum for some hospital staff. A couple suffering from achondroplasia (dwarfism) had presented requesting genetic screening of their quite advanced unborn child. On being told their child was of normal stature they declared they wanted an abortion because they wanted only a dwarf child. The clinical staff were stunned. Despite long experience of abortion on demand they had never before faced a case where a child was to be aborted specifically because she or he was (in common parlance) 'normal'.
This raised for them all sorts of questions about the nature of health and disability, about who should decide which conditions should warrant the death of a child and according to what criteria. --------------- "
(My note: Please read all of this article. We must think about all of this. Here's the link.)
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/new-genetic-technology-asks-hard-life-and-death-questions/story-e6frg8y6-1226255535327
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Opportunity to double or even triple food output, says Bill Gates
World Economic Forum Davos 2012: Opportunity to double or even triple food output, says Bill Gates
"DAVOS: Citing various developments, including innovations in crop science, as means to improve global food security, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates today said there is opportunity to double or even triple food production.
Going by estimates, food production would need to double by 2050 to feed a world population, that is projected to touch 9 billion by that time.
Gates, who is the co-chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, expressed optimism that food production can be increased.
Innovations in crop science, access to information for farmers and new models of cooperation between governments and private enterprises are some of the developments that can improve global food security, he said at a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum annual meeting here.
'I believe the opportunity to double or even triple (food) productivity is there,' Gates said.
According to him, it is encouraging to see the issue of food security on the agenda of G-20.
Many of the panelists also shared Gates' optimism about global food security.
In his annual letter, Gates had said, 'By spending a relatively little amount of money on proven solutions, we can help poor farmers feed themselves and their families and continue writing the story of a steadily more equitable world.
'Or we can decide to tolerate a very different world in which one in seven people needlessly lives on the edge of starvation.'
He had also urged global leaders to invest in innovations that are accelerating progress against poverty, or risk a future in which millions needlessly starve."
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-01-26/news/30666633_1_food-security-food-production-bill-gates
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
"DAVOS: Citing various developments, including innovations in crop science, as means to improve global food security, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates today said there is opportunity to double or even triple food production.
Going by estimates, food production would need to double by 2050 to feed a world population, that is projected to touch 9 billion by that time.
Gates, who is the co-chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, expressed optimism that food production can be increased.
Innovations in crop science, access to information for farmers and new models of cooperation between governments and private enterprises are some of the developments that can improve global food security, he said at a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum annual meeting here.
'I believe the opportunity to double or even triple (food) productivity is there,' Gates said.
According to him, it is encouraging to see the issue of food security on the agenda of G-20.
Many of the panelists also shared Gates' optimism about global food security.
In his annual letter, Gates had said, 'By spending a relatively little amount of money on proven solutions, we can help poor farmers feed themselves and their families and continue writing the story of a steadily more equitable world.
'Or we can decide to tolerate a very different world in which one in seven people needlessly lives on the edge of starvation.'
He had also urged global leaders to invest in innovations that are accelerating progress against poverty, or risk a future in which millions needlessly starve."
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-01-26/news/30666633_1_food-security-food-production-bill-gates
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Nutrigenomics: Is the New DNA Diet All That it’s Cracked Up to Be?
"Have you heard about the DNA Diet? Do you think that your genes pre-determine what your meal plan should be? There’s a certain logic to that thinking, however like anything labled “diet,” I recommend taking it with a grain of salt because each situation and person is different.
The word 'diet' to me connotes that there is a beginning and an end, but I want you to always think of changing your habits to be healthier for the long run. You need a long-term healthy diet plan, not a roller coaster plan with peaks and valleys.
Nutrigenomics is generally about finding the link between nutrition, health, disease and genetics, or about using your genetic makeup to determine the right diet for you. This makes some sense because your family’s medical history influences your health. For example, if diabetes runs in your family, like it does in mine, then you are probably at a higher risk for contracting diabetes in the future. Therefore, you should do everything you can to stay lean, with regular exercise and a well-balanced and portion-controlled diet.
There are companies out there that offer to test your DNA and then recommend a diet to best suit it. You should beware, however: The verdict is still out on the effectiveness, more research still has to be done and it may be quite expensive. Some research states that having a low-fat diet will help some people lose weight based on their DNA, while others should have a low-carb diet because their genetic makeup indicates as much.
