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Small-Scale Harmony
John Donne said “no man is an island,” but it seems that bacteria, and those who study bacteria, have a different opinion. “I view humans as 'continents' of microscopic ecological zones with the kind of diversity comparable to deep oceans or tropical jungles,” said Noah Fierer of the University of Colorado at Boulder. He and his associates used a new DNA sampling technique known as “metagenomics” to show that standard culturing of human skin bacteria dramatically underestimates the full extent of microbial diversity. They found that a typical hand had about 150 different species of bacteria living on it, and they identified more than 4,700 species among the total of 102 hands in the study. It's good to know that bacteria, at least, have figured out how to get along with each other.
Color Me Informed
Knowledge is power, which means that consumer advocates must fight a never-ending battle to disgust people by letting them know what they're actually eating. In early January, the FDA decided in response to a petition from the Center for Science in the Public Interest that food and cosmetics manufacturers that use carmine and cochineal extract—colorings extracted from the dried bodies of cochineal bugs and used in reddish-colored fruit drinks, ice creams, yogurts, and candies—must declare on the labels that those products contain the dried bodies of bugs. This will “help people who suffered allergic reactions determine if the colors were the culprits,” the center said in a statement. But which is worse: dead bugs or artificial colors?
'It's Evil! Don't Touch It'
It's true that knowledge is power, but it may be that a little knowledge about food allergies can be a dangerous thing. Dr. Nicholas A. Christakis has suggested that measures to control nut allergies “represent a gross overreaction to the magnitude of the threat,” and “are making things worse” (BMJ 2008;337:a2880). One overreaction he mentioned, which took place at the elementary school that his children attend, involved a school bus full of children and a lone peanut that was discovered on the floor. “The bus was evacuated and cleaned … even though it was full of 10-year-olds, who, unlike 2-year-olds, could actually be told not to eat food off the floor,” Dr. Christakis wrote.
'Fat for Fuel'
Biodiesel often is touted as an environmentally friendly fuel of the future, but what's the best source? French fry grease? Algae? How about beef tallow? For Dr. Craig Alan Bittner, the answer to that question is just a liposuction procedure away, according to
Small-Scale Harmony
John Donne said “no man is an island,” but it seems that bacteria, and those who study bacteria, have a different opinion. “I view humans as 'continents' of microscopic ecological zones with the kind of diversity comparable to deep oceans or tropical jungles,” said Noah Fierer of the University of Colorado at Boulder. He and his associates used a new DNA sampling technique known as “metagenomics” to show that standard culturing of human skin bacteria dramatically underestimates the full extent of microbial diversity. They found that a typical hand had about 150 different species of bacteria living on it, and they identified more than 4,700 species among the total of 102 hands in the study. It's good to know that bacteria, at least, have figured out how to get along with each other.
Color Me Informed
Knowledge is power, which means that consumer advocates must fight a never-ending battle to disgust people by letting them know what they're actually eating. In early January, the FDA decided in response to a petition from the Center for Science in the Public Interest that food and cosmetics manufacturers that use carmine and cochineal extract—colorings extracted from the dried bodies of cochineal bugs and used in reddish-colored fruit drinks, ice creams, yogurts, and candies—must declare on the labels that those products contain the dried bodies of bugs. This will “help people who suffered allergic reactions determine if the colors were the culprits,” the center said in a statement. But which is worse: dead bugs or artificial colors?
'It's Evil! Don't Touch It'
It's true that knowledge is power, but it may be that a little knowledge about food allergies can be a dangerous thing. Dr. Nicholas A. Christakis has suggested that measures to control nut allergies “represent a gross overreaction to the magnitude of the threat,” and “are making things worse” (BMJ 2008;337:a2880). One overreaction he mentioned, which took place at the elementary school that his children attend, involved a school bus full of children and a lone peanut that was discovered on the floor. “The bus was evacuated and cleaned … even though it was full of 10-year-olds, who, unlike 2-year-olds, could actually be told not to eat food off the floor,” Dr. Christakis wrote.
'Fat for Fuel'
Biodiesel often is touted as an environmentally friendly fuel of the future, but what's the best source? French fry grease? Algae? How about beef tallow? For Dr. Craig Alan Bittner, the answer to that question is just a liposuction procedure away, according to
Small-Scale Harmony
John Donne said “no man is an island,” but it seems that bacteria, and those who study bacteria, have a different opinion. “I view humans as 'continents' of microscopic ecological zones with the kind of diversity comparable to deep oceans or tropical jungles,” said Noah Fierer of the University of Colorado at Boulder. He and his associates used a new DNA sampling technique known as “metagenomics” to show that standard culturing of human skin bacteria dramatically underestimates the full extent of microbial diversity. They found that a typical hand had about 150 different species of bacteria living on it, and they identified more than 4,700 species among the total of 102 hands in the study. It's good to know that bacteria, at least, have figured out how to get along with each other.
Color Me Informed
Knowledge is power, which means that consumer advocates must fight a never-ending battle to disgust people by letting them know what they're actually eating. In early January, the FDA decided in response to a petition from the Center for Science in the Public Interest that food and cosmetics manufacturers that use carmine and cochineal extract—colorings extracted from the dried bodies of cochineal bugs and used in reddish-colored fruit drinks, ice creams, yogurts, and candies—must declare on the labels that those products contain the dried bodies of bugs. This will “help people who suffered allergic reactions determine if the colors were the culprits,” the center said in a statement. But which is worse: dead bugs or artificial colors?
'It's Evil! Don't Touch It'
It's true that knowledge is power, but it may be that a little knowledge about food allergies can be a dangerous thing. Dr. Nicholas A. Christakis has suggested that measures to control nut allergies “represent a gross overreaction to the magnitude of the threat,” and “are making things worse” (BMJ 2008;337:a2880). One overreaction he mentioned, which took place at the elementary school that his children attend, involved a school bus full of children and a lone peanut that was discovered on the floor. “The bus was evacuated and cleaned … even though it was full of 10-year-olds, who, unlike 2-year-olds, could actually be told not to eat food off the floor,” Dr. Christakis wrote.
'Fat for Fuel'
Biodiesel often is touted as an environmentally friendly fuel of the future, but what's the best source? French fry grease? Algae? How about beef tallow? For Dr. Craig Alan Bittner, the answer to that question is just a liposuction procedure away, according to