science wire

Increased water-recycling and improved irrigation techniques among six strategies identified as key to successfully reducing global water scarcity Water scarcity is not a problem just for the developing world.

A new international effort led by Cornell will seek to add a stronger voice for science and depolarize the charged debate around agricultural biotechnology and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

A career devoted to improving the health and nutrition of children with cancer has drawn a prestigious World Cancer Research Fund International Academy Fellowship for a University of Queensland researcher. Dr Alexia Murphy , from the Children's Nutrition Research Centre at the Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute , is the only Australian among the six people worldwide receiving the fellowship.

Beef producers could soon benefit from a protein-rich and sustainable livestock feed supplement in the form of microalgae.

In a study of 158 pregnant teenagers in Rochester, New York, nearly half engaged in pica, the craving and intentional consumption of ice, cornstarch, vacuum dust, baby powder and soap, and other nonfood items, reports a new Cornell study. Moreover, such teens had significantly lower iron levels across a number of iron biomarkers, as compared with teens who did not eat nonfood substances.

Every October, pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness show up. This extra attention helps save lives as people focus on prevention strategies such as regular mammograms and genetic testing.

A diverse array of students from across the nation spent this summer conducting research with faculty members and their teams at Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) in Geneva, New York.

A Yale University anthropologist is helping document how drought conditions in the Near East thousands of years ago affected communities and agricultural systems.

Press release issued: 11 August 2014 A successful American initiative to tackle childhood obesity will be trialled in the UK, thanks to a new £431,495 research project targeting children as young as two.

The science behind beer and barbecues will be on show - and taste - when The University of Queensland launches National Science Week celebrations in Brisbane on Saturday 16 August.

In an agrarian world fraught with complication, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack met with Cornell faculty members July 29 to learn about solutions in the realm of dairy, nutrition and climate change.

Brewery owners, farmers and home brewers hoping to hop into New York's burgeoning hops industry gathered at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) in Geneva, N.Y. July 12 to see its new hop yard and hear advice from experts and peers alike.

If you eat pretty much everything you put on your plate, you're not alone. A new Cornell study shows that the average adult eats 92 percent of what he or she puts on his or her plate.

Kathryn Boor, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and a professor of food science, has been appointed to a five-year term on the inaugural board of directo

Outcome of inquiry into 'Australian Paradox' research 18 July 2014 A formal inquiry into allegations brought against a University of Sydney academic and her research collaborator has found no research misconduct occurred. There was no breach of the University's research code of conduct or of the Australian code for the responsible conduct of research.

Statement from Professor Jennie Brand-Miller and Dr Alan Barclay 18 July 2014 The following is a statement from the University of Sydney's Professor Jennie Brand-Miller and Dr Alan Barclay from the Glycemic Index Foundation (Ltd). We welcome the report of an independent inquiry into a complaint against us as authors of The Australian Paradox: A Substantial Decline in Sugars Intake over the Same Timeframe that Overweight and Obesity Have Increased (Nutrients 2011) and The Australian Paradox Revisited (Nutrients 2012).

El Niño has a significant impact on the world and local economies - and not always for the worst - and countries should plan ahead to mitigate its effects, according to a new Working Paper from the University of Cambridge.

Research from the University of Minnesota and the Natural Capital Project predicts contaminated wells likely to increase by 45 percent in the near future Conversion of grasslands to agricultural fields across Southeastern Minnesota is increasing groundwater nitrate contamination in private drinking water wells according to a new study by researchers with the University of Minnesota and the Natural Capital Project.

Babies' growth in the womb and their size at birth are strikingly similar the world over - when babies are born to healthy, well-educated and well-nourished mothers.

Zurich, 07.

ANN ARBOR- Construction of two new fish-spawning reefs is about to begin in the St. Clair River northeast of Detroit, the latest chapter in a decade-plus effort to restore native species such as lake sturgeon, walleye and lake whitefish.

ANN ARBOR-The medical research is clear: Diet is a significantly bigger factor in obesity than lack of exercise.

To spur local job creation and to gain an edge in agricultural research, New York state Sen.

AUSTIN, Texas — If you live in the South and have trouble exercising during the muggy summer months, you're not alone. New research by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin has found that adults are less physically active - and more obese - in counties where summers are hot, especially if they are also humid or rainy.

AUSTIN, Texas -  Between 2007 and 2011, the State of Texas spent $37 million on grants to help high-poverty middle schools reduce obesity through physical education. The grant program, called Texas Fitness Now, provided grants to the poorest 24 percent of Texas middle schools in 2007-09, and it made grants to the poorest 40 percent of middle schools in 2009-11.