Think about it: You don’t need a DNA test to review your family history. Instead, weigh yourself and have a yearly physical to test your blood and know how your general health is now and morevoer, what needs to change.
In my opinion, more research needs to be done regarding nutrigenomics and whether it really makes for a healthy diet plan. It is definitely a growing field and we will learn a lot about nutrition and our DNA in the future. In the meantime, evaluate your lifestyle and be honest with yourself. If you have a family history of high blood pressure, it would be smart to watch how much sodium you are consuming. Same goes for a family history of high cholesterol, you should be aware of the fat and saturated fat in your diet.
Don’t use your genes as a cop-out. You can still make strides towards a healthier lifestyle. Slow and steady wins the race, so evaluate where you are now and start incorporating healthier habits that work for you and your family today. You can do it!
Have you tried the DNA Diet? What are your thoughts?"
http://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2012/01/26/nutrigenomics-is-the-new-dna-diet-all-that-its-cracked-up-to-be/
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
The word 'diet' to me connotes that there is a beginning and an end, but I want you to always think of changing your habits to be healthier for the long run. You need a long-term healthy diet plan, not a roller coaster plan with peaks and valleys.
Nutrigenomics is generally about finding the link between nutrition, health, disease and genetics, or about using your genetic makeup to determine the right diet for you. This makes some sense because your family’s medical history influences your health. For example, if diabetes runs in your family, like it does in mine, then you are probably at a higher risk for contracting diabetes in the future. Therefore, you should do everything you can to stay lean, with regular exercise and a well-balanced and portion-controlled diet.
There are companies out there that offer to test your DNA and then recommend a diet to best suit it. You should beware, however: The verdict is still out on the effectiveness, more research still has to be done and it may be quite expensive. Some research states that having a low-fat diet will help some people lose weight based on their DNA, while others should have a low-carb diet because their genetic makeup indicates as much.
Think about it: You don’t need a DNA test to review your family history. Instead, weigh yourself and have a yearly physical to test your blood and know how your general health is now and morevoer, what needs to change.
In my opinion, more research needs to be done regarding nutrigenomics and whether it really makes for a healthy diet plan. It is definitely a growing field and we will learn a lot about nutrition and our DNA in the future. In the meantime, evaluate your lifestyle and be honest with yourself. If you have a family history of high blood pressure, it would be smart to watch how much sodium you are consuming. Same goes for a family history of high cholesterol, you should be aware of the fat and saturated fat in your diet.
Don’t use your genes as a cop-out. You can still make strides towards a healthier lifestyle. Slow and steady wins the race, so evaluate where you are now and start incorporating healthier habits that work for you and your family today. You can do it!
Have you tried the DNA Diet? What are your thoughts?"
http://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2012/01/26/nutrigenomics-is-the-new-dna-diet-all-that-its-cracked-up-to-be/
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
research in the fields of nutrigenomics and epigenetics
PRESS RELEASE
"The University of Bridgeport and New York Times-bestselling Author Dr. Peter D'Adamo Announce the New Center for Excellence in Generative Medicine
BRIDGEPORT, Conn., Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The University of Bridgeport (UB) and Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo, internationally acclaimed clinician, researcher and author of the bestselling Eat Right 4 Your Type, announced today the collaborative launch of the Center for Excellence in Generative Medicine (COE) which will be located at 115 Broad Street across from the UB Health Sciences Complex on campus, and it is scheduled to open in Spring 2012.
The COE will continue to train naturopathic doctors while broadening the College of Naturopathic Medicine's curriculum. It also will sponsor research in the fields of nutrigenomics and epigenetics, which examines how human genes interact and are affected by the environment, lifestyle and diet.
University President Neil A. Salonen, Dr. David M. Brady, Vice Provost for Health Sciences, and Dr. D'Adamo signed the official agreement for the Center at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, January 24, at a ceremony held on the eighth floor of the BU's Wahlstrom Library. ------------------
The Center of Excellence in Generative Medicine is a revolutionary initiative, and it is without parallel or equivalent in any other school of medicine. With the addition of the new Center of Excellence, 'we will enhance the naturopathic curriculum as well as provide patients the opportunity to receive this cutting-edge care,' Brady said. ------------------- "
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-university-of-bridgeport-and-new-york-times-bestselling-author-dr-peter-dadamo-announce-the-new-center-for-excellence-in-generative-medicine-2012-01-26
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
"The University of Bridgeport and New York Times-bestselling Author Dr. Peter D'Adamo Announce the New Center for Excellence in Generative Medicine
BRIDGEPORT, Conn., Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The University of Bridgeport (UB) and Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo, internationally acclaimed clinician, researcher and author of the bestselling Eat Right 4 Your Type, announced today the collaborative launch of the Center for Excellence in Generative Medicine (COE) which will be located at 115 Broad Street across from the UB Health Sciences Complex on campus, and it is scheduled to open in Spring 2012.
The COE will continue to train naturopathic doctors while broadening the College of Naturopathic Medicine's curriculum. It also will sponsor research in the fields of nutrigenomics and epigenetics, which examines how human genes interact and are affected by the environment, lifestyle and diet.
University President Neil A. Salonen, Dr. David M. Brady, Vice Provost for Health Sciences, and Dr. D'Adamo signed the official agreement for the Center at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, January 24, at a ceremony held on the eighth floor of the BU's Wahlstrom Library. ------------------
The Center of Excellence in Generative Medicine is a revolutionary initiative, and it is without parallel or equivalent in any other school of medicine. With the addition of the new Center of Excellence, 'we will enhance the naturopathic curriculum as well as provide patients the opportunity to receive this cutting-edge care,' Brady said. ------------------- "
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-university-of-bridgeport-and-new-york-times-bestselling-author-dr-peter-dadamo-announce-the-new-center-for-excellence-in-generative-medicine-2012-01-26
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Gingrich's tough talk on food stamps may backfire
"It is one of the code phrases of the 2012 presidential campaign: 'the food stamp president.'
That's what Republican Newt Gingrich calls Democrat Barack Obama in casting the president's economic record as a failure, and bemoaning what Gingrich sees as a poor work ethic among those dependent on government help.
Some see hints of racism in Gingrich's words, which the former U.S. House of Representatives speaker disputes. But such tough talk did help him tap into the anti-government anger of conservative whites in South Carolina and win the presidential primary there on Saturday.
As the campaign moves forward, however, Gingrich's food-stamp imagery might not play as well, political analysts and voters say.
In a nation where millions of families are struggling to get by, most people who depend on food stamps are white, and the vast majority are working or have just lost their jobs, according to government data and program administrators.
One in seven Americans now rely on food stamps, which give low-income people - a family of four with an annual gross income of less than $29,064, for example - help to buy groceries. -------------
In Florida, where the January 31 primary is the next contest in the state-by-state battle for the Republican presidential nomination, food stamps are viewed favorably by many residents hit hard by the collapse of the real estate and construction industries.
'I'd say 80 percent of the people are working or just lost their job when they come in for food stamps,' said Tom Gundersen, a supervisor for the Florida Department of Children and Families, which administers the federal program here. -----------
Gingrich casts Obama as 'the greatest food stamp president in history.'
That's not quite true - yet.
During George W. Bush's eight-year presidency 14.7 million people went on the food stamp rolls, a half-million more than in Obama's three years, according to factcheck.org, a nonpartisan group.
Economic times are so tough for many people that Gingrich's strategy of casting food stamps as a negative symbol could backfire, said David Roediger, a historian at the University of Illinois who has written extensively about class and race. ------------ "
(My note: I know someone who lost her job and is now receiving food stamps ["Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" aka SNAP]. Do you?)
http://nbcpolitics.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/24/10226003-gingrichs-tough-talk-on-food-stamps-may-backfire
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
That's what Republican Newt Gingrich calls Democrat Barack Obama in casting the president's economic record as a failure, and bemoaning what Gingrich sees as a poor work ethic among those dependent on government help.
Some see hints of racism in Gingrich's words, which the former U.S. House of Representatives speaker disputes. But such tough talk did help him tap into the anti-government anger of conservative whites in South Carolina and win the presidential primary there on Saturday.
As the campaign moves forward, however, Gingrich's food-stamp imagery might not play as well, political analysts and voters say.
