South Africa starts injecting rhino horns with radioactive material to curb poaching
Under the collaborative project among University of the Witwatersrand, nuclear energy officials and conservationists, five rhinos were injected Thursday in what the university hopes will be the mass injection of the declining rhino population.
Last year, about 20 rhinos at a sanctuary were injected with isotopes as part of initial trials that paved the way for Thursday's launch. The radioactive isotopes even at low levels can be recognized by radiation detectors at airports and borders, which can lead to the arrest of poachers and traffickers.
Researchers at Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit say that tests conducted throughout the pilot study confirmed that the radioactive material was not harmful to the animals.
'We have demonstrated, beyond scientific doubt, that the process is completely safe for the animal and effective in making the horn detectable through international customs nuclear security systems,' said James Larkin, chief scientific officer of the Rhisotope Project.
'Even a single horn with significantly lower levels of radioactivity than what will be used in practice successfully triggered alarms in radiation detectors,' said Larkin.
The tests also confirmed that individual horns could be detected inside full 40-foot shipping containers, he said.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature, an international conservation body, estimates that the global rhino population stood at around 500,000 at the beginning of the 20th century but has now declined to around 27,000 due to continued demand for rhino horns on the black market.
South Africa has the largest population of rhinos with an estimated 16,000 but the country experiences high levels of poaching with about 500 rhinos killed for their horns every year.
Private and public rhino owners and conservation authorities have been urged approach the university to have their rhinos injected.
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Medical News Today
4 hours ago
- Medical News Today
3 diet types may help reduce chronic disease risk in older adults
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In contrast, participants who consumed a pro-inflammatory diet were more likely to develop multiple chronic study appears in Nature the link between food choices and agingAging may bring about new health problems such as hearing loss, mobility issues, and a weakened immune system. While some decline is expected, being proactive about one's health, including dietary choices, can help reduce the risk associated with chronic authors of the current study focused on chronic disease in older adults. Some of the health problems they considered included cardiovascular disease, neuropsychiatric diseases, and musculoskeletal diseases. To do this, they analyzed data from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K), a long-term registry that tracks health metrics, medical histories, and cognitive testing among aging researchers included a group of more than 2,400 older adults from SNAC-K who were an average age of 71.5 years at the baseline. The researchers divided the participants into four groups based on the answers they provided on food questionnaires: MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay), which focuses on consuming fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy (Alternative Healthy Eating Index), which evaluates diet quality based on foods linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, such as fish, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. AMED (Alternative Mediterranean diet), which focuses on plant-based foods and healthy fats, but adjusts recommendations for some food items such as red (Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Index), which is a pro-inflammatory diet pattern high in red meat, processed foods, and sugary researchers considered the first three diets healthy, while the EDII represented an unhealthy, inflammation-promoting diet. The scientists used 15 years of data to examine how the diets impacted the accumulation of chronic adults who ate well developed fewer chronic illnesses The results of this study demonstrated yet another way maintaining a healthy diet is important to health. Over a 15-year period, participants who followed one of the healthy diets experienced a slower progression of chronic diseases. Additionally, these participants had up to two fewer diseases compared to people with the least adherence to healthy eating. Healthy eaters also experienced a slower rate of heart disease and neuropsychiatric diseases such as dementia. The only area where researchers did not find a negative association between a pro-inflammatory diet and health outcome was regarding musculoskeletal disease. The protective effects of the MIND and AHEI diets on neuropsychiatric health were strongest among the oldest participants. This suggests that even later in life, adopting a healthy diet can make a warn that shifting eating patterns may pose challengesDavid Cutler, MD, board certified family medicine physician at Providence Saint John's Health Center, shared his thoughts about the study with Medical News Today. 'These results suggest that diet quality is a modifiable risk factor in slowing the rate of chronic disease accumulation among older adults,' said emphasized that the study made it clear that a pro-inflammatory diet can be harmful to one's the study demonstrated the importance of healthy eating habits, Cutler noted that 'changing eating behaviors is challenging.''This is especially true of [older adults] whose patterns have been ingrained longer, and they may see a shorter period of time to appreciate the benefits of a healthier diet,' Cutler continued. Mir Ali, MD, board certified general surgeon, bariatric surgeon, and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center, also spoke with MNT.'I thought this was a good study linking a healthier diet to slower disease progression,' said Ali. 'Though it is difficult to separate all factors, I think it is reasonable to conclude that diet plays a major role in chronic inflammation and disease.'Ali also shared concerns about the difficulty in changing eating patterns for older adults.'The older someone is, the harder it is to make long-term changes; furthermore, disease and inflammation can progress more as we age, so it becomes more difficult to reverse these changes,' explained Ali. 'In general, we recommend to all our patients, including older adults, to reduce carbohydrate and sugar intake and emphasize protein and vegetables. This helps direct the body towards breaking down fats, reducing diabetes and inflammation overall.'— Mir Ali, MD
BBC News
7 hours ago
- BBC News
Wetin be GMO and which foods for Nigeria dey di list?
