Two primate species were among the seizures of bushmeat

By Mark Kinver

Science and environment reporter, BBC News
Two primate species were among the seizures of bushmeat by customs About 270 tonnes of illegal bushmeat could be passing through one of Europe's busiest airports each year, the first study of its kind estimates.

A team of researchers says the illicit trade could pose a risk to human or animal health and increase the demand for meat from threatened species.

The figure is based on seizures from searches carried out over 17 days at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.

The findings appear in the journal Conservation Letters.

A team of researchers from France, Cambodia and the UK said it was the "first systematic study of the scale and nature of this international trade".

"We estimate that about five tonnes of bushmeat per week is smuggled in personal baggage through Paris Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport," they wrote.

During the 17-day study, a total of 134 passengers arriving on 29 flights from 14 African nations were searched.

Nine people were found to be carrying bushmeat, which had a combined mass of 188kg.

In total, 11 species were found - including two types of primates, two kinds of crocodiles and three rodent species - four of which were listed as protected species.

'Lucrative trade'

Co-author Marcus Rowcliffe from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) explained why the international team of researchers decided to carry out the research.

Continue reading the main story Only a small proportion of Africa's bushmeat is exported

Calls for bushmeat ban rejected
"As no study like this had been carried out before, we really had no idea as to the volume of bushmeat coming into airports," he told BBC News.

"It was a surprise when we saw how much was arriving."

The products were not only imported for personal consumption, but were part of a lucrative organised trade with high prices indicating luxury status, Dr Rowcliffe added.

"A 4kg monkey will cost around 100 euros (£84), compared with just five euros in Cameroon," he said.

Based on the data gathered from the 29 flights covered by the study, the researchers then calculated the weekly and annual inward flow of bushmeat.

"Assuming that (the study's) rates are representative of the average weekly rate over the year, this equates to... 273 tonnes of bushmeat," they calculated.

The team suggested that there were likely to be a number of factors behind the large volume of bushmeat being imported.

"First, detecting and seizing these products is not a priority," they explained.

"Second, penalties for importing illegal meat or fish are low and rarely imposed. Third, the rewards for transporting bushmeat are potentially high."

The researchers acknowledged that the study had a short time scale and limited geographical coverage, and said that a longer and large scale survey was now required to build on the findings.

However, they added that their study did allow them to consider ways to control the trade.

They suggest offering incentives to customs officers, increasing the penalties for illegally importing the products and raising awareness among passengers that bringing such products into the EU was prohibited.

The team concluded: "The large scale of current imports makes it important to consider all options for reducing the flow of illegal meat and fish, and of bushmeat in particular."

Illegal bushmeat 'rife in Europe'

Science and environment reporter, BBC News
Two primate species were among the seizures of bushmeat by customs About 270 tonnes of illegal bushmeat could be passing through one of Europe's busiest airports each year, the first study of its kind estimates.


A team of researchers says the illicit trade could pose a risk to human or animal health and increase the demand for meat from threatened species.


The figure is based on seizures from searches carried out over 17 days at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.


The findings appear in the journal Conservation Letters.


A team of researchers from France, Cambodia and the UK said it was the "first systematic study of the scale and nature of this international trade".


"We estimate that about five tonnes of bushmeat per week is smuggled in personal baggage through Paris Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport," they wrote.


During the 17-day study, a total of 134 passengers arriving on 29 flights from 14 African nations were searched.


Nine people were found to be carrying bushmeat, which had a combined mass of 188kg.


In total, 11 species were found - including two types of primates, two kinds of crocodiles and three rodent species - four of which were listed as protected species.


'Lucrative trade'


Co-author Marcus Rowcliffe from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) explained why the international team of researchers decided to carry out the research.


Continue reading the main story Only a small proportion of Africa's bushmeat is exported


Calls for bushmeat ban rejected
"As no study like this had been carried out before, we really had no idea as to the volume of bushmeat coming into airports," he told BBC News.


