Researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) are developing a pill that makes tumors light up when exposed to infrared light, and the concept has worked in mice. “It’s actually based on a failed drug,” said Greg Thurber, UM assistant professor of chemical engineering and biomedical engineering, in a news release posted on UM website. “It binds to the target, but it doesn’t do anything, which makes it perfect for imaging.” The researchers attached a molecule that fluoresces when it is struck with infrared light to this drug. Then, they gave the drug to mice that had breast cancer, and they…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
It has been difficult to predict how weather extremes such as heat waves and cold snaps might change in a future climate. Now, a team of researchers from the Universities of Wageningen, Montpellier and Exeter revealed an unfair pattern. The research team found that rich countries that contributed most to climate change will see less temperature fluctuation, whereas in poor countries the fluctuations will become stronger. While temperature variability is predicted to decrease outside of the tropics, it will increase in tropical countries – countries that are often too poor to deal with these changes. Temperature variability increases by up…
A new study has isolated a gene controlling shape and size of spikelets in wheat in a breakthrough which could help breeders deliver yield increases in one of the world’s most important crops. The team from the John Innes Centre say the underlying genetic mechanism they have found is also relevant to inflorescence (floral) architecture in a number of other major cereals including corn, barley and rice. The genetic identification of an agronomically-relevant trait represents a significant milestone in research on wheat; a crop with a notoriously complex genome. The findings, published today in the journal The Plant Cell, give breeders a new tool to accelerate the global quest to improve wheat. The study also highlights a range of next generation techniques available for fundamental research…
Fish farming is a huge industry in Nigeria, but smallholder farmers face several obstacles. Elisa Burrows, Partnership Manager at Fintrac, writes how offering financing for them can open up a world of opportunities. In the Kano and Sagamu regions of Nigeria, suitable water resources and high market demand mean that aquaculture presents a profitable opportunity for smallholder farmers to expand their farming activities. Yet few farmers take advantage of this opportunity because they lack the technical knowledge fish farming requires and because there are few hatcheries that supply fish to small-scale farmers. To help change this, Chi Farms, a Nigeria-based…
Two African scientists become new honorary doctors at the Faculty of Medicine at Umeå University, Sweden. They are Julia Goedecke at the University of Cape Town and the World Health Organization WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We are very pleased that they have both accepted to become honorary doctors in Umeå. Besides being distinguished scientists, both Julia Goedecke and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus already have a certain connection with Umeå, and we are looking forward to a firmer connection,” says Patrik Danielson, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Umeå University. Julia Goedecke is an internationally established researcher studying ethnic…
By Henry Bodkin The world’s oldest known spider has died at the age of 43, outliving its nearest rival by 15 years, Australian scientists have reported. Affectionately known as “Number 16”, the female Giaus Villosus or trapdoor spider had been under observation in the wild since its birth in 1974. The arachnid is believed to have survived for so long by sticking to one protected burrow its entire life and expending the minimum of energy. Previously the oldest known spider was a tarantula in Mexico, which died at the age of 28. Published the Pacific Conservation Biology Journal, the research…
Pollution monitoring and control has always been a challenge in India, and one of the key loopholes has been a weak and lax monitoring and compliance enforcement mechanism. In 2017, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had published a set of broad guidelines for installing and operating continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS) in India. This year, CSE has followed it up by releasing its Inspection Manual for CEMS and CEQMS (continuous effluent quality monitoring systems) implementation in India. The Manual, the first publication of its kind in India, was released at a training programme on industrial pollution management organized by…
By Aghan Daniel The rainy season is already here with us and most farmers have begun to plant various seeds nearly across Africa. As the farmers descend upon their farms, one big issue that lingers among researchers is the inability of these farmers to access certified seed that can serve their immediate needs. At the end of the planting season less than 20 per cent of all farmers would have planted certified and clean seeds. The oft-told story of the seed sector in Africa is that it has always been grappling with a lot of challenges such as farmer apathy to adopting new and…
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) – assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) has said that it would support in the cultivation of 1,080 hectares of rice and cassava farms during the 2018 farming season in Anambra state. The State Programme Coordinator of the programme, Mr Emmanuel Aguncha disclosed this while declaring open an interactive meeting between farmer organisations and relevant state and federal agencies in Onitsha on Monday. IFAD-VCDP is an international financial institution of the United Nations dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries. Aguncha said the programme would support 880 hectares…
Swiss scientists have developed an early warning system for four most common types of cancer, so that a visible mole will appear on the skin should a tumor develop. A press release from Zurich Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ), in the research, which has been published in U.S. medical journal Science Translational Medicine, an ETHZ team has developed a prototype implant which could be inserted under the skin. The instute said it contains a network of cells which constantly monitor calcium levels in the body. As cancer can cause calcium levels to rise in the body, the implant detects when a…