Recently, di question of GMO foods don enta di Nigerian consciousness again. Infact, di mata loud sotay, Di National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) Director General, Dr Agnes Asagbra comot to clear di air. She tell Channels TV say, "Nigeria need GMO for food security. We no fit meet our food requirements by di rural farming wey we dey do". Fears bin dey ginger on top how much genetically modified foods dey inside di food wey we dey chop as well as wetin di plants dey cause for di environment plus wetin di food dey cause wen pipo chop am. Na wetin we wan torchlight for dis tori. Wetin be GMO? Genetic modified organisms refer to any plant or animal wey dem add di genetics of anoda plant or animal put to add particular trait wey no dey inside am. Dem dey use am mostly to create drought resistance and plants wey dey resistant to insect infestation. NBMA, di bodi wey dey in charge of regulating how GMOs dey enta di kontri, define am say, "na any organism wey be living or non-living wey get key combinations of genetic material wey dem collect by using modern biotechnology". Di former DG of di NBMA, Rufus Ebegba explain am give BBC say, "if you wan make bitterleaf sweet you fit find out wetin make sugar cane sweet, den you fit move dat particular characteristics enta bitterleaf and di bitterleaf go become sweet" Di modern biotechnology for inside dat definition mean say all di traditional means of cross breeding to create di type plant or animal specie wey don dey wit human being for long for our history, no dey inside wetin dem dey call GMO. One environmental engineer wey follow BBC News Pidgin tok Yekinni Oluwafemi, gree wit dat school of thought. E say, "to my knowledge, cross breeding no be form of genetic modification." Oga Yekinni add say, "di main difference between modern GMO techniques and older methods like crossbreeding or cross-planting na precision and scope. For instance, instead of say you breed crops for years to improve drought tolerance, genetic engineering fit directly put drought resistant gene for plant". Dr Bernard Ehirim wey be geneticist and program Officer for di African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) tell BBC News Pidgin about di different ways wey dis genetic modification dey happun. Di biotechnologies wey im tok include: Recombinant DNA technology, CRISPR gene editing (even though arguments dey say dis technology no be GMO technology), agrobacterium-mediated transformation and gene gun aka biolistics. Dr Asagbra tok say, "ova di years, we don make sure say any GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) wey dey approved for Nigeria don pass through all di necessary tests wey e need wit international standard bifor we allow am to dey released commercial". Last year, di Federal Ministry of Health bin don release joint press statement between di NBMA and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), as dem ginger say dem go continue to collaborate on di mata of genetically modified foods. History of GMO for Nigeria Na for 2001, di mata of GMO first enta Nigeria but no be till 2004, na im Nigeria sign Memorandom of Understanding wit di US goment to support genetically modified crops. For 2015, na im former President Goodluck Jonathan sign di National Biosafety Management Act to law, wey allow free flow of GMO come Nigeria. But e still take anoda four years before Nigeria go approve dia first GMO food crop wey be cowpea, aka beans. For January 2024, dem approve di cultivation and commercial release of TELA Maize. Oga Yekinni add say "most GMOs for Nigeria dey for plants as no much focus dey for animals." Which food be GMO for Nigeria Dr Asagbra list three crops wey dey genetically modified and dey approved for Nigeria. Dem include BT Cotton, BT cowpea (ie beans) and Tela maize. She say for di beans, e become necessary to comot di insects wey dey normally disturb di crop. She also say e dey drought resistant and bicos of climate change, e dey important. However, e no mean say GMO never make im way enta animal wey don enta Nigeria, but no be di one for eating. For May 2024, announcement land say GMO mosquitoes don enta di country to stop di spread of di specie of mosquito wey dey spread malaria. Dem release di non-biting male Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes wey go mate wit di females wey dey spread di disease. Di plan na say dis male get self-limiting genes so dem go use am take mate wit di females, any female pikin wey dem born no go live reach adulthood. Dr Ehirim add say dia be some kain cornflakes wey you don chop wey GM corn dey inside. Dr Ehirim dey of di mindset say pipo no dey ask di right questions on top di mata of GMO but still di fear still dey ground. Fears ova GMOs, dem dey valid? One farmer and environment/ SDG advocate, David Ezeonyekwere tell BBC News Pidgin say im only question wey im get na who dey fund di development, as e no want wetin hapun to farmers wit hybrid seeds, make e do dem wit dis one. Hybrid seeds no dey replantable afta first harvest. E say, "make I give you example, for 2020... 