TOP 100 SCIENCE SITES
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
| |||
| EO Wilson on the 'immense and hidden' crisis in biodiversity This is an extended extract of a phone interview with biologist, author and conservation campaigner EO Wilson. The problem of biodiversity loss has been "eased off centre stage" as the spotlight has focused on climate change, according to Professor Edward Wilson, the ecologist described as "Darwin's natural heir". Biodiversity is one of the hot topics of conversation on this week's regular Science Weekly podcast. Professor Wilson also discusses conservative religious attitudes to evolution in the US, which he calls "bible literalism". Post your comments below.Join our Facebook group. Listen back through our archive.Follow the podcast on our Science Weekly Twitter feed and receive updates on all breaking science news stories from Guardian Science.Subscribe free via iTunes to ensure every episode gets delivered. (Here is the non-iTunes URL feed).James Randerson guardian.co.uk |
Plan to tackle marine pests The Department of Fisheries has been commissioned to develop a plan for reducing the number of marine pests and diseases entering Western Australian ports. abc.net.au |
Letters: And Risk (1 Letter) To the Editor:. feeds.nytimes.com |
Australians cutting greenhouse emissions: report A new report has revealed that greenhouse gas emissions from energy use in Australia's eastern states have fallen by 1.8 per cent. abc.net.au |
Resurgence of rickets in UK Sharp rise in problem blamed on kids indoors playing computers and parents using too much sunscreenComputer-obsessed children who spend too long indoors and over-anxious parents who slap on excessive sunscreen are contributing to a sharp rise in cases of the bone disease rickets, doctors are warning.Vitamin D deficiency, which causes the condition, could be rectified by adding supplements to milk and other food, a research team at Newcastle University suggests.There are several hundred cases of the preventable condition among children in the UK every year, according to a clinical review paper in the British Medical Journal by Professor Simon Pearce and Dr Tim Cheetham."More than 50% of the adult population [in the UK] have insufficient levels of vitamin D and 16% have severe deficiency during winter and spring," they say. "The highest rates are in Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England. People with pigmented skin are at high risk as are the elderly, obese individuals and those with malabsorption."Most vitamin D is synthesised in the body by absorption of sunlight. Some comes from foods such as fish oil. People with darker skins need more sunlight to top up their vitamin D levels.One of the main reasons for the reappearance of rickets – once considered a disease of the industrial poor in 19th-century cities – is the changing ethnic makeup of the population, Pearce explained.The most commonly affected are people of Asian or African descent who live in northern cities. He has examined cases among young Somali speakers who live in east Newcastle. But changing lifestyles are also contributing to lowering vitamin D levels in the general population."Some people are taking the safe sun message too far," Pearce said. "It's good to have 20 to 30 minutes of exposure to the sun two to three times a week, after which you can put on a hat or sunscreen."Vitamin D levels in parts of the population are precarious. The average worker nowadays is in a call centre, not out in the field. People tend to stay at home rather than going outside to kick a ball around. They stay at home on computer games."Pearce has written to the Department of Health proposing that vitamin D is added to milk. It is already added as a supplement to artificial baby milk. He has also asked the Royal College of Paediatrics to record cases of rickets but said figures were not being collected."A more robust approach to statutory food supplementation with vitamin D (for example in milk) is needed in the UK," the paper concludes.Meanwhile, figures obtained by the Tories show the number of patients leaving hospital with malnutrition has hit record levels in the last year. Those affected are primarily elderly people. The NHS figures show that last year 175,000 people were malnourished on entry to hospital but nearly 185,500 were in a similar condition on discharge, meaning more than 10,000 patients were more malnourished after medical treatment.HealthGame cultureChildrenNutritionNutritionMedical researchOwen Bowcottguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |