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Pig plague threatens Europe
Pig plague threatens Europe
African swine fever , or ASF, is a viral disease that kills almost every pig it infects and is likened to Ebola . It gained a foothold in Georgia in 2007, when contaminated pig meat landed from a ship from South-East Africa and was fed to local pigs.
3D printing to the rescue of gastronomy for frail seniors
3D printing to the rescue of gastronomy for frail seniors
In Europe, the population is ageing . In 2010, about 17% of the population were 65 or older. This number is projected to increase to 30% of the population by 2060. New services are already available to meet their needs.
Revolutionary System Monitors Water Pollution
Revolutionary System Monitors Water Pollution
Toxic microalgae, viruses and chemical contaminants are floating in our waters. These hazardous materials pose a high risk to the livelihood of the sea dwellers. Especially the aquaculture is affected by this rising problem.
Early warning system for fish farmers
Early warning system for fish farmers
The marine aquaculture sector has grown continuously over the past years, according to the FAO’s world review of fisheries and aquaculture.
Free ecosystem services for better crops
Free ecosystem services for better crops
Ecosystem services are free, but often hidden. They include pollination and killing of crop pests by beneficial insects. Now, QuESSA , an EU-funded research project, due to be completed in 2017, will try and increase the visibility of such services.
Ridding the sea and land from toxic plastics fragments
Ridding the sea and land from toxic plastics fragments
Plastic products made of PVC, Polystyrene and other prominent plastics are flooding the market. They are a growing threat to the environment, as they are found in the sea or dumped in land fills .
The road to sustainable tuna aquaculture
The road to sustainable tuna aquaculture
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is a much sought after delicacy. Due to huge fishing pressure, tuna stocks have decreased dramatically . There are now signs of recovery, according to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas .
Pig farmers get smart
Pig farmers get smart
Low-cost sensors and wireless communication technologies have enabled moves towards smart homes and smart cars. Using similar technologies, scientists involved in an EU-funded project called ALL-SMART-PIGS are now developing technologies that turn pigs’ farms into smart farms .
Mum’s diet mirrors child’s food allergies
Mum’s diet mirrors child’s food allergies
About 20 million Europeans are subject to food allergies. Now scientists are looking at these allergies in new ways. It involves the food industry in its work and pays special attention to the link between early diets and allergy in later life .
When your water is contaminated
When your water is contaminated
Statistically, drinking water in Europe is the safest in the world. But according to the World Health Organisation every year more than 300.000 Europeans are falling ill due to contaminated tab water. ...
When urban waste become bioplastics
When urban waste become bioplastics
Each year, the European Union produces three billion tonnes of waste. This equates to six tonnes of solid waste for every EU citizen, according to Eurostat. A major challenge is findings ways to reduce and reuse a large amount of such waste .
Cow fertility – not so black and white
Cow fertility – not so black and white
Holstein cattle - the black-and-white dairy cows you might see in a child’s picture book - have been bred in northern Europe for hundreds of years.
Diet’s impact on Alzheimer’s dementia tested
Diet’s impact on Alzheimer’s dementia tested
Scientists have long known that high levels of cholesterol around mid-life greatly increase the risk of developing dementia 30 years later.
Smart and personal: dietary advice
Smart and personal: dietary advice
After personalised medicine, we are entering the era of personalised nutrition. But this approach requires testing before being applicable. This is what a new EU-funded research project, called food4me , is attempting to do.
Nanodiamonds: a cancer patient’s best friend?
Nanodiamonds: a cancer patient’s best friend?
Diamonds are sometimes considered as a girl’s best friend. Now, this expression is about to have a new meaning. Indeed, nanometric scale diamond particles could offer a new way to detect cancer far earlier than previously thought.
Lucia Doyle: combining irrigation and fertilisation in open-fields agriculture
Lucia Doyle: combining irrigation and fertilisation in open-fields agriculture
The term fertigation is used in agriculture to refer to the combination of irrigation and fertilisation, in one step.
Junk-free pizza, engineered to please taste buds
Junk-free pizza, engineered to please taste buds
Many diseases occurring in industrial countries, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, stroke or certain cancers are linked to malnutrition. The trouble is that one in two people in Europe is overweight or obese .
Ralf Otterpohl: a second life for unsuspected nutrient-rich waste
Ralf Otterpohl: a second life for unsuspected nutrient-rich waste
Every day cities in Europe discard a useful nutrient-rich resource that could be used to grow crops. Ironically, we treat and process human wastes while we mine non-renewable phosphate and potassium and we consume fossil fuel to make nitrogen fertiliser.
No biomarkers identified to assess potential health effects of GMOs
No biomarkers identified to assess potential health effects of GMOs
Many people in Europe are critical of genetically modified (GM) food, due to safety concerns. A Eurobarometer survey, published in 2010, revealed that the European public tends to be worried on a “mediate level” about GM food , with people in Austria being particularly concerned.
Peter Freeman: Plants tell time
Peter Freeman: Plants tell time
Scientist Peter Freeman is managing a project that is probing the clock and metabolism of plants, called TiMet . Partners to the project include star biologists in the Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, all working to gain better insights into what make plants tick.
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