The World’s Most Popular Banana Could Be Wiped Out
A potent fungus is killing off banana plants and could eventually wipe out much of the fruit around the world, according to a new study. Research published in PLOS Pathogens reveals that a disease strain called Tropical Race 4 has affected banana crops in southeast Asia for decades and in recent years has expanded to the Middle East. Eventually the disease is expected to hit Latin America, where the majority of the world’s bananas are grown.
This isn’t the first time a type of banana has faced being killed off. TR4 is a mutation of an earlier pathogen called Panama Disease, which effectively wiped out a sweeter...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - December 4, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Victor Luckerson Tags: Uncategorized bananas cavendish crops Food fruit panama disease Source Type: news
Your Favorite Banana Is Facing Extinction As Deadly Fungus Spreads
One of the world’s most popular fruits may go extinct -- yet again.
Before 1960, your grandparents and great-grandparents were eating better bananas. Called Gros Michel, they were tastier, bigger and more resilient than the bananas found in supermarkets worldwide today.
“It has a more robust taste,” said Dan Koeppel, author of “Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World” of the yummier yellow fruit. “It’s more creamy.”
So why can’t we too enjoy the robust creaminess of the Gros Michel, once the world's export banana? Turns out, the species went virtually extin...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - December 2, 2015 Category: Science Source Type: news
Watch A Tiny Brainiac Nail A Periodic Table Quiz On 'Ellen'
Move over, Bill Nye, this science gal is giving you a run for your money.
Brielle, 3, may not know how to read yet, but she sure knows a whole lot -- especially when it comes to science. The toddler, who knows the entire periodic table of chemical elements, recently went on "The Ellen Show" to demonstrate her incredible knowledge.
After watching Brielle rattle off elements, you might feel compelled to start flipping through those old science textbooks.
Watch as Ellen DeGeneres holds up photos of different elements along with their letter symbols while the 3-year-old expertly identifies them. She even knows facts abou...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - November 24, 2015 Category: Science Source Type: news
How To Avoid A Thanksgiving Food Coma While Eating What You Want
After eating that enormous Thanksgiving meal, you may want to curl up on the couch (or a stretcher) and moan in belly agony while half-watching football on TV.
Experts estimate the average American consumes upwards of 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving, so it's no wonder a lot of us experience pain after the culinary pleasure. But be grateful for this: There are ways to abate the stomach misery without skimping on any of your favorite Thanksgiving foods. A lot of the discomfort will subside with time and patience (and stomach-settling foods on Black Friday), but certain activities and strategies -- like walking after d...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - November 24, 2015 Category: Science Source Type: news
Kitchen Tox: beware of the durian
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Durian Induced Hyperkalaemia. Leo CLB et al. Med J Malaysia 2011 Mar;66:66-67.
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Durian, a spiky, coconut-sized fruit native to Malaysia and grown throughout southeast Asia, is known for its distinctive aroma that some have compared to ripe Limburger cheese. The Oxford Companion to Food notes that others have compared the smell of durian to “the civet cat, sewage, stale vomit, onions, and cheese; while one disaffected visitor to Indonesia declared that the eating of the flesh was not much different from having to consume used surgical swabs.”
Anthony Bourdain...
