From the world of science…
Australia transfers technology for genetically modified bananas to India...
Recipe for slaying anemia...
Australian scientists have genetically modified bananas to stack them with extra vitamins and iron. They are now sharing this technology with Indian scientists. Indian is the world's largest producer of bananas by a mammoth margin and consumes most of these domestically. So it is elementary if Indian bananas could be fortified with more nutrients, this would have a wholesome impact on the citizenry's diet and counteract their penchant for malnutrition. The possibility of making bananas rich in iron is of special note as iron-deficiency is a grave problem among vegetarians and anemia is also a major cause of maternal mortality.
India's Bt cotton triumphs helped he global GM narrative march forward but the government has tried to reign in this march at Bt brinjal, putting a moratorium on its commercial release after a decade's worth of agronomic and biosecurity testing, not to mention unequivocal approval from the Genetic Engg Approval Committee. (Here the Indian government is not to blame: its hands and legs have been bound by an apex court directive on the strength of a PIL filed by pseudo scientists turned busybodies).
While Indians, well most of them, bury their heads in the sand, the US Food and Drug Administration has categorically declared that food developed by bioengineering techniques do not entail greater safety concerns than those developed by traditional plant breeding (comment: the same argument holds true for organic food, too – they aren't as good as claimed). 90% of American maize, soybean and canola is now GM. Brazil, which once used to be a net food importer, has engineered an impressive agricultural turnaround by pushing GM crops forward. Not only does China's dining table boast GM papaya, tomato and bell peppers but GM poplar is now supplying it timber on a commercial scale.
As food demand keeps rising, it will become hard to resist the embrace of high-yielding, pest-resistant GM varieties. Anyway, why try to resist when no harm has been detected among Americans who have been chomping GM cornflakes and tortillas for around two decades now?
Courtesy: TOI 26/3/13
(Me: I have always been one of the consistent votaries of GM crops because there is simply no alternative if we have to stave off starvation deaths of millions of our population. But with our anti-Science attitude and muddle-headed thinking we would rather have people die rather than try out GM crops...)
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Found: What causes Down's syndrome…
Research have evidence that points to a protein called sorting nex in 27, or SNX27. SNX27 production is inhibited by a molecule encoded on chromosome 21. The research shows that restoring it in Down's syndrome mice improves cognitive function and behavior.
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Woman to cellphone app shop assistant: "I need a navigation app that will help my husband locate dirty dishes in the sink and laundry that needs to be folded."
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The attorney gathered the entire family for the reading of the will. The lawyer somberly opened the will and began to read:
"To my cousin Ed, I leave my ranch."
"To my brother, Jim, I leave my money market accounts.
"To my neighbor and good friend, Fred, I leave my stocks.
"And finally, to my cousin George, who always sat around and never did anything, but wanted to be remembered in my will, I say, "Hi, George".
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Line Maro
You'd better direct that beauty somewhere else, you'll set the carpet on fire.
(Me: Before that, she's going to set you on fire…).
Mindchow
Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.
Weird world
Eight-inch live bomb found in squid!
A fishmonger in the south of China was gutting a squid for a customer when his knife hit an eight-inch live bomb. The squid, not moiré than three-feet long, was caught in the shallow waters off Guangdong province, China, and taken to the fish market in Jiaoling county. The bomb weighed around three pounds and was shaped like an aubergine.
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NY Town: OK to boo politely at board meetings…
A New York town's board members have decided it's OK to boo at their meetings, but only if it's done politely..
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Health tips..
The vitamin C-rich amla (Indian gooseberry) juice helps reduce bad cholesterol levels.
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News of the day that should cheer the hearts of Indians especially…
Mark Zuckerberg to enter politics, will root for immigration reform.
Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg is planning his next start-up – but this time, in politics.
The 28-year-old wunderkind's independent expenditure group is expected to focus mainly on immigration reform, and making it easier for international talent to work in the US.
(Me: Indians with stars in their eyes to migrate and settle in the US sooner or later should at once start huge fund-raising campaign for his success in politics…)
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Tongue very much in cheek…
"Baseball has the great advantage over cricket of being sooner ended" – George Bernard Shaw.
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"People in Britain and other wealthy countries are so well-off they may have lost the will to do well" – British former dy PM, Michael Heseltine.
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Health news…
Perfect diet fetish can lead to orthorexia..
Washington: Orthorexia is a relatively new term for a disorder where a person becomes obsessed with the "perfect diet", the cleanliness of food and eating on a highly regulated regime – to stay fit and young. Recent studies were unable to determine who can fall into the orthorexic trap, but it seems women are a high-risk group.
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