In a nation where millions of families are struggling to get by, most people who depend on food stamps are white, and the vast majority are working or have just lost their jobs, according to government data and program administrators.
One in seven Americans now rely on food stamps, which give low-income people - a family of four with an annual gross income of less than $29,064, for example - help to buy groceries. -------------
In Florida, where the January 31 primary is the next contest in the state-by-state battle for the Republican presidential nomination, food stamps are viewed favorably by many residents hit hard by the collapse of the real estate and construction industries.
'I'd say 80 percent of the people are working or just lost their job when they come in for food stamps,' said Tom Gundersen, a supervisor for the Florida Department of Children and Families, which administers the federal program here. -----------
Gingrich casts Obama as 'the greatest food stamp president in history.'
That's not quite true - yet.
During George W. Bush's eight-year presidency 14.7 million people went on the food stamp rolls, a half-million more than in Obama's three years, according to factcheck.org, a nonpartisan group.
Economic times are so tough for many people that Gingrich's strategy of casting food stamps as a negative symbol could backfire, said David Roediger, a historian at the University of Illinois who has written extensively about class and race. ------------ "
(My note: I know someone who lost her job and is now receiving food stamps ["Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" aka SNAP]. Do you?)
http://nbcpolitics.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/24/10226003-gingrichs-tough-talk-on-food-stamps-may-backfire
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
R&D Direction in 2012 for Sequencing Technologies
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
R&D Direction in 2012 for Sequencing Technologies Is Aimed at Clinical Medicine
Patricia F. Dimond, Ph.D.
Recent advancements in the field of next-generation sequencing have resulted in the advent of so-called personal genome machines marketed by Illumina, Life Technologies, and Roche 454. Personal genomics and clinical diagnostics are expected to account for $541 million by 2015 from $15.5 million in 2010, representing a CAGR of 103.5%. ---------
Fast forwarding to the near future and based on the recent past, sequencing instrument companies will continue to develop more user-friendly and cheaper technology, focused on the benchtop and clinical markets. Manufacturers will also continue to form partnerships and make acquisitions that place heavy bets on completely novel, potentially disruptive sequencing technologies.
On a worldwide basis, life science research along with drug discovery and development applications currently comprise the two largest sequencing markets. They together accounted for about $920 million in 2010 and are expected to reach nearly $1.7 billion in 2015 with a compound annual growth of 13%.
By far the largest market opportunity, though, is in emerging applications of personal genomics and clinical diagnostics. ----------------- "
http://www.genengnews.com/insight-and-intelligence/r-d-direction-in-2012-for-sequencing-technologies-is-aimed-at-clinical-medicine/77899529/
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
R&D Direction in 2012 for Sequencing Technologies Is Aimed at Clinical Medicine
Patricia F. Dimond, Ph.D.
Recent advancements in the field of next-generation sequencing have resulted in the advent of so-called personal genome machines marketed by Illumina, Life Technologies, and Roche 454. Personal genomics and clinical diagnostics are expected to account for $541 million by 2015 from $15.5 million in 2010, representing a CAGR of 103.5%. ---------
Fast forwarding to the near future and based on the recent past, sequencing instrument companies will continue to develop more user-friendly and cheaper technology, focused on the benchtop and clinical markets. Manufacturers will also continue to form partnerships and make acquisitions that place heavy bets on completely novel, potentially disruptive sequencing technologies.
On a worldwide basis, life science research along with drug discovery and development applications currently comprise the two largest sequencing markets. They together accounted for about $920 million in 2010 and are expected to reach nearly $1.7 billion in 2015 with a compound annual growth of 13%.
By far the largest market opportunity, though, is in emerging applications of personal genomics and clinical diagnostics. ----------------- "
http://www.genengnews.com/insight-and-intelligence/r-d-direction-in-2012-for-sequencing-technologies-is-aimed-at-clinical-medicine/77899529/
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Current and Emerging Sequencing Technologies
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
Sequencing Alters Medical Genetics
Vicki Glaser
"A plenary debate, entitled 'Current and Emerging Sequencing Technologies: Changing the Practice of Medical Genetics,' provoked strong and divergent opinions at the combined American Society of Human Genetics and International Congress of Human Genetics conference. The meeting highlighted the strong emotions surrounding the role of genome sequencing in medicine today and into the future. ---------------
--------- conference held recently in Montreal.
