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Scientists in developing countries should look for inspiration in their unique environments instead of trying to replicate European and US methods, a meeting at the United Kingdom’s Royal Society has heard.
George Whitesides, a chemistry professor at Harvard University in the United States, told the London meeting on 27 May that system
Preserving the biodiversity of tropical forests could have the added benefit of cutting the spread of malaria, according to a new study.
The finding contradicts the traditional view that clearing native forest for agriculture curbs malaria transmission in the Amazon rainforest.
"Our study suggests, in contrast, that conservation of b
A team of Sri Lankan and WHO scientists has linked the high prevalence of chronic kidney disease of uncertain aetiology (CKDu) on the island to indiscriminate use of agrochemicals including fertilisers and pesticides.
In its final report released on February 28, the team, led by WHO researcher Shanthi Mendis, identified districts in the north, centre and east of the island and the rice-growing areas
Africa needs more research to address the information gaps on the impact of climate change on diseases, infections and epidemics caused by plant viruses, according to a study.
Researchers at the University of Western Australia conducted a review of existing literature, and found that the research gaps include a lack of climate change-scenario modelling for diseases caused by plant viruses, and little
A WHO study that blames arsenic for rising levels of chronic kidney disease in Sri Lanka is in conflict with another study that points to poor quality drinking water, report Dilrukshi Handunnetti and Smriti Daniel.
The clashing claims on the causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the absence of scientific data highlight a need for
A Brazilian government agency responsible for natural resources has fined 35 companies for not sharing benefits from exploitation of the country`s biodiversity.
The decision follows official complaints filed by the Genetic Heritage Department of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment to the agency in charge, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama).
The presidents of Indonesia and Liberia — Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf — and the prime minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, are to co-chair a UN panel to advise on approaches to development after the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expire in 2015.
Announcing the chairs to the UN General Assembly this week (9 May), Ban Ki-Moon, the UN secretary gene
Independent India should learn lessons from the deadly malaria epidemics that swept many parts of the country in the last century, attributable to indiscriminate canal building and related projects by the then rulers, a new study suggests.
The study by Elizabeth Whitcombe, visiting senior research scholar at the earth system science interdisciplinary centre, University of Maryland, US, in the May issue of Philosoph
The Institute of Rural Development of Burkina Faso (IRD) has established a clinic tasked with improving the use of phytosanitary products, such as insecticides and pesticides, to reduce their impact on agriculture and the environment, and to improve food security.
The clinic was officially launched earlier this month (7 March) in Bobo Dioulasso at a meeting attended by representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, and experts from the agriculture, hydraulics, environment and su
The proposed Sustainable Development Goals need more focus on health to continue the progress achieved with MDGs, argues Priya Shetty.
Since 2000, global health efforts have been aligned to the aims of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Indeed, the link has been so close that some public health experts have voiced concern that health goals not specified in the MDG manif