Posts Tagged ‘Science’
The science behind farm herbicides and cancer
Farmers count on chemical herbicides to keep their fields weed-free. But an international panel of scientists who studied two of the most heavily used farm chemicals to determine whether they could cause cancer, said exposure to weed-killing chemicals could come at a cost. In the last few months, scientists brought together by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, or IARC, considered glyphosate and 2,4-D.
Read MorePresident Obama proposes boost in funding to fight superbugs
In the budget President Obama is sending to Congress he’s asking for more than $1 billion to combat antibiotic resistance, and some of that money would focus on animal agriculture. Antibiotic resistance can make common medications ineffective, meaning sick people don’t get better and doctors have fewer options to treat bacterial infections.
Read MoreWhen is genomic sequencing worth the cost?
In a Children’s Mercy Hospital lab, what look like hotel minibars with keyboards attached line the walls. These are the latest generation of genome sequencing machines, light years ahead of the first sequencing technology. In 2003, after 13 years, scientists finished mapping the first human genome – that’s more than 3 billion pairs of DNA letters – at a cost of $3 billion. It was one of the great scientific triumphs of modern times. Now, with these newest machines, it’s possible to map a person’s genome in days for thousands of dollars – although what’s often actually examined is a small fraction of the genome called the exome. But sequencing is still more expensive than the standard initial tests for someone with a neurological disorder, and those tests remain the standard practice.
Read MoreA deep breath – created by the Corn Belt?
Scientists have noticed a change in the atmosphere. Plants are taking in more carbon dioxide during the growing season and giving off more carbon in the fall and winter. Recent research shows the massive corn crop in the Corn Belt may be contributing to that deeper breath.
Read MoreUpdate: Looking for the Mystery Man of Runway One
“The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?” —Edgar Allan Poe, “The Premature Burial” In an effort to shed more light on what may be Kansas City’s oldest cold case, KCPT’s Hale Center for Journalism arranged for more…
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