"It was a surprise when we saw how much was arriving."


The products were not only imported for personal consumption, but were part of a lucrative organised trade with high prices indicating luxury status, Dr Rowcliffe added.


"A 4kg monkey will cost around 100 euros (£84), compared with just five euros in Cameroon," he said.


Based on the data gathered from the 29 flights covered by the study, the researchers then calculated the weekly and annual inward flow of bushmeat.


"Assuming that (the study's) rates are representative of the average weekly rate over the year, this equates to... 273 tonnes of bushmeat," they calculated.


The team suggested that there were likely to be a number of factors behind the large volume of bushmeat being imported.


"First, detecting and seizing these products is not a priority," they explained.


"Second, penalties for importing illegal meat or fish are low and rarely imposed. Third, the rewards for transporting bushmeat are potentially high."


The researchers acknowledged that the study had a short time scale and limited geographical coverage, and said that a longer and large scale survey was now required to build on the findings.


However, they added that their study did allow them to consider ways to control the trade.


They suggest offering incentives to customs officers, increasing the penalties for illegally importing the products and raising awareness among passengers that bringing such products into the EU was prohibited.


The team concluded: "The large scale of current imports makes it important to consider all options for reducing the flow of illegal meat and fish, and of bushmeat in particular."

westof: vegetarian means vegetarian, the clue is in the word, veg...from the root vegetable, with no reference to egg, why do meat eaters and milk drinkers an

westof: vegetarian means vegetarian, the clue is in the word, veg...from the root vegetable, with no reference to egg, why do meat eaters and milk drinkers an

westof: shaun

westof: shaun

Stem cell therapy 'damage' seen in kidney disease case

There are hopes that stem cell therapy can be used to tackle many diseases A new complication has been seen in a patient with kidney disease who received stem cell therapy, scientists have warned.

Stem cells were injected into the kidney, but the patient suffered tissue damage and died from an infection.

The Canadian and Thai researchers said the findings published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology showed caution was needed.

Experts said there was a gap between research and treatment.

Many scientists hope stem cell therapy can be used to treat a wide range of diseases.

It has been shown that it is possible to reprogram adult stem cells, taken from bone marrow, to become a range of specific cell types - including kidney cells.

Continue reading the main story We believe that this is either formed directly by the stem cells that were injected or that the stem cells caused these masses to form
Dr Duangpen Thirabanjasak,

Chulalongkorn University
And animal studies have indicated that injecting stem cells directly into organs, including the kidney, is safe.

The patient in this case had been treated by a private clinic.

Researchers from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, and Paul Scott Thorner, from the University of Toronto, were involved in removing and analysing the kidney.

They found that the patient had not benefited at all from the treatment, but had actually developed tissue damage called angiomyeloproliferative lesions at the injection sites. These were found to be clusters of blood vessels and bone marrow cells.

Enthusiasm 'premature'

Dr Duangpen Thirabanjasak, from Chulalongkorn University, who led the research, said: "This type of lesion has never been described before in patients, and we believe that this is either formed directly by the stem cells that were injected or that the stem cells caused these masses to form."

And she warned that, because they had not been seen before, no-one knew how the lesions might have developed over time.

The authors conclude that their findings should serve as a warning to clinical investigators that the development of blood vessel and bone marrow masses may be a possible complication of stem cell therapy.

And they said more work was needed to identify why the masses formed, and how this could be avoided.

Writing in the journal, Andras Nagy, of Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, and Susan Quaggin, of the University of Toronto, said caution was needed over stem cell therapies - especially if they were being offered by unregulated private clinics.

They added: "Premature enthusiasm and protocols that are not fully vetted are dangerous and result in negative publicity for the field of stem cell research, and more importantly, may result in disastrous outcomes with no benefit to the patient.

"Although there is promise, a large gap still exists between scientific knowledge and clinical translation for safe and effective stem cell-based therapies.

