Monsanto has long worked to “bully scientists” and suppress evidence of the cancer risks of its popular weedkiller, a lawyer argued on Monday in a landmark lawsuit against the global chemical corporation. “Monsanto has specifically gone out of its way to bully … and to fight independent researchers,” said the attorney Brent Wisner, who presented internal Monsanto emails that … [Read more...]
SA recycling sector makes key appointments
Industry stakeholders across South Africa’s PET plastic value chain have reaffirmed their commitment to extended producer responsibility with three key appointments. Nominated by the industry sectors they represent, the newly elected national PET Recycling Company (PETCO) non-executive board members will serve a voluntary three-year term. Representing the retail sector, … [Read more...]
Accelerating ice loss in Antarctica could displace millions as soon as 2100
Working in West Antarctica is profoundly humbling. We scientists work from tiny field camps incongruously airdropped onto a vast plain of kilometers-thick glacial ice extending from horizon to horizon. It is initially difficult to conceive that this vast polar desert icescape could drastically change over the course of a human lifetime. Yet, recent studies have revealed that … [Read more...]
Children may be eating cereal laced with toxic weed killer
The probable carcinogen glyphosate has been detected in popular cereals, but the EPA is ready to approve its use for 15 more years. Quaker Oats “Life” and “Squares” cereals. Gerber and Beechnut baby oatmeal. Cheerios. Store brand “O” cereals from Target, Safeway, Walmart, Trader Joe’s and Kroger. All those products were contaminated with glyphosate (often sold as Roundup) in … [Read more...]
Climate change suspected in unprecedented African baobab die out
The Zimbabwean sacred baobab, Panke, was more than 2,400 years old when all its stems toppled and died in 2010-11. It is one of a number of ancient African baobabs that have died since 2017 across southern Africa, according to new research published in Nature Plants. The region is home to the oldest and largest African baobabs. Baobabs have broad trunks, or multiple stems … [Read more...]
Keeping tabs on genetically modified crops
Genetic engineering and plant breeding techniques are used in biofortification programmes to improve the nutritional quality of African cereals such as sorghum and pearl millet. Apart from being important food sources for many poor people around the world, especially those in drought-stricken areas, these cereals also contain important plant-based chemicals that can assist in … [Read more...]
NASA helicopter to search for life on Mars
The space agency NASA plans to send a small helicopter to Mars in 2020 in the continued quest for life on the red planet, said Dr Japie van Zyl of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology on Monday. Van Zyl, one of the world's leading space scientists, was speaking at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Stellenbosch … [Read more...]
High seas fishing would go broke without ‘massive’ subsidies: study
Fishing on the high seas would be an unprofitable business, but for the billions of dollars in government subsidies that keep an often destructive industry afloat, international researchers said Wednesday. The high seas refers to areas beyond nations' territorial waters, where species like tuna tend to be overfished and migratory sharks - 44% of which are considered … [Read more...]
Landmark lawsuit reveals 35 year weedkiller cancer cover-up
At the age of 46, DeWayne Johnson is not ready to die. But with cancer spread through most of his body, doctors say he probably has just months to live. Now Johnson, a husband and father of three in California, hopes to survive long enough to make Monsanto take the blame for his fate. On 18 June, Johnson will become the first person to take the global seed and chemical … [Read more...]
Final countdown to climate chaos underway
The last thing on our minds whilst driving a car, flying between cities or using grid-supplied electricity, is that our actions are contributing to the global phenomenon of climate change. Unfortunately, we may only take climate change seriously once it's escalated to a point of all-out climate chaos … and by then it'll be too late to reverse it. In fact, there are some … [Read more...]
Gulf Stream current at ‘record low’ with potentially devastating consequences for weather
Catastrophic changes in global weather patterns could be on the horizon as scientists confirm the warming Atlantic current has reached a “new record low”. The Gulf Stream current, which has not been running at peak strength for centuries, is now at its weakest point in the past 1,600 years. Climate change resulting from rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is … [Read more...]
Indonesian scientists explore health risks of microplastics
Indonesian scientists have launched the largest ever study into whether tiny plastic particles can affect human health. They are investigating the presence of plastic in seafood while also tracking the diets of 2,000 people. Plastic pollution has become so severe in Indonesia that the army has been called in to help. The potential impacts of ingesting small pieces of plastic … [Read more...]
SA scientists to head to Weddell Sea on voyage of discovery
The Weddell Sea off Antarctica, one of the coldest, harshest and most remote locations in the world, will be explored next year by a major international scientific expedition in which South African research organisations and scientists will play vital role. The January/February expedition will survey the underside of the Larsen C Ice Shelf, document the rich and … [Read more...]