Source: The Poison Review - November 18, 2015 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical durian hyperkalemia kitchen toxicology potassium Source Type: news
Trick Your Kids Into Eating Healthy
It's Halloween time! This marks the beginning of the holiday season when we often find ourselves celebrating weeks prior to the arrival of each holiday. Why wait until the new year to start eating healthier? Begin the season of candy, pies and cookies with healthy goals set in place. By committing to a healthier lifestyle now, you can save yourself from ever seeing the scale get to that not-so-pleasant number at the end of December. Most of us have conditioned ourselves to feel the need to purchase Halloween candy weeks in advance of trick or treating. Candy is always going to be on the store shelves. Before buying any ...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - October 30, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
15 Indulgent Desserts That Won't Kill Your Diet
It's often one of the first things to go when someone embarks on a diet, so it's no surprise that desserts have a bit of a bad rep when it comes to healthy eating. But Cheat Day and dessert have become a bit synonymous, meaning it's only right to celebrate the best part of a meal. Even certified nutritionist Christine Avanti sees its benefits. More: 4 Simple Secrets to Making Healthier Desserts "If you're really jonesin' for that chocolate blackout cake (hey, just because I'm a nutritionist doesn't mean I don't enjoy rich desserts!), have a small serving, enjoy it, and move on," Avanti writes in her book, Skinny Chick...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - October 27, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Bananas can fight the flu: Wonder fruit can 'cure' illness and common cold
BANANAS hold the key for the first cure for colds and flu, thanks to a wonder ingredient. (Source: Daily Express - Health)
Source: Daily Express - Health - October 23, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Drug made from bananas can kill viruses including hepatitis C and flu
University of Michigan researchers hope the new medicine will become a vital ‘broad spectrum anti-viral’ that could protect humanity from some of the most vicious diseases - perhaps even Ebola. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - October 23, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Could a drug engineered from bananas fight many deadly viruses? New results show promise
(University of Michigan Health System) A banana a day may not keep the doctor away, but a substance originally found in bananas and carefully edited by scientists could someday fight off a wide range of viruses, new research suggests. And the process used to create the virus-fighting form may help scientists develop even more drugs, by harnessing the 'sugar code' that our cells use to communicate. That code gets hijacked by viruses and other invaders. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - October 22, 2015 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
31 Things I Asked for by Age 31
I had a striking and sudden realization last year when I was in Australia talking to my good friend Kim. The people who receive what they want in their lives don't have a secret hidden talent or good luck. They ask for what they want. How simple! Now, asking is not the only thing you have to do (you certainly have to be a giver first and a do-er and follow through-er) but asking for what you want can and will make a huge difference in your life. It became so clear to me as I replayed in my mind all times that I had seen people voice what they want and then get it -- from romantic relationships to career opportunities to...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - October 21, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
What Makes the New Atheists So Charitable?
Co-authored by Tee Barnett, Programs and Educational Officer at Charity Science Before getting to know your local atheist, it's very much worth rehashing the ABCs of non-belief that run the risk of remaining little known, especially now that the skeptic community has become more interested and active in charitable causes. Public intellectuals frequenting bestseller lists on our behalf are swift to go on the offensive, but there's something to be said for shoring up the defense as well. A real uneasiness toward atheists and their intentions seems to flow from a very common and endlessly parroted assumption--that without ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - October 20, 2015 Category: Science Source Type: news
Expert reveals the best ways to nod off all night from eating bread and bananas to listening to broadbasts
Our bodies repair overnight, so a lack of sleep affects skin, immunity, stress levels and can lead to disease long term, says stress expert and nutritionist Charlotte Watts. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - October 16, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
New treatment extends shelf life of bananas
Scientists investigated the possibility of improving shelf life of bananas by using a postharvest dip of lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE). Bananas that were about 75% green were dipped in solution of 500 ppm LPE for 30 minutes and observed for five days at room temperature. Bananas treated with LPE were firmer and thicker than untreated bananas. Overall results indicated a postharvest dip treatment with LPE may improve shelf life of banana fruit by one to two days. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - October 7, 2015 Category: Science Source Type: news
How a Vaccine Is Like a Banana — and Why That’s Good
For once, the antivaccine folks might be onto something. Want to see just a few of the chemicals that get pumped into the bodies of babies from the average vaccine? Try these: 2-methyl-butyraldehide, ethyl ethanoate, tocopherol, alpha-terpanine and a wicked slug of terpinyl-acetate. It’s a wonder our kids ever make it out of babyhood.
Oh wait, my bad! Those aren’t the ingredients in a vaccine. Those are the ingredients in a blueberry. And the same is true for bananas and eggs too.
One of the greatest misconceptions of the antivaxxers — and plenty of others — is that there’s some binary divide ...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - October 6, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jeffrey Kluger Tags: Uncategorized aluminum anti-vaccine anti-vaxxers Autism Conspiracy Theories health ingredients inserts magnesium Thimerosal vaccines Source Type: news
