Potentially fatal to both animals and humans, blue-green algae blooms occur when overly-abundant cyanobacteria in the water produce harmful substances known as cyanotoxins. The sooner those toxins are detected, the better – which is where a new smartphone-connected device comes into the picture. Ordinarily, when officials are checking for the early signs of algae blooms in lakes or rivers, they… Read more »
Food for thought Tossing the wilted kale you never got around to cooking may be a bigger contributor to climate change than throwing away a plastic takeout container. A recent study by Zero Waste Scotland found that the carbon footprint of home food waste is close to three times greater than that of plastic waste, largely because when food goes… Read more »
Rich Haridy June 19th, 2019 A new study from the University of Turku has uncovered interesting associations between an infant’s gut microbiome composition at the age of 10 weeks, and the development of certain temperament traits at six months age. The research does not imply causation but instead adds to a compelling growing body of evidence connecting gut bacteria with… Read more »
Deltaplan Biodiversiteit Door het massaal verdwijnen van insecten storten onze voedselketens in elkaar en wordt de wereldwijde voedselvoorziening bedreigd. Boeren, natuurbeheerders, wetenschappers en bedrijfsleven proberen gezamenlijk het tij te keren. De Amerikaanse wetenschapsjournalist Elizabeth Kolbert noemde het in haar boek The Sixth Extinction (2014) de zesde uitstervingsgolf. In de diepe geschiedenis van de aarde hebben al verschillende uitstervingsgolven plaatsgevonden; volgens de wetten van… Read more »
A century ago, British scientists suggested a link between increased hygiene and allergic conditions — the first hint that our immune systems are becoming improperly “trained.” Excerpted from “An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System,” published on Tuesday by William Morrow. Should you pick your nose? Don’t laugh. Scientifically, it’s an interesting question. Should your children pick… Read more »
Dat probiotica inderdaad de immuniteit kunnen versterken, werd nogmaals aangetoond in een Spaanse studie. Artsen gaven een probioticum aan 60 zestigplussers die enkele maanden voordien gevaccineerd waren tegen het griepvirus. Drie maanden later werden de effecten ervan in het bloed gemeten. De immuniteit voor het H3N2-griepvirus verbeterde. In het bloed werden meer antilichamen tegen het virus gevonden, dat zijn stoffen… Read more »
The largest study of all time on the human gut has been underway since 2012 and they are discovering some remarkable things. Scientists have been collecting fecal samples from around the world and tirelessly analyzing and comparing samples. Believe it or not, people have been paying $99 each to send their own stool samples along with oral and skin samples… Read more »