The set-up looks rather unimposing to the uninitiated eye: a container, a satellite dish, a generator. Yet this container in the midst of lush green scenery some kilometres to the southeast of Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, houses a highly sensitive apparatus…

Two new studies reveal that the commonly used insect repellents DEET and citronellal each work through a dual stimulation of insect sensory systems. The research findings, published by Cell Pres in the journals Neuron and Current Biology, enhance our understanding of how insects respond to repellents and may lead to the discovery of improved compounds for controlling insect-borne disease…

Since the beginning of June this year there have been over 350 confirmed deaths and 6,400 cases of cholera in Nigeria, according to the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health. Authorities are now warning the whole country is threatened by a cholera outbreak. A significant proportion of cholera cases and deaths are occurring in the north of the country…

Genetically engineered (GE) animals have already realized the promise of advancing human health, and now this technology could lead to more sustainable and environmentally friendly food production. The U.S…

Reuters reports on a study (.pdf) examining the use of drought-tolerant maize in 13 African countries, which was published on Thursday by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) with input from several other food research institutes (Cocks, 8/26)…

A new study by researchers at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) at the University of York calls for better engagement of older people on climate change issues…

Meconium, the dark and tarry stools passed by a baby during the first few days after birth, can be used to determine how much the mother smoked, or if she was exposed to tobacco smoke during pregnancy…

A new study shows that male rats prenatally exposed to low doses of atrazine, a widely used herbicide, are more likely to develop prostate inflammation and to go through puberty later than non-exposed animals. The research adds to a growing body of literature on atrazine, an herbicide predominantly used to control weeds and grasses in crops such as corn and sugar cane…

Health, Agriculture Experts Should Collaborate More Often In a SciDev.Net opinion piece, Jeff Waage, director of the London International Development Centre, argues for more collaboration between agriculture and health experts. “The relationship between agriculture and health may seem intuitive and simple - grow more crops and people will have more food and live healthier lives…

As well as losing crops and farm animals directly as a result of flooding, the people of Pakistan could be facing longer term food shortages as canals overloaded in the second wave of flooding threaten to undermine the irrigation infrastructure that the country will rely on once the waters recede…