Environmental News Network

Federal Agencies Announce New Initiative to Improve Indoor Health Hazards
Several agencies including the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Surgeon General, Department of Energy (DOE), and White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) got together yesterday at the National Building Museum. The purpose of their meeting was to unveil a new initiative titled Advancing Healthy Housing â€“ A Strategy for Action. The initiative involves addressing America's health and economic costs associated with preventable hazards within the home. It urges taking preemptive action to reduce the health and environmental risks inside the home, a place where the average American spends about 70 percent of their time. >> Read the Full Article
New Research Questions Invasive Bird Introduction to Manage Tick Populations in Turkey
As Turkey raises and releases thousands of non-native helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris) to eat ticks that carry the deadly Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, new research suggests guineafowl actually eat few ticks, carry the parasites on their feathers, and further spread the disease. >> Read the Full Article
Study Suggests Plants Can Be Altruistic Too
Altruism is the behavior that exudes the selfless concern of one to benefit the well being of another at one's own expense. In the animal kingdom, some of these altruistic notions can be when a dog raises orphaned cats or squirrels or when Vervet monkeys will warn fellow monkeys of the presence of predators even though their alarm call will increase their own chances of being attacked. However, altruism is not only linked to humans and members of the animal kingdom - according to a study from the University of Colorado Boulder, research suggests that some plants may also have an altruistic side. >> Read the Full Article
Beat Depression and Feel Better with More Fruits and Vegetables
According to new research out of the New Zealand's University of Otago, consuming more fruits and vegetables increases calm, happiness, and energy in one's daily life. Perhaps it is the knowledge of eating wholesome, unprocessed foods that fundamentally affects our brains. The body knows that it is doing something right and feels better because of it, both physiologically and mentally. The researchers compared consumption of fruits and vegetables with other types of food, but the difference was clear. To beat depression and increase happiness, fruits and veggies are the way to go. >> Read the Full Article
Health Benefits of Berries Affected by Saliva
We are constantly being told which foods are good for us. Whether it can help prevent cancers or lower our cholesterol, we assume that because we ingest these vitamin packed super foods, we are getting all the right nutrients that are promised. But according to new research, which studied the breakdown of berries, some of these compounds may not make it past our mouth. >> Read the Full Article
Costa Rican scientists trial aquatic agriculture to boost food security
Costa Rican researchers are pioneering 'aquatic agriculture' â€” the method of growing crops on freshwater lakes and reservoirs â€” to boost food security in the developing world. The technique involves creating floating rafts on which vegetables, grains and flowers can be grown. Terrestrial crops such as grains and vegetables have their roots directly in the water or can be potted, with water being drawn up into their soil from the lake by capillary wicks, Ricardo Radulovich, a professor at the University of Costa Rica's Department of Agricultural Engineering, explains. >> Read the Full Article
Gym or Raking Leaves?
How important is rigorous gym exercise versus ordinary work day exercise/tasks? New research at Oregon State University suggests the health benefits of small amounts of activity â€“ even as small as one- and two-minute increments that add up to 30 minutes per day â€“ can be just as beneficial as longer periods of physical exercise achieved by a trip to the gym. The nationally representative study of more than 6,000 American adults shows that an active lifestyle approach, as opposed to a structured exercise routine, may be just as beneficial in improving health outcomes, including preventing metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. >> Read the Full Article
Study: Risk of Heart Disease Down 32 Percent for Vegetarians
Meat consumption around the world has been on the rise as incomes have grown. In the United States, more meat is consumed than anywhere else. For many, a meal simply is not a meal if it does not have at least a half-pound of flesh on it. Vegetarianism has been in practice by large groups for quite a long time for both health and moral reasons. According to a new scientific study from the University of Oxford, vegetarians have new ammunition in their anti-meat crusade. The study claims that the risk of hospitalization or death from heart disease is 32 percent lower for vegetarians than for people who eat meat and fish. >> Read the Full Article
Study reveals climate patterns have impact on flu epidemics
The flu season has been hitting hard this winter all across the country with nearly 30 states reporting flulike activity and over 2,200 people being hospitalized according to government health experts. Whether or not you have gotten your flu shot, chances are you or someone you know someone has come down with flu-like systems. So what can we attribute the current spike in flu cases? According to one report, climate change is starting to play an interesting role. >> Read the Full Article
Medicinal Plants Being Studied to Fight Malaria
Traditional healers in Benin possess sophisticated knowledge regarding the treatment of malaria with medicinal plants, and strategies should be developed to exploit this and promote the plants' conservation, says a study. Researchers at the University of Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, documented more than 80 plants, which are believed to be antimalarial and used by traditional healers in southern Benin's Allada plateau, to evaluate traditional knowledge and techniques for treating malaria. >> Read the Full Article