Popular insecticide used in Costa Rica damaging wild bee populations, study says
A popular, but controversial type of insecticide used in Costa Rica and widely around the world is damaging wild bee populations, which are necessary to pollinate crops and sustain ecosystems, according to a new study.
An Amazon tribe could provide answers to antibiotic resistance
Trillions of bacteria, referred to as the human microbiome, live in and on our bodies. The most diverse collection of bacteria ever discovered was collected from an isolated tribe of Yanomami Indians in the Amazonian jungles of southern Venezuela. Comparatively, the microbiome of people in industrialized countries is about 40 percent less diverse, according to the estimates of a team of United States and Venezuelan scientists who conducted the new study.
US Embassy in Nicaragua denies staffer was in contact with Ebola
Nicaragua quarantined a U.S. embassy worker and is asking the U.S. to fly him home on fears that the diplomat had been in contact with Ebola, according to news reports from Nicaragua on Monday.
Marijuana-based drug may reduce seizures in children and adults
A new marijuana-based medicine may reduce the number of seizures in children and adults with severe forms of epilepsy, according to early results from an ongoing clinical trial. The drug, called Epidiolex, has a few side effects, but the preliminary results move GW Pharmaceuticals of London a step closer to debuting the third FDA-approved medicine based on the marijuana plant.
Garlic’s protective benefits may extend to the brain
While we might throw around the “superfood” label a bit too casually these days, garlic is one food that fully deserves the title. Each clove contains a wealth of sulfuric compounds, which not only give them their scent but also antioxidant effects that confer benefits, from getting rid of acne to fighting infections. Now, a new study finds that one of these compounds, called FruArg, may protect the brain from age-related disease like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
New, non-invasive blood test detects Down syndrome
Email this page By Jessica Berman April 2nd, 2015 (VOA) Down syndrome occurs in approximately one in 1,000 live births worldwide. Children with Down syndrome have intellectual and some physical disabilities. Many pregnant women get tested for the genetic disorder. The traditional prenatal test for Down syndrome has been around for decades but comes with risks […]
Costa Rica’s coffee growers have two years to phase out dangerous pesticide
A decree signed by President Luis Guillermo Solis as well as the ministers of agriculture, environment, health and labor will give Costa Rica’s coffee growers the next 24 months to phase out the use of a highly toxic pesticide known as endosulfan over the next 24 months. The decree took effect on Monday.
Coffee significantly lowers liver cancer risk, according to study
Add “reduces your risk of liver cancer” to the list of health benefits provided by your morning cups of coffee. While alcohol consumption and obesity increase liver cancer risk, drinking coffee reduces it, a new study claims.