Diabetes drugs given 'too soon'

Diabetes drugs given 'too soon'

Eating a healthy diet is a key part of diabetes control
One in three people with type 2 diabetes are given medication too soon, instead of being urged to eat better and do more exercise, a study suggests.

A study of 650 people in south west England found 36% were put on tablets within a month of being diagnosed, a Diabetes UK conference heard.

But guidelines recommend first trying lifestyle changes to control diabetes.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said medication helps people to "manage their condition".

The Royal College of GPs agreed diet and exercise should come first.

More than 400 people a day are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the UK.

When people are diagnosed, they're ready to make a lot of changes but if you give them a tablet, you're saying it is not their lifestyle that is the problem

Dr Rob Andrew
It is often associated with obesity, and attempts in recent years to screen people for the disease has increased the number of people being diagnosed.

In the latest study, researchers found that in many patients lifestyle management was not given a chance, despite being widely recognised as being the initial first "treatment".

Metformin is the first drug of choice, but more drugs can be added if that is not doing enough to control blood sugar levels.

The researchers found that 13% of participants were actually on two types of tablets within the first few weeks of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Study author Dr Rob Andrew, a senior lecturer at the University of Bristol, said they had not expected the figures to be quite so high.

"There is quite clear guidance that says when you're first diagnosed, you should have the opportunity to concentrate on lifestyle then if that doesn't work the next stage is metformin.

Balanced diet

"When people are diagnosed, they're ready to make a lot of changes but if you give them a tablet, you're saying it is not their lifestyle that is the problem."

He added that incentive payments to encourage GPs to reduce blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes, a lack of NHS resources for lifestyle support and a cultural attitude that people will not make the necessary changes are probably all to blame.

Simon O'Neill, from Diabetes UK, said they were concerned that in some cases medication seemed to be the first port of call.

"A healthy, balanced diet and doing physical activity should always be the foundation of good diabetes management.

"Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition - the longer a person has diabetes, the more likely they are to need tablets, and eventually insulin.

Good diabetes care is not just about medication

Department of Health

"Even if people are on tablets, medication should not simply replace diet and physical activity."

Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said there was probably a case of jumping in too quickly with pills.

"It is a reminder for GPs and nurses managing newly diagnosed diabetes that lifestyle advice is the most important component."

He added that in some areas of the country there was a lack of resources for supporting behavioural changes.

The Department of Health has defended its treatment of people with the condition.

A spokeswoman said: "Prescribed medication is vital to enable many people with diabetes to manage their condition on a day-to-day basis and to reduce their risk of developing complications such as heart attack and stroke."

However, she stressed that "good diabetes care is not just about medication".

"As the NICE guidelines recommend, people with type 2 diabetes should be encouraged to make lifestyle changes, such as healthy eating and increased physical activity, before starting medication," she said.

Replacing white rice with brown rice and wholemeal bread could cut the risk of diabetes by a third

White rice has a higher glycaemic index than brown rice Replacing white rice with brown rice and wholemeal bread could cut the risk of diabetes by a third, US experts say.


White rice poses a diabetes threat because it causes steep rises in blood sugar, say Harvard researchers in Archives of Internal Medicine.


Brown rice and other wholegrain foods are a healthier option as they release glucose more gradually, they say.
The study is based on questionnaires; some say the data is not robust enough to base firm conclusions on.
It may be that people who eat less white rice tend to live healthier lifestyles, for example.


