Scientists from Novosibirsk are engaged in the development of an unusual vaccine which, apart from being less expensive to produce, safe and painless to administer, is also edible. The research is being accomplished in the framework of the ISTC Partner Project #2176, which is funded by the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and so far the project team has managed to introduce a HIV antigen protein gene into tomatoes.
Usually, vaccines are injected,
The issue (31 august) of the US scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), one of the most prestigious in the world, carries an article on important aspects related to a molecule (ADPglucose) which is required for plants to produce starch.
In order to assess the importance of this research of the Public University of Navarre, two fundamental factors have to be taken into account: one is the annual production of starch derived from the main vegetables a
Contrary to general expectations, the characteristics of different varieties of perennial ryegrass such as sugar content do not influence the feed intake of grazing dairy cows. Moreover cell wall degradability characteristics were not different among perennial ryegrass varieties. Research carried out by the Palestinian researcher Hassan Z. H. Taweel at Wageningen University, Netherlands, shows that an increased dry matter intake can be achieved by gaining more insight into the regulatory mechanisms b
Forests cover 30% of the world’s land area, house two thirds of life on earth, and are responsible for 90% of the biomass on dry land. So, the impact of trees on our daily life is enormous. Now, an international consortium − which includes researchers from the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) at Ghent University − has succeeded in deciphering the first tree genome, that of the poplar. Gaining knowledge of the poplar DNA is an important step in the research into ‘
Think about a piece of chocolate. Imagine it melting in your mouth. The sensation is delicious. Now think of the same image, but this time the chocolate is covered by a white film on its surface. This white film is produced when chocolate is poorly crystallised or when it is stored under the wrong conditions. We ’eat’ also with our eyes, so such bad-looking chocolate seems less nice to the palate. Here is where scientists come into the picture. Researchers from The Netherlands working at the ESRF
Work is underway by researchers at the University of Southampton’s School of Biological Sciences to help halt the decline in bumble bees.
‘Survival of at least five rare species is threatened by the spread of intensive agriculture destroying wild flowers and hedgerows, which are the bees’ natural habitat,’ said Dr Dave Goulson, ‘Colonies do not seem able to survive in small areas such as nature reserves and many are dying out. Three species are already extinct in the UK.’
Today, Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) and Devgen N.V. announced a research and development collaboration to develop varieties of crop plants with improved resistance against insect pests.
“This product-focused collaboration provides our researchers with novel approaches and complementary technologies to develop new ways to control insect pests in corn, cotton and soybean,” said Robert T. Fraley, Ph.D., Monsanto executive vice president and chief technology officer.
Pierre Hoch
A new process for drying wood could revolutionise the timber industry and lead to cheaper timber for customers.
The process combines a new microwave technology with more traditional drying techniques, such as solar drying. At present it can take a year or more to convert some Australian timber into top quality furniture or flooring. Much of this time is needed to dry the wood after it has been sawn.
The microwave technology, developed by a team in the Australian Cooperative
Pigs and other farm animals are harbouring major reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to research presented today (Wednesday, 08 September 2004) at the Society for General Microbiology’s 155th Meeting in Trinity College Dublin, by researchers from the University of Leeds.
The scientists were concerned about the effects that decades of use of antibiotics to treat infections, prevent diseases, or promote growth, have had on the spread of antibiotic resistance genes
The process of clearing consists of cutting down trees in such a way that those remaining have more resources and can grow more. The question was if too many had been cut down, with the concomitant removal of nutrients, and the manner, therefore, in which this process might affect long-term soil fertility.
A PhD thesis presented in the Public University of Navarre specifically analysed the internal cycle of nutrients in two wooded areas in Pinus sylvestris forests, this species, tog
Optical brighteners are a valuable component for bioinsecticide formulae based on baculovirus. These substances enhance their insecticidal capacity at the same time as they do not favour the development of resistance of the insects to these viruses, nor do they increase the probability that the insect might develop sublethal infections, rather than lethal ones. This is the conclusion of the Mexican engineer, Ana Mabel Martínez Castillo, in her thesis defended in the Public University of Navarre
Grape pomace extract can be used as an effective anti-microbial agent to destroy pathogens and help preserve food, according to new research by Turkish scientists published in the Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture.
Grape pomace
Pomace consists of grape seeds, skin and stems, and is a rich source of polyphenols. Phenolic substances are known to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer by inhibiting human low-density lipoproteins. Pomace is already used as an
Coiled baskets made from sweetgrass have been an important source of income for the Gullah community around Charleston, South Carolina for over a century. Descendants of West Africans brought in as slaves, Gullah artisans now find a comfortable livelihood threatened by dwindling supplies of the native grass they have long used to make baskets.
In 2002, the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) and the College of Charleston, with funding from the South Carolina Sea Grant
The Finnish-Swedish Wood Material Science Research Programme (2003-2006) has opened its homepage in the Internet. The web pages contain general information about the co-financed research programme, about its objectives and projects. There are also current information about the research programme and related events.
The Wood Material Science web pages are mainly focused to the researchers, companies, financing organisations and decision makers interested in wood material science and
Our desire for safe, affordable and nutritious food that can be produced without damaging the environment looks set to become a reality thanks to an €18 million grant under the ’Food Quality and Safety’ area of the EU’s Sixth Framework Programme (FP6)
The cash will be used over the next five years as part of an Integrated Project called ’QualityLowInputFood’. The 31 project partners across Europe will examine consumer attitudes and expectations across the food chain and develop new technologie
The use of a “smart” drug that targets cancer cells in the brain following removal of a tumor may provide treatment that can extend the survival of people with the most common form of primary malignant brain tumor, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
A phase III research study being conducted at Rush University Medical Center by neurosurgeon Dr. Richard Byrne involves the use of convection-enhanced delivery, a novel drug delivery approach, to facilitate infusion of the study drug, IL13-PE
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