New evidence published online in Pest Management Science reports the first signs of resistance to pyrethroid insecticides in a population of mosquitoes from Marin County, California. The species in question is not only a major pest, but also acts as a vector of West Nile virus, a virus that spread rapidly westward across the United States after it first invaded the new world in New York in 1999.
The study, carried out by researchers in California, determined that the Culex pipiens complex m
Scientists in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) at Virginia Tech are trying to clone cattle that are genetically incapable of developing “Mad Cow Disease.”
As federal and state government officials grapple with strategies to limit the economic and health risks associated with the troublesome discovery of the nation’s first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) – or “Mad Cow Disease”– Will Eyestone, research associate professor in Large Animal
An international group of scientists is warning that the traditional Christmas snack of Brazil nuts could be under threat if intensive harvesting practices continue in persistently exploited areas.
Writing in this week’s edition of the international journal Science (19 December 2003) the main author of the report, Dr Carlos Peres of the University of East Anglia, says: “The clear message is that current Brazil nut harvesting practices at many Amazonian forest sites are not sustainable in the
A team of researchers led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has discovered a family of proteins that connect the immune system to the body’s lipids – the fat molecules that are a major building block of the human body.
“This is the first time someone has shown how the immune system and lipid metabolism merge,” says Associate Professor Luc Teyton, M.D., Ph.D., of Scripps Research. Teyton is the lead author of the study.
In the study, Teyton and his colleagues wer
Antibiotics used on swine farms may stir controversy about their potential role in the rise of anti-bacterial resistance, but a new study says their use means significant production efficiency and a 9 percent boost in pork producer profits.
The study, published in the December issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, provides an economically detailed look at the use of antibiotics for growth promotion following dramatic changes that have altered the face of the U.S. swine
In an effort to stamp out one of the most costly quality control problems facing the Australian wool industry, CSIRO Livestock Industries – with assistance from the Australian Sheep Industry CRC – is investigating which Merino sheep genes are responsible for producing black or piebald offspring.
According to research team leader, Dr Belinda Norris, while the Australian Merino is renowned for its uniformly white fleece, a significant proportion of the national flock may carry gene(s) that ca
UK Team is first to use DNA-based techniques to analyse content of spiders’ guts to identify prey
DNA found in a spider’s stomach could herald a breakthrough in the fight against farm pests, which cause millions of dollars of damage to crops.
Cardiff University, UK, scientists, led by Dr Bill Symondson in the School of Biosciences, have become the first to use DNA-based techniques to analyse the content of spiders’ guts to identify the prey they have eaten in
Research news from the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
15 December 2003: The presence of E.coli bacteria, found in foods such as egg white and apple juice, is a major public health concern. The bacteria have, in the past, been inactivated by heat pasteurisation — which can affect flavour and consistency. New evidence published in the Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture, however, suggests that UV irradiation may prove to be a better and more cost effective method
CSIRO Plant Industry has developed a simple high-throughput testing system that accurately identifies wheat and barley varieties.
“Accurate identification of wheat and barley varieties provides assurance of quality for products that require different grain characteristics, like bread, noodles and beer,” says Dr Kevin Gale, CSIRO Plant Industry. “This is vital in maintaining Australia’s export reputation in product standards.” The variety ID system tests leaf or grain samples using a panel o
An analysis of ground water and stream pollution 30 years after an agricultural study of nitrate began suggests that nitrate fertilizer can influence the watershed for decades.
Nitrate pollution from agricultural fertilizers can make water unsafe to drink, and may be causing a “dead zone” near the outlet of the Mississippi River in the Gulf of Mexico. For these reasons, farmers are being encouraged to alter their practices to use nitrogen more efficiently, but environmental improvemen
Scientists have developed a new “intelligent” reliable soil moisture sensor that is set to ensure horticulturists accurately irrigate staple crops such as potatoes and fruit, and enhance environmentally friendly farming practices. A collaboration between the University of Warwick and Herefordshire based McBurney Scientific led to the development of the new product that harnesses enhanced sensor technology for measuring soil moisture with wireless communication and the processing power and convenience
A western American pasture grass crossed with wheat can improve resistance to a fungus that can be toxic to plants, animals and people, according to Purdue University researchers.
Resistance genes in the grass that replaced genes in wheat increased protection against Fusarium head blight, or wheat scab, the scientists said. In the December issue of the journal Theoretical and Applied Genetics the researchers also report that they located and mapped the small bits of DNA, or markers, associa
To society, the word means racial, ethnic and cultural differences. To scientists interested in biological diversity, the meaning is no different.
So assembling Hispanic, African-American and Caucasian students and professors to examine the genome of grain sorghum, and tap into the collection of 40,000 different varieties from around the world, seems like the sensible thing to do.
Outreach to under-represented groups in hopes of attracting new scientists is part of a $2 million so
As squirrels gather nuts for winter, they also plant the seeds of future forests — but the different ways squirrel species hoard nuts, coupled with changes in squirrel populations, may significantly alter the course of forest regeneration, according to a Purdue University study.
The study examined differences in the hoarding behavior of red squirrels and gray squirrels in west-central Indiana. The researchers used that information to develop a model that predicts how these differences may i
Recent studies have shown the importance of links between soil organisms and those feeding above-ground. However, to date these have involved two or three trophic levels, because it has been assumed that the effects weaken as one progresses up or down a food chain. In a forthcoming paper in Ecology Letters, Gange, Brown & Aplin show that strong interactions occur between four trophic levels.
They found that symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi in the soil affect plant growth, which determined the a
Argonne research published in Science
A new study, published today in Science, indicates that the potential for soils to soak up atmospheric carbon dioxide is strongly affected by how long roots live. Large differences in root replacement rates between forest types might alter current predictions of how carbon absorption by soil will act to ameliorate global warming from excess human-caused carbon dioxide.
The study, by researchers at Argonne National Laboratory, Duke Univer
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