Han Brunner, M.D., Ph.D., a clinical geneticist and professor of human genetics at University Hospital and Radboud University, moderated the debate, which in the end generated more questions than answers, highlighting the strong opinions and emotions surrounding the role of genome sequencing in medicine today and into the future. --------------
The panelists each had an opportunity to respond to four statements, and then to discuss and debate each others’ responses: 1) Targeted sequencing will remain the norm for diagnostic medical genetics because whole exome and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) will yield an excess of information that is useless, counterproductive, and possibly damaging to the patient. 2) Personal genome sequencing creates an unacceptable risk to the privacy of people. 3) Cytogenetics will cease to be. Sequencing is the only future technology in diagnostic labs. 4) Personal genomes will be incorporated in the standard of care for all medicine. Therefore, medical genetics will disappear as a separate medical specialty. ----------- "
(My note: This is a long article. Lots of good information, but it shows that there are many views out there today on what is going on in human genetics and sequencing technology. At least they are trying for transparency and practical roadmaps to the future. Here is a link for you to use if you want to read more.)
http://www.genengnews.com/gen-articles/sequencing-alters-medical-genetics/3925/
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification
Sequencing Alters Medical Genetics
Vicki Glaser
"A plenary debate, entitled 'Current and Emerging Sequencing Technologies: Changing the Practice of Medical Genetics,' provoked strong and divergent opinions at the combined American Society of Human Genetics and International Congress of Human Genetics conference. The meeting highlighted the strong emotions surrounding the role of genome sequencing in medicine today and into the future. ---------------
--------- conference held recently in Montreal.
Han Brunner, M.D., Ph.D., a clinical geneticist and professor of human genetics at University Hospital and Radboud University, moderated the debate, which in the end generated more questions than answers, highlighting the strong opinions and emotions surrounding the role of genome sequencing in medicine today and into the future. --------------
The panelists each had an opportunity to respond to four statements, and then to discuss and debate each others’ responses: 1) Targeted sequencing will remain the norm for diagnostic medical genetics because whole exome and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) will yield an excess of information that is useless, counterproductive, and possibly damaging to the patient. 2) Personal genome sequencing creates an unacceptable risk to the privacy of people. 3) Cytogenetics will cease to be. Sequencing is the only future technology in diagnostic labs. 4) Personal genomes will be incorporated in the standard of care for all medicine. Therefore, medical genetics will disappear as a separate medical specialty. ----------- "
(My note: This is a long article. Lots of good information, but it shows that there are many views out there today on what is going on in human genetics and sequencing technology. At least they are trying for transparency and practical roadmaps to the future. Here is a link for you to use if you want to read more.)
http://www.genengnews.com/gen-articles/sequencing-alters-medical-genetics/3925/
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Bill Gates defends high-tech agriculture
"Gates defends focus on high-tech agriculture
KIRKLAND, WASH. – Bill Gates has a terse response to criticism that the high-tech solutions he advocates for world hunger are too expensive or bad for the environment: Countries can embrace modern seed technology and genetic modification or their citizens will starve.
When he was in high school in the 1960s, people worried there wouldn't be enough food to feed the world, Gates recalled in his fourth annual letter, which was published online Tuesday. But the 'green revolution,' which transformed agriculture with high-yield crop varieties and other innovations, warded off famine.
Gates is among those who believe another, similar revolution is needed now. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has spent about $2 billion in the past five years to fight poverty and hunger in Africa and Asia, and much of that money has gone toward improving agricultural productivity.
Gates doesn't apologize for his endorsement of modern agriculture or sidestep criticism of genetic modification. He told The Associated Press that he finds it ironic that most people who oppose genetic engineering in plant breeding live in rich nations that he believes are responsible for global climate change that will lead to more starvation and malnutrition for the poor.
Resistance to new technology is 'again hurting the people who had nothing to do with climate change happening,' Gates said.
Groups resistant to genetic modification and other hallmarks of modern agriculture, such as pesticides and petroleum-based fertilizers, generally object on two grounds — concerns about the environment and the high cost of the seed and chemicals used in modern farming.
