The top 10 causes of death

Low-income countries	Deaths in millions	% of deaths
Lower respiratory infections	1.05	11.3%
Diarrhoeal diseases	0.76	8.2%
HIV/AIDS	0.72	7.8%
Ischaemic heart disease	0.57	6.1%
Malaria	0.48	5.2%
Stroke and other cerebrovascular disease	0.45	4.9%
Tuberculosis	0.40	4.3%
Prematurity and low birth weight	0.30	3.2%
Birth asphyxia and birth trauma	0.27	2.9%
Neonatal infections	0.24	2.6%

Indian Express article on GM CROP REPORT

The SC must reject the biased interim report of the committee on GE crops


While hearing two writ petitions opposing genetic engineering technology in agriculture, the Supreme Court constituted a technical expert committee with six members and seven terms of reference. It asked the committee to hear interested parties and submit an interim report on open-field trials of GE crops, whether to ban them or not and what protocol should be imposed by the court if they are to be continued.


The committee submitted a confidential interim report on October 7, which soon became public and was widely covered in the media. However, the report very seriously impacts the prospects of GE crop technology in India, and was probably leaked only so that wide publicity would make it difficult for the court to reject it.

ANSWERS TO SCIENCE POLICY QUESTIONS BY US PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES -1

Question -1: Innovation and the Economy. Science and technology have been responsible for over half of the growth of the U.S. economy since WWII, when the federal government first prioritized peacetime science mobilization. But several recent reports question America’s continued leadership in these vital areas. What policies will best ensure that America remains a world leader in innovation?



Answer



Barack Obama:

I believe that in order to be globally competitive in the 21st century and to create an American economy that is built to last, we must create an environment where invention, innovation, and industry can flourish. We can work together to create an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, and skills for American workers.

Six French Science Academies Dismiss Study Finding GM Corn Harmed Rats

Translation of French science academies critique of controversial Séralini GM corn study— Document Transcript

• 1. The French science academies’ statement on problems with the Séralini et al. study of health impacts of GM corn and Roundup herbicide on rat health, translated (via U.S.embassy in Paris). Related Dot Earth post.Given the media coverage around this issue and its impact on the public opinion, the Academies decided to jointly publish a review covering several aspects: scientific,societal, and ethical, and including recommendations.- Science aspects: the Academies would like to point several severe flaws of the article: Statistics and methodology: in the case of the Seralini 2-year study, a significantly higher number of animals should have been used as recommended by guidelines, of in the specific case of a total number of 200, a lower number of groups would have allowed to answer specific questions, such as (1) can the studied GMO have a toxic or tumorigenic impact on its own? (2) can Roundup have a toxic or tumorigenic impact on its own? (3) is there a specific impact of the combination of the 2 products? The use of small size groups of 10 animals cannot answer the specific questions.

BREAKING DISCOVERY: INDEPENDENT STUDIES CONFIRM EXISTENCE OF CANCER STEM CELLS

Why cancer treatment fails ? – This question is raised by family members of cancer patients around the world and Doctors and Researchers were unable to answer. Many recent studies have shown that one of the main  reason for failures in cancer treatment  could be lack of  precision in targeting the right cells.  But what are right cells ?.  This was not difficult  to answer as most researchers believed that they are the cancer stem cells but were difficult to identify as there were no proper methods available to identify them.  If these cells can be  identified and distinguished from other cells, treatment strategies could be more focused.  

Four recent studies found a way to identify the cancer stem cells. If this is found in other cancers also, then it will change totally the parameters used for evaluating success of  chemotherapy and method of treating cancers. 

Aged termites carry out suicide missions on behalf of their nest mates.

Biologists led by biochemist Robert Hanus of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague  found something strange with termites in  a forest in French Guiana. The strange thing is presence of  unique spots of blue on the backs of the insects in one nest [see figure below]. When touched with forceps the termites having these spots exploded. Further study of these blue spots showed that they contain   explosive crystals. These spots (crystals) were found only on the backs of the oldest termites in the colony. Their study concluded that the aged termites carry out suicide missions on behalf of their nest mates.

After their initial observation, the team carried out field studies of Neocapritermes taracua termites and discovered that those with the blue spots also exploded during encounters with other species of termites or larger predators. The researchers report online today in Science that the secretions released during the explosion killed or paralyzed opponents from a competing termite species. However, if the scientists removed the blue crystal from the termites, their secretions were no longer toxic.

Rare Genomics Institute - giving free genomic solutions to people affected by rare diseases

An estimated 250 million people worldwide suffer from rare diseases. However, because each individual disease affects such a small number of people, little funding is used to study these conditions. Consequently, these patients are left with neither hope of a cure nor understanding of the disease. Each day is a living struggle for them to find a social identity in a world where they feel socially neglected and lost. Because most rare diseases are genetic in nature, it is believed that genome sequencing has the power to help these patients in a way that conventional diagnostics cannot. However, most families affected with rare diseases are under financial strain, making access to such technologies difficult. To address this need, an institute called Rare Genomics Institute has been established.