2021, we bin get issues wit non-viable seeds, wey be hybrid no be GMO o, wen we get dis issue at di end of di day, bicos we dey used to dis particular seeds, di simple simple ones wey we dey use before, we no fit get dem. I know how many years e take us before we fit fall back". E say, e no dey for or against GMOs but e dey importan to find out who dey fund am sake of say no be Nigeria, "dem neva deal wit Boko Haram finish na GMO studies dem wan come fund." Dr Ehirim also torchlight say risk dey for environmental damages wit GMO due to crossbreeding wit wild species, loss of biodiversity, development of superweeds or resistant pests but beta regulation and management strategies go comot di risks. On di mata of cross-pollination, e say too many times pipo dey torchlight how GMO plants dey affect wild plants but na both ways di tin dey go, di wild plants fit also affect GMOs but "no safety issue dey as long as di GMO crops don go through regulatory requirements and dey pronounced safe." Apart from all dis tok-tok from industry pipo, like farmers, loud discussion dey for di Nigeria social media space about wetin GMO dey do and weda e fit cause diseases plus wetin be dia impact on di society. Wetin goment don tok about genetically modified food Di Nigerian goment bin set up di NBMA to torchlight di mata of GMO foods. Dem say dem get several committees wey dey in charge of testing dis GMO foods to torchlight weda e dey safe for di environment, safe to chop, safe for di ecological environment, or di local plants and animals. Dr Asagbra tok say one of di ways wey dem wan take run dat parole na to make sure say all di seeds wey dem dey use for Nigeria dey made in Nigeria and not abroad. She tok say, "ova di years, any GMO wey don dey approved for Nigeria don go through ogbonge scientific analysis. All of dem na of international standards. "We get di Cartagena Protocol under di Convention of Biodiversity and also get di Codex Alimentarius of di WHO standard". She also add say part of her agency work na to go markets and make sure say GMO foods dey labelled and dem dey work togeda wit NAFDAC for di appropraite labelling. Wetin sabi pipo tok about genetically modified food Oga Yekinni tok say, "till today, no credible scientific evidence dey link approved GMO foods to diseases or deaths for human beings. "Major health joinbodi dem like World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) gree say GMO foods for di market dey as safe as conventional foods". Oga Ebegba add say, "all genetically approved products for world, all of dem dey confam safe". E also add say as at 2024, di GMO foods neva land Nigerian markets as dem still dey di hand of farmers wey wan grow di food in commercial quantities. Dr Ehirim point out say, e don alreadi dey chop GM beans for long and notin don do am, e say, "current research no show reliable evidence say GMOs dey cause cancer. GM foods wey dey approved for market dey go through safety assessment by regulatory joinbodis and dem dey seen as safe as food wey no be GMO." E add say, "I don dey plant GMO beans for my farm since 2021, my whole household dey chop GMO beans. I start to dey plant BT beans (cowpeas) since 2021, dem release am for 2019. I neva chop any oda kain beans since dat time" On top di fears of weda di GM seeds no dey replantable, Dr Ehirim tok say na mistaken identity wit hybrid seeds and situation wit GM seeds wey get terminator genes cause am. E say, "pipo dey confuse wetin dem dey call hybrid seed technology wit GM technology. Na for di hybrid seed technology, say wen you plant, and use di seeds from di harvest, you no go get di amount of harvest you bin get from your first harvest. Hybrid seed technology don dey way way before GMO". Howeva, on di mata of GM seeds wit terminator gene wia you no fit replant seed wey you get from di last harvest, Dr Ehirim say dat one no dey again. E reveal say, "na bicos of wetin happun for Brazil wey make regulators stop di use of di terminator genes for GMO foods. Dat terminator gene, once you harvest your seed wan replant am, dat gene no go gree am to germinate". "Infact as we dey speak, no GMO product dey worldwide wey get di terminator genes now", na so di geneticist tok. While many pipo dey torchlight labelling as part of di wahala wit GMOs, Dr Ehirim ask how dem go take label market woman beans wen sometimes dem dey mix dem togeda witout care for di brand of beans. E say wetin dem dey do na to label di seeds and not just bicos of di regulations of di country, but also for liability purposes. "If pesin carry di seeds cross border to country wey no get regulations, e dey your hand wia dem write say e dey limited to use for Nigeria, so na you go carry anytin your eye see". Nigerian regulations against GMO NBMA tok say three regulations dey to guide di movement of GMO foods for Nigeria. Dem be di National Biosafety Management Agency Act, 2015, Plants Quarantine Act 2017, and Customs and Excise Management Act 2004. Dem dey to give regulatory framework for how modern biotechnology go dey used for di country. Di odas dey to regulate di importation of di plants or plants products.