Bill Freese, a science policy analyst for the Washington-based Center for Food Safety, said everyone wants to see things get better for hungry people, but genetically modified plants are more likely to make their developers rich than feed the poor. The seed is too expensive and has a high failure rate, he said. Better ways to increase yields would be increasing the fertility of soil by adding organic matter or combining plants growing in the same field to combat pests, he said.
The biggest problem with those alternatives, Freese said, is the same one that Gates cited in high-tech research: A lack of money for development.
In his 24-page letter, the Microsoft Corp. chairman lamented that more money isn't spent on agriculture research and noted that of the $3 billion spent each year on work on the seven most important crops, only 10 percent focuses on problems in poor countries.
'Given the central role that food plays in human welfare and national stability, it is shocking — not to mention short-sighted and potentially dangerous — how little money is spent on agricultural research,' he wrote in his letter, calling for wealthier nations to step up.
The Gates Foundation is heavily engaged in political advocacy to get governments to spend more money on agriculture and improve policies on issues such as trade and land ownership. Along with advocacy and seed research, it spends its money on buying and distributing fertilizer, educating farmers and improving their access to world markets.
Gates said most of the seed research paid for by his foundation involves conventional plant breeding. In those cases, DNA research allows scientists to pinpoint which genes are responsible for desirable traits. He compares the work to changes in modern libraries.
'We used to have to use the card catalogue and browse through the books to find the information we needed,' he wrote in his letter. 'Now, in the same way we know ... the precise page that contains the piece of information we need, we can find out precisely which plant contains what gene conferring a specific characteristic. This will make plant breeding happen at a much faster clip.'
But in some cases, researchers have inserted foreign genes, such as with cassava, a plant that when processed makes tapioca. It is a stable in Africa, but has been stricken by two diseases, causing more widespread hunger. Scientists injected genes from the disease-causing viruses into the plant's DNA to create a vaccine-like effect.
While Gates is a strong supporter of such work, he said scientists and government need to proceed with caution.
'I think the right way to think about GMOs is the same way we think about drugs,' Gates said in an interview. 'Whenever someone creates a new drug, you have to have very smart people looking at lots of trial-based data to make sure the benefits far outweigh any of the dangers.'
'You can't be against all drugs, but drugs in general are not safe.'
Gates' letter also addressed the foundation's work on combating AIDS and eradicating polio. He noted India recently celebrated its first polio-free anniversary and expressed optimism during an interview that other countries will soon have similar celebrations.
He said good progress is being made toward developing an AIDS vaccine and on AIDS treatment, and he hopes the U.S. will fulfill its pledge to provide $4 billion over three years to The Global Fund for AIDS research. It paid only $1 billion of that pledge in the first year.
Gates expressed in his letter and in person concern that the U.S. and other rich nations continue to support foreign aid during the recession.
'If you ask people should we provide AIDS drugs to people who need them, you get an overwhelming yes. When you ask people, do you believe in foreign aid, you get a very skeptical view,' he said. 'But the fact is that the biggest single program in foreign aid is providing those AIDS drugs. People need to connect those things.' "
Online:
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: http://www.gatesfoundation.org
Center for Food Safety: http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/01/24/gates-defends-focus-on-high-tech-agriculture/
KIRKLAND, WASH. – Bill Gates has a terse response to criticism that the high-tech solutions he advocates for world hunger are too expensive or bad for the environment: Countries can embrace modern seed technology and genetic modification or their citizens will starve.
When he was in high school in the 1960s, people worried there wouldn't be enough food to feed the world, Gates recalled in his fourth annual letter, which was published online Tuesday. But the 'green revolution,' which transformed agriculture with high-yield crop varieties and other innovations, warded off famine.
Gates is among those who believe another, similar revolution is needed now. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has spent about $2 billion in the past five years to fight poverty and hunger in Africa and Asia, and much of that money has gone toward improving agricultural productivity.
Gates doesn't apologize for his endorsement of modern agriculture or sidestep criticism of genetic modification. He told The Associated Press that he finds it ironic that most people who oppose genetic engineering in plant breeding live in rich nations that he believes are responsible for global climate change that will lead to more starvation and malnutrition for the poor.
