USDA plant physiologist David Obenland and UC-Riverside's Mary Lu Arpaia are measuring which of the 25 known aroma compounds in Hass avocados shape its flavor. The compounds could become markers for breeding new varieties or timing harvest and storage.
Section archive
Page 8 of 31
Environment
Farming, agriculture and the environmental side of the food system.
- All desks
- Abortion
- Accutane
- Acetaminophen
- Acid Reflux
- Acidic Foods
- Acne
- Acrylamide
- Acupuncture
- Additives
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- Advisories
- Aerobic Exercise
- Aflatoxin
- Agave
- Agent Orange
- Aging
- Agriculture
- AIDS
- Air Pollution
- Airline Passengers
- Airport
- ALA
- Alcohol
- Alcoholic Beverage
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- Alli
- Aloe Vera
- ALS
- Alternative Medicine
- Aluminum
- Alzheimer's
- Amalgam
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- Ampyra
- Amygdala
- Anal Cancer
- And
- Anemia
- Angiogenesis
- Animal Protein
- Animals
- Anorexia
- Anthocyanins
- Anthrax
- Anti-Angiogenesis
- Anti-Obesity
- Antibacterial
- Antibiotic
Environment
Dirty Dozen
EWG and the Keep A Breast Foundation compiled a Dirty Dozen list of endocrine disruptors, including BPA, phthalates, arsenic, mercury, lead, glycol ethers and perfluorinated chemicals. Studies have linked them to cancer, birth defects, lower sperm counts, obesity and thyroid disease.
Agriculture
Another Weapon to Fight FMD
USDA researchers at Plum Island report that interferons can protect animals against foot-and-mouth disease immediately, covering the week a vaccine needs to take hold. Types I and II worked in pigs; a type III interferon protected cattle within a day.
Environment
Arsenic, lead, mercury linked to cardiovascular disease
A review in ISRN Hypertension by Peter Jennrich argues arsenic, lead and mercury pollution can raise cardiovascular risk through free radical accumulation, damage to endothelial nitric oxide synthase, lipid peroxidation and endocrine effects.
Environment
Wi-Fi may harm male fertility
Semen from 29 healthy donors held for four hours beside a Wi-Fi-connected laptop showed less progressive motility and more sperm DNA fragmentation than control samples, with no difference in dead sperm. The Argentine authors say they can only speculate that laptop use on the lap lowers fertility.
Environment
Dental x-ray linked to thyroid cancer
A case-control study in Acta Oncologica comparing 313 thyroid cancer patients with cancer-free controls found those exposed to dental x-rays were twice as likely to have the cancer, regardless of age, gender, nationality, education or parity. A 2013 paper put the rise at 13 percent per 10 x-rays.
Environment
Tips for Saving Energy During the Winter
The Department of Energy puts a family's yearly electricity and utility bill above $1,900, much of it wasted in cold months. Swapping in compact fluorescent and LED bulbs, installing a programmable thermostat, setting the water heater to 120 degrees F and changing furnace filters cut costs.
Environment
Shift work boosts metabolic syndrome risk
Among 1,667 Japanese male workers aged 36 to 57, two-shift work was associated with a 43 percent higher risk of metabolic syndrome than daytime work. Why remains unknown, though shift work disturbs both sleep and eating patterns.
Environment
Health alert: High tungsten levels double stroke risk
A PLoS One study of 8,614 NHANES participants found people with the highest tungsten levels were twice as likely to have a stroke as those with the lowest, even after adjusting for usual risk factors. The metal appeared to be a significant risk under age 50.
Environment
BPA in dialysis machine components may be toxic to patients' cells (PR)
Italian researchers circulated culture media through three types of dialyzers and found they released differing amounts of BPA. The Nipro Elisio 17H released least, and immune cells in its media survived better. They say more experiments are needed.
Agriculture
Controversial Drug Used in Beef, Pork and Turkey Production
The Center for Food Safety and Animal Legal Defense Fund have sued the FDA for withholding records on ractopamine, a beta-agonist growth additive used in 80 percent of US pig and cattle operations yet banned in many countries. The agency produced 464 of about 100,000 pages, all already public.
Environment
Prevent Heartworms in Pets Year-Round
Heartworm disease kills dogs and cats but is preventable, an FDA veterinarian says. Infected mosquitoes transmit larvae that grow up to 12 inches long in the arteries of the lungs and heart. It does not spread pet to pet, and human cases are very rare.
Environment
FDA Consumer: Why Are Jerky Treats Making Pets Sick
FDA has logged jerky treat-related illnesses in 3,600 dogs and 10 cats since 2007, about 580 of them fatal, and more than 1,200 tests have not pinned down a cause. The agency is now asking veterinarians and pet owners for case details and samples.
Environment
Oral Bacteria Create a 'Fingerprint' in Your Mouth (PR)
Scientists sequenced almost 400 microbial species from the mouths of 100 people across four ethnic groups and found each group shared a bacterial signature. A trained classifier predicted a person's ethnicity from under-gum bacteria with 62 percent accuracy.
Environment
Cell phone radiofrequency causes cell deaths
Chinese researchers exposed human peripheral blood mononuclear cells to 900 MHz radiofrequency at about 0.4 W/kg and reported reactive oxygen species and caspase-3 activation, falling mitochondrial potential and apoptosis, with roughly 37 percent cell death after eight hours.
Environment
Home Gardeners Beware: Tests Reveal Many Garden Plants Are Treated with Bee-Killing Pesticides
Mercola links accelerating bee die-offs to neonicotinoid pesticides, citing 50,000 bumblebees found dead in a Portland parking lot after dinotefuran was applied to nearby trees, and tens of millions of dead bees on an Ontario farm tied to dust from treated corn seed.
Environment
The Chemicals Behind the Shrinking of Boy's Genitals
The film The Disappearing Male argues hormone-disrupting chemicals such as BPA and phthalates are partly behind falling sperm counts and infertility affecting an estimated 1 in 6 American couples. WHO has repeatedly lowered what counts as a normal sperm count.
Environment
For Your Health: Check the Air Quality Index
Check the daily Air Quality Index before spending time outdoors. It tracks ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide on a six-level color scale. Polluted air can cause coughing and shortness of breath and, over time, trigger asthma.
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