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Can you sneeze with your eyes open? Scientists finally reveal the eye-popping truth
It's a rumour that has circulated in playgrounds around the world for years. So, if you sneeze with your eyes open, will they really pop out of your head? Dr David Huston, a professor of medicine at Texas A&M University, has settled the debate once and for all. Contrary to popular belief, it's 'absolutely possible' to sneeze with your eyes open, the expert reassures. Closing your eyes while you blast out a sneeze is simply an autonomic reflex. This means your body does it without you needing to consciously think about it. And if you do manage to ignore this reflex, you'll be relieved to hear that your eyes will not pop out of your head. 'The fact that it is possible to sneeze with the eyes open suggests that it is not hard–wired or mandatory,' Dr Huston said. Sneezing is when your body forcibly expels air from your lungs through your nose and mouth. Usually, this happens when something infectious enters your nostrils – whether it's a virus, an allergen or a chemical. 'Your body uses sneezing as a defense mechanism to clear your nose of mucus – also known as snot – and prevent foreign objects and particles from entering your airway,' explained Meg Sorg, Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing at Purdue University in an article for The Conversation. Sneezing can also occur in reaction to more unusual stimuli. 'Chemicals like piperine or capsaicin found in foods like black pepper and chili peppers can irritate the nerve endings inside your nose's mucous membranes and lead to a sneeze,' Ms Sorg added. What's more, some people experience something called 'photosneezia', where light can trigger a sneeze. Regardless of the type of sneeze, one thing is certain – most people close their eys when this happens. While the reason for this reflex remains unclear, Dr Huston suggest it may be a way to protect your eyes from germs. 'The body works to rid its airways by sneezing when it detects irritating particles in the nose,' he explained. 'By automatically shutting the eyelids when a sneeze occurs, more irritants can potentially be prevented from entering and aggravating the eyes.' Though your eyes do automatically close in response to a sneeze, technically you could fight the reflex, and keep them open. Thankfully, Dr Huston confirmed that playground claims that this would cause your eyes to pop out are 'far–fetched tales'. 'There is little to no evidence to substantiate such claims,' he said. 'Pressure released from a sneeze is extremely unlikely to cause an eyeball to pop out even if your eyes are open.' When pressure builds up in your eyes, usually it's in the blood vessels, and not the eyes or surrounding muscles, Dr Huston added. In certain scenarios, this can cause your smallest blood vessels – called capillaries – to burst. 'During childbirth, excessive straining can cause some veins to hemorrhage, leaving a mother's eyes or face to appear red or markedly bruised,' Dr Huston said, 'But it is irresponsible to claim that such pressure could dislodge the eye from its socket.' What are the symptoms of hayfever? Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen, typically when it comes into contact with your mouth, nose, eyes and throat. Pollen is a fine powder from plants. Symptoms include: a runny or blocked nose itchy, red or watery eyes itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears loss of smell pain around your temples and forehead headache earache feeling tired The NHS recommends staying indoors whenever possible, keeping windows and doors shut, and showering and changing clothes after being outside to minimise contact with pollen.