Resistance to new technology is 'again hurting the people who had nothing to do with climate change happening,' Gates said.
Groups resistant to genetic modification and other hallmarks of modern agriculture, such as pesticides and petroleum-based fertilizers, generally object on two grounds — concerns about the environment and the high cost of the seed and chemicals used in modern farming.
Bill Freese, a science policy analyst for the Washington-based Center for Food Safety, said everyone wants to see things get better for hungry people, but genetically modified plants are more likely to make their developers rich than feed the poor. The seed is too expensive and has a high failure rate, he said. Better ways to increase yields would be increasing the fertility of soil by adding organic matter or combining plants growing in the same field to combat pests, he said.
The biggest problem with those alternatives, Freese said, is the same one that Gates cited in high-tech research: A lack of money for development.
In his 24-page letter, the Microsoft Corp. chairman lamented that more money isn't spent on agriculture research and noted that of the $3 billion spent each year on work on the seven most important crops, only 10 percent focuses on problems in poor countries.
'Given the central role that food plays in human welfare and national stability, it is shocking — not to mention short-sighted and potentially dangerous — how little money is spent on agricultural research,' he wrote in his letter, calling for wealthier nations to step up.
The Gates Foundation is heavily engaged in political advocacy to get governments to spend more money on agriculture and improve policies on issues such as trade and land ownership. Along with advocacy and seed research, it spends its money on buying and distributing fertilizer, educating farmers and improving their access to world markets.
Gates said most of the seed research paid for by his foundation involves conventional plant breeding. In those cases, DNA research allows scientists to pinpoint which genes are responsible for desirable traits. He compares the work to changes in modern libraries.
'We used to have to use the card catalogue and browse through the books to find the information we needed,' he wrote in his letter. 'Now, in the same way we know ... the precise page that contains the piece of information we need, we can find out precisely which plant contains what gene conferring a specific characteristic. This will make plant breeding happen at a much faster clip.'
But in some cases, researchers have inserted foreign genes, such as with cassava, a plant that when processed makes tapioca. It is a stable in Africa, but has been stricken by two diseases, causing more widespread hunger. Scientists injected genes from the disease-causing viruses into the plant's DNA to create a vaccine-like effect.
While Gates is a strong supporter of such work, he said scientists and government need to proceed with caution.
'I think the right way to think about GMOs is the same way we think about drugs,' Gates said in an interview. 'Whenever someone creates a new drug, you have to have very smart people looking at lots of trial-based data to make sure the benefits far outweigh any of the dangers.'
'You can't be against all drugs, but drugs in general are not safe.'
Gates' letter also addressed the foundation's work on combating AIDS and eradicating polio. He noted India recently celebrated its first polio-free anniversary and expressed optimism during an interview that other countries will soon have similar celebrations.
He said good progress is being made toward developing an AIDS vaccine and on AIDS treatment, and he hopes the U.S. will fulfill its pledge to provide $4 billion over three years to The Global Fund for AIDS research. It paid only $1 billion of that pledge in the first year.
Gates expressed in his letter and in person concern that the U.S. and other rich nations continue to support foreign aid during the recession.
'If you ask people should we provide AIDS drugs to people who need them, you get an overwhelming yes. When you ask people, do you believe in foreign aid, you get a very skeptical view,' he said. 'But the fact is that the biggest single program in foreign aid is providing those AIDS drugs. People need to connect those things.' "
Online:
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: http://www.gatesfoundation.org
Center for Food Safety: http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/01/24/gates-defends-focus-on-high-tech-agriculture/
Why does the Philippines import rice?
"The Philippines is currently the largest importer of rice in the world, -------- (My note: They used to be self-sufficient in rice.) Three main factors explain why the Philippines imports rice:
Land area: The Philippines has around 300,000 square kilometers, of which around 43,000 square kilometers of harvested area are used for rice production. As most of the country is very mountainous and consists of many small islands, suitable land is limited to expand rice production into without affecting wetlands, forests, or areas producing other crops. Urban areas also continue to expand rapidly.
Population growth: The population of the Philippines is estimated at 97 million. Its annual growth rate of around 2% – among the world’s highest – means that just to keep pace with growing demand the country would have to increase rice production and yield at rates rarely seen in history.