'Brown is better'
In the study of nearly 200,000 US people, white rice consumption was linked to type 2 diabetes.
After adjusting for age and other diabetes risk factors, those who ate five or more 150g servings of white rice per week had a 17% increased risk of diabetes compared with people who consumed less than one serving - about a cup of rice - per month.
Although few people - only 2% - in the study ate this much white rice, the finding was significant.
The best way to prevent type 2 diabetes is by keeping active and eating a healthy balanced diet that is low in fat, salt and sugar with plenty of fruit and vegetables
Dr Victoria King


Diabetes UK
Yet eating brown rice appeared to have the opposite effect, cutting the risk of type 2 diabetes.
People who ate two or more servings of brown rice per week had an 11% reduced risk of developing the condition compared with those who ate less than one serving a month.
Based on the results, the researchers estimate that replacing 50g or one-third of a typical serving of white rice with the same amount of brown rice would lead to a 16% lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
And replacing the white rice with wholegrains, including brown rice and pasta, wholemeal bread and rolled oats, could cut the risk by more than a third.
Food composition
Dr Qi Sun and other researchers say the explanation lies in the composition of the food.
Like other wholegrain foods, brown rice is high in fibre and releases its energy slowly.
In contrast, white rice has had all the bran and some of the germ removed during milling.
This gives white rice a higher glycaemic index (GI) - a measure of how much a food raises blood sugar levels compared with the same amount of glucose or white bread.
"From a public health point of view, replacing refined grains such as white rice by whole grains, including brown rice, should be recommended to facilitate the prevention of type 2 diabetes," according to the researchers.
Experts generally recommend that at least half of carbohydrate intake should come from whole grains like brown rice.
More than 70% of the rice consumed in developed countries such as the US and UK is white.
Dr Victoria King of Diabetes UK said that, since the results were from self-reported food diaries and questionnaires, it was not possible to make conclusive recommendations on how much of certain foods, such as brown rice, might protect against type 2 diabetes at this stage.
"The best way to prevent type 2 diabetes is by keeping active and eating a healthy balanced diet that is low in fat, salt and sugar with plenty of fruit and vegetables," she said.

Autism link with migrant parents, study finds

mengele-westof

Autism link with migrant parents, study finds


It is thought migration might "trigger" the onset of autism
Researchers have discovered that where you used to live could affect your child's chances of being autistic by up to five times.


The study looked at children whose mother had moved to the UK from outside Europe.


It showed an increased risk of autism in children whose parents had migrated from Africa, the Caribbean and Asia, the UK researchers said.


The greatest risk was for the Caribbean group, the BBC World Service reported.


Speaking on Health Check, Dr Daphne Keen, from St. George's Hospital London, said while the findings show a clear link between immigration and autism - they could not determine exactly why this was the case.




Stress factors and social isolation and so forth may operate as triggers.


Dr Daphne Keen
The research covered 428 children diagnosed with autism during a six-year period.


"We didn't find there was an increased risk in the parents who had migrated from other European countries," Dr Keen added.


"The size of the increased risk was greatest for the Caribbean group. This was at least five times.


"The risk was also very significant, but slightly less, for the African population and much lower, but still a little present, for the Asian population."


Two factors


The study took into consideration that it may just be a case of ethnicity - rather than migration - that caused the rise in cases.


However, researchers compared their results with children born of UK-born parents with Caribbean, African and Asian roots.


"We found when we analysed the two factors together, that the risk fell considerably.




HEALTH CHECK


Health Check is the weekly health programme broadcast from the BBC World Service
It is broadcast on Monday at 1032GMT and repeated at 1532GMT, 2032GMT and on Tuesday at 0132GMT
It is also available as a podcast
"It seemed to suggest that immigration was the major factor, and ethnicity was just possibly a factor."


One theory is that the stress of migrating could act as a "trigger" for the disability, a factor discovered in similar studies looking at the causes of schizophrenia.


"There have been some interesting studies that seem to suggest that those sort of stress factors and social isolation and so forth may operate as triggers."

A genetically modified (GM) variety of maize banned in the EU has been sown accidentally across Germany.

Banned GM maize sown in Germany
Page last updated at 15:34 GMT, Monday, 7 June 2010 16:34 UK
GM crops are much less widespread in Europe than in the US A genetically modified (GM) variety of maize banned in the EU has been sown accidentally across Germany.

The NK603 variety has been planted in seven states. The seed supplier, US firm Pioneer Hi-Bred, called the level of contamination "minute".

