In a March 11 article published to Yahoo! News, journalist Barbara Liston of Reuters reports on a new hybrid grapefruit, UF914, which tests show is less likely than the original species to produce interactions with prescription drugs. Grapefruit, Citrus paradise, has well–documented research displaying how chemicals in it can dangerously alter levels of prescription drugs in the human body. In the article, Fred Gmitter, a researcher at the University of Florida, stated that tests of the hybrid’s juice in human cell cultures indicated the hybrid would not engender harmful side effects. Clinical trails still need to be performed with whole humans.
In a March 12 story in the New Haven Register, writer Romy Varghese of Bloomberg reports an update on white–nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has decimated bat populations in the USA. The disease is continuing its rampage and the article states how the Pennsylvania Game Commission wants to place three bat species on the state’s endangered species list. This would restrict the activities of local lumber firms. The Pennsylvania Forest Products Association, companies it represents, and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry are wary of such regulatory changes, for fear of harm to their business. The article notes that protections for the federally endangered Indiana bat already include a prohibition of tree removal near the bat’s hibernation areas for several months per year.
In another story posted to Yahoo! News on February 19, Carey Gillam of Reuters describes a report by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri–Biotech Applications (ISAAA), stating that in 2012 developing countries overtook industrial nations for the first time in their planting of genetically modified crops (GMCs). Gillam writes that “developing countries accounted for more than half of the global biotech crop area, 52 percent, while industrial countries accounted for 48 percent.” The article notes, however, that the USA remains the individual nation with the highest use of GMCs, having planted 69.5 million hectares in 2012.
Bibliography
Author: Barbara Liston. Web page: Florida researchers develop medically safer hybrid grapefruit. Web site: Yahoo! News. Date: March 11, 2013. Date of access: March 13, 2013. Uniform Resource Locator: <news.yahoo.com/florida-researchers-develop-medically-safer-hybrid....
Author: Carey Gillam. Web page: Record area of biotech crops used in 2012 -report. Web site: Yahoo! News. Date: February 19, 2013. Date of access: March 13, 2013. Uniform Resource Locator: <news.yahoo.com/record-area-biotech-crops-used-2012-report-0456289....
Author: Romy Varghese. Web page: Bat-killing fungal disease has lumber firms fighting states. Web site: New Haven Register. Date: March 12, 2013. Date of access: March 13, 2013. Uniform Resource Locator: <www.nhregister.com/articles/2013/03/12/news/doc513f84a95aaa100595....
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