Zurich, 24. The number of different habitats is crucial to sustain species diversity in farmland. Organic farms without targeted measures to promote biodiversity, such as the creation of species-rich habitats, only harbour marginally more species than other farms. This is shown by a recently published study in ten European and two African regions.

Ladybird developer awarded researcher of the year 24 June 2014 University of Sydney robotics expert Professor Salah Sukkarieh has been awarded "Researcher of the Year " by the Australian Vegetable Industry 's peak body Ausveg for his work on intelligent farm robots, in particular the "Ladybird ".

Researchers believe that the loss of habitat continues to be the best explanation for the drop in population of grassland birds, such as the Henslow's sparrow. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Contrary to recent well-publicized research, habitat loss, not insecticide use, continues to be the best explanation for the declines in grassland bird populations in the U.S. since the 1980s, according to a new study by ecologists.

By age 2, poor children have gained more weight than those who are better off. But after age 2, neighborhood poverty, not family poverty, puts the pounds on, finds a new study, published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology (35:3). About one-third of America's children are overweight or obese, but rates are highest among poor and minority children.

Canola is Canada's oil, and new research from the University of Toronto suggests it should also be one of the oils of choice for people with Type 2 diabetes. Dr. David Jenkins , a professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Department of Medicine, compared people with Type 2 diabetes who ate either a low glycemic index diet that included bread made with canola oil, or a whole wheat diet known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

A boost in Oakland's minimum wage to $12.25 an hour that voters will decide on in November would mean a pay raise for 25 to 30 percent of workers in the city and would boost their yearly earni

Any way you slice it, brine it or age it, Cornell's Food Science Dairy Extension Program faculty and professionals are helping New York cheesemakers and dairy producers provide safe, high-quality products for consumers.

A new report has found that early childhood programs, shown to give significant, long-term cognitive and economic benefits to children in the United States, also can greatly benefit children in developing nations. The new study was conducted by University of Chicago economist James Heckman, Prof. Paul Gertler of the Haas School of Business at the University of California-Berkeley, and researchers at four institutions across the globe.

Look beyond fat and sugar to solve the world's obesity epidemic By Professor Stephen Simpson. First published in the Sydney Morning Herald.

A lecturer in dietetics at The University of Nottingham has helped to start a campaign to encourage more men to consider taking up careers in the field of nutrition.

In regions of rural China where health education is limited, parents know more about the nutritional needs of their pigs than of their own children. And while piglets are raised to be robust and ready to command high market prices, infants in this part of the world suffer from high rates of anemia and cognitive delays that put them - and the country's economy - at risk, according to Stanford researchers.

Adventures in nutritional ecology 6 June 2014 "Nutritional ecology is so central to every aspect of life that it should be considered a foundational part of biology in the same way evolution is," says Professor Professor David Raubenheimer, the first chair appointed to the Charles Perkins Centre.

Despite political proclamation of increased environmental focus, experts argue that the European Union's recent agricultural reforms are far too weak to have any positive impact on the continent's shrinking farmland biodiversity, and call on member states to take action.

Charles Perkins Centre takes off in the fight against obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease 5 June 2014 In one of the most ambitious projects of its 164-year history, the University of Sydney

A Papua New Guinea bat species thought to be extinct has been rediscovered by a team of University of Queensland researchers.

Palmer amaranth grows very fast, germinates throughout the season, produces lots of seeds, can tolerate heat extremes and is very adaptable, researchers report.

Want to be able to smell the roses? You might consider buying into a neighbourhood where there are more sit-down restaurants than fast-food outlets, suggests a new paper from the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. The paper looks at how exposure to fast food can push us to be more impatient and that this can undermine our ability to smell the proverbial roses.

Despite the prevalence and health consequences of eating disorders and weight-related bullying and discrimination, policy actions to address these problems are currently limited.

The World Health Organization recently proposed a new set of guidelines related to infant and young child nutrition.

Less than two per cent of Australian women are eating the recommended five servings of vegetables a day, according to new research from The University of Queensland.

Less than two per cent of Australian women are eating the recommended five servings of vegetables a day, according to new research from The University of Queensland.

While disparities between groups are troubling, obesity is going up at a similar rate in all groups, researchers report. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Everything you think you know about the causes of rising obesity in the U.S. might be wrong, researchers say in a new report.  Contrary to popular belief, people are exercising more today, have more leisure time and better access to fresh, affordable food - including fruits and vegetables - than they did in past decades.