disease
-
Americans love genetically modified mosquitoes much more than other GMOs
Why do Americans embrace some GMOs but reject others?
-
You better learn about this new technology before it transforms the world
Watch this painless explainer on gene drives.
-
Your pet gerbil is plotting your death
Gerbils, not rats, may be responsible for the plague that wiped out half of Europe in the 1300's. If you've ever met one, this should not surprise you.
-
Climate change gives creepy, bat-carried disease a boost
In Australia, a virus called Hendra, which has had a 60 percent mortality rate in humans, is on the rise. There were 18 outbreaks of the disease this year, more than in the 16 previous years combined, and scientists suspect that climate change had a hand in this year's surge. An animal-borne disease like West […]
-
Do Australian lorikeets have a drinking problem or a mysterious disease problem?
Red-collared lorikeets—a type of parrot—show up every year in Australia acting like they've been hitting the fermented fruit juice a little too hard. Locals report symptoms like "falling over" and "difficulty flying" and "running into things" and "act[ing] friendlier than normal," which will be familiar to anyone who’s ever gone to college. (Don’t ask about “difficulty flying.” That was a bad night.)
Ok, but less funny ... -
Climate change could give you brain fungus [VIDEO]
When Trudy Rosler first got sick after a visit to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, doctors were stumped. Eventually, they discovered that she had a fungus growing in her brain stem — one that was previously only known to exist in the tropics. Researchers say that subtle changes in climate over the last 40 years […]
-
Cancer is now the leading cause of death in China
As China’s pollution soars, so do rates of cancer. This post was written by Janet Larsen, director of research for the Earth Policy Institute. Additional resources at www.earth-policy.org. Cancer is now the leading cause of death in China. Chinese Ministry of Health data implicate cancer in close to a quarter of all deaths countrywide. As […]
-
Are we too clean?
Photo: pfly via FlickrDearests, with yesterday’s Clorox wipes letter on my mind, I was intrigued to read the following headline in today’s Wall Street Journal: Can Dirt Do a Little Good? The story talks about the new film Babies, a Focus feature following the first year of life for four babies living in Namibia, Mongolia, […]