It is not clear how the mistake occurred, but it could cost farmers millions of euros, as crops will now have to be destroyed.

The EU is currently reviewing its tight rules on the cultivation of GM crops.

Pioneer Hi-Bred, based in Buxtehude near Hamburg, says NK603 has been planted on "just under 2,000 hectares (4,940 acres)" of land. The environmental group Greenpeace put the area as high as 3,000 hectares.

Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Lower Saxony are among the states where it has been sown.

Information delayed

Supporters of GM crops argue that they deliver higher yields and resistance to pests, requiring less fertiliser and pesticides.

Opponents say more scientific data is needed, arguing that their long-term genetic impact on humans and wildlife could be harmful.

They also say GM crops can enter the food chain inadvertently if they are naturally cross-pollinated with non-GM varieties.

Greenpeace says that officials knew about the contamination in early March, but that because of bureaucratic delays farmers are only now being warned.

"This is the biggest GM crop scandal in Germany to date," said a Greenpeace agriculture expert, Alexander Hissting.

Ploughing up fields

In the affected fields, up to 0.1% of the crop is contaminated with NK603 - equivalent to 100 contaminated plants per hectare, Greenpeace says.

Pioneer Hi-Bred disputes that figure. Company spokesman Mike Hall told the BBC that the level of NK603 detected in the "conventional seed" was 0.03%.

"It's highly unlikely that it's a GM trace. Anything below 0.1% could be a false positive, impossible to quantify scientifically," he said.

"In the past when they found trace amounts we removed the seed from the market. In this case they told us after it had been planted."

Stefanie Becker, spokeswoman for Lower Saxony's Environment Ministry, said that "fields will have to be ploughed up before the maize blooms - it is still possible to halt the uncontrolled spread [of the GM variety]".

She said her ministry did not get details about the distribution of the GM maize until last Friday. "We have the distributors' names, and through them the farmers will be informed," she told the BBC.

Ms Becker said the contamination affected about 2,000 hectares and originated from two sacks of seeds. It is not yet clear how the seeds got mixed up, she said.

EU divided

So far the EU has allowed only two GM crops to be cultivated - Monsanto's MON 810 maize and a type of potato harvested for starch. But Germany, like some other EU countries, banned MON 810 last year.

EU member states are divided over GM crops. Commercial GM planting takes place in Spain, Portugal and the Czech Republic. But France, Germany, Austria and Greece are among several states that have banned MON 810.

The GM maize that has spread in Germany "is not harmful to human or animal health", Ms Becker said.

The European Commission is overhauling the rules on GM crops and will present new proposals next month allowing member states more freedom to allow or ban GM varieties.

Countries would be allowed to set their own technical standards for GM farming, including buffer zones to prevent cross-pollination.

The new rules will still require approval by EU governments and the European Parliament.

WHO swine flu experts 'linked' with drug companies

WHO swine flu experts 'linked' with drug companies
Page last updated at 11:14 GMT, Friday, 4 June 2010 12:14 UK
Governments around the world stockpiled antiviral drugs Key scientists behind World Health Organization advice on stockpiling of pandemic flu drugs had financial ties with companies which stood to profit, an investigation has found.

The British Medical Journal says the scientists had openly declared these interests in other publications yet WHO made no mention of the links.

It comes as a report from the Council of Europe criticised the lack of transparency around the handling of the swine flu pandemic.

A spokesman for WHO said the drug industry did not influence its decisions on swine flu.

Guidelines recommending governments stockpile antiviral drugs were issued by WHO in 2004.

The advice prompted many countries around the world into buying up large stocks of Tamiflu, made by Roche, and Relenza manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.

A year after the swine flu pandemic was declared, stocks are left unused in warehouses and governments are attempting to unpick contracts.

Conflict of interest

The BMJ, in a joint investigation with The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, found that three scientists involved in putting together the 2004 guidance had previously been paid by Roche or GSK for lecturing and consultancy work as well as being involved