Give up meat to save the planet .
Give up meat to save the planet because Methane is 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a global warming gas.
People will need to consider turning vegetarian if the world is to conquer climate change, according to a leading authority on global warming, Lord Stern.
“Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the world’s resources. A vegetarian diet is better.”
Direct emissions of methane from cows and pigs is a significant source of greenhouse gases. Methane is 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a global warming gas.
Lord Stern, the author of the influential 2006 Stern Review on the cost of tackling global warming, said that a successful deal at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December would lead to soaring costs for meat and other foods that generate large quantities of greenhouse gases.
He predicted that people’s attitudes would evolve until meat eating became unacceptable. “I think it’s important that people think about what they are doing and that includes what they are eating,” he said. “I am 61 now and attitudes towards drinking and driving have changed radically since I was a student. People change their notion of what is responsible. They will increasingly ask about the carbon content of their food.”
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Molecular switch could prevent Huntington's disease
A "molecular switch" that can prevent Huntington's disease from developing has been found in mice.
A US study concluded the mutated huntingtin protein, which causes the disease, could be stopped in its tracks by a subtle chemical modification.
It is hoped the work could lead to much-needed treatments for the inherited disorder.
The study, by the University of California, Los Angeles, is published in the journal Neuron.
Huntington's disease - a neurological condition that starts to show in mid-life and slowly impairs a person's ability to walk, talk and reason.
Children who have one parent with the condition have a 50% chance of developing it themselves and often it is passed on before people are aware that they have it.
There is no cure for the illness and treatment focuses on managing the symptoms.
A US study concluded the mutated huntingtin protein, which causes the disease, could be stopped in its tracks by a subtle chemical modification.
It is hoped the work could lead to much-needed treatments for the inherited disorder.
The study, by the University of California, Los Angeles, is published in the journal Neuron.
Huntington's disease - a neurological condition that starts to show in mid-life and slowly impairs a person's ability to walk, talk and reason.
Children who have one parent with the condition have a 50% chance of developing it themselves and often it is passed on before people are aware that they have it.
There is no cure for the illness and treatment focuses on managing the symptoms.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
New Marijuana study finds it helps with cancer pain.
The cannabis-based spray, like a mouth freshener, was used on 177 patients by researchers from Edinburgh University.
They found it reduced pain levels by 30% in a group of cancer patients, all in the Edinburgh area, who had not been helped by morphine or other medicines.
The spray was developed so that it did not affect the mental state of patients in the way that using cannabis would.
The researchers said their findings, reported in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, did not justify smoking cannabis as this could increase the risk of cancer.
Site of pain
They said the spray worked by activating molecules in the body called cannabinoid receptors which can stop nerve signals being sent to the brain from the site of pain.
Professor Marie Fallon, of the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre at Edinburgh University, said: "These early results are very promising and demonstrate that cannabis-based medicines may deliver effective treatment for people with severe pain.
"Prescription of these drugs can be very useful in combating debilitating pain, but it is important to understand the difference between their medical and recreational use."
Site of pain
They said the spray worked by activating molecules in the body called cannabinoid receptors which can stop nerve signals being sent to the brain from the site of pain.
Professor Marie Fallon, of the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre at Edinburgh University, said: "These early results are very promising and demonstrate that cannabis-based medicines may deliver effective treatment for people with severe pain.
"Prescription of these drugs can be very useful in combating debilitating pain, but it is important to understand the difference between their medical and recreational use."
Friday, December 11, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
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