Infrastructure: Irrigation infrastructure is not used and maintained as efficiently as it could be, thus reducing productivity potential. Transport infrastructure, particularly good-quality roads, is lacking in the Philippines, which affects the transport of rice and hinders the rice trade. -------------------
Philippine rice yields are close to the world average and higher than in many other rice-producing countries in Asia, including Thailand and India. There is, however, still room for improvement when compared to the high rice yields of China and Vietnam.
Research that International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is involved in that is helping Filipino farmers increase their rice yields includes:
Developing new high-yielding rice varieties with built-in resistance to pests, diseases, and other stresses such as heat and drought.
Developing rice crop management strategies that improve nutrient-use efficiency to get the most value out of inputs and reduce wastage.
Developing climate change adaptation strategies and technologies.
Training the next generation of rice scientists and building the capacity of rice practitioners to ensure the sustainable development of the rice industry. ---------------------
IRRI also discusses with the Philippine government ways to increase rice production, improve the accessibility of affordable rice to poor rice consumers, and reduce the national trade deficit in rice. We do not advocate specific policy positions for the Philippine government to adopt because we understand that policy is developed in light of a wide range of inputs and must consider economic, social, political, and environmental issues, some of which are beyond the scope of IRRI’s expertise."
(My note: The Philippines exports a lot of tuna to help offset rice imports. However, the main source of protein in the Philippines is fish. Fishing is becoming more difficult. Please read the next post, and you will get an idea of what I am talking about. Having food to eat is becoming more difficult for more people.)
http://irri.org/news-events/hot-topics/why-does-the-philippines-import-rice
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
Land area: The Philippines has around 300,000 square kilometers, of which around 43,000 square kilometers of harvested area are used for rice production. As most of the country is very mountainous and consists of many small islands, suitable land is limited to expand rice production into without affecting wetlands, forests, or areas producing other crops. Urban areas also continue to expand rapidly.
Population growth: The population of the Philippines is estimated at 97 million. Its annual growth rate of around 2% – among the world’s highest – means that just to keep pace with growing demand the country would have to increase rice production and yield at rates rarely seen in history.
Infrastructure: Irrigation infrastructure is not used and maintained as efficiently as it could be, thus reducing productivity potential. Transport infrastructure, particularly good-quality roads, is lacking in the Philippines, which affects the transport of rice and hinders the rice trade. -------------------
Philippine rice yields are close to the world average and higher than in many other rice-producing countries in Asia, including Thailand and India. There is, however, still room for improvement when compared to the high rice yields of China and Vietnam.
Research that International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is involved in that is helping Filipino farmers increase their rice yields includes:
Developing new high-yielding rice varieties with built-in resistance to pests, diseases, and other stresses such as heat and drought.
Developing rice crop management strategies that improve nutrient-use efficiency to get the most value out of inputs and reduce wastage.
Developing climate change adaptation strategies and technologies.
Training the next generation of rice scientists and building the capacity of rice practitioners to ensure the sustainable development of the rice industry. ---------------------
IRRI also discusses with the Philippine government ways to increase rice production, improve the accessibility of affordable rice to poor rice consumers, and reduce the national trade deficit in rice. We do not advocate specific policy positions for the Philippine government to adopt because we understand that policy is developed in light of a wide range of inputs and must consider economic, social, political, and environmental issues, some of which are beyond the scope of IRRI’s expertise."
(My note: The Philippines exports a lot of tuna to help offset rice imports. However, the main source of protein in the Philippines is fish. Fishing is becoming more difficult. Please read the next post, and you will get an idea of what I am talking about. Having food to eat is becoming more difficult for more people.)
http://irri.org/news-events/hot-topics/why-does-the-philippines-import-rice
tags:
nutrigenomics human nutrition food safety food wars hunger malnutrition poverty genetics nanotechnology robotics kurzweil monsanto dupont pioneer corn genetically modified usda fda eggs beef poultry pork turkey fish shellfish fruits vegetables food borne illness wheat rice oats barley sorghum soybeans alfalfa protein vitamins minerals amino acids fats unidentified growth factors fatty acids genetic engineering climate change food security agribusiness fresh produce desertification nanoliposomes solid lipid nanoparticles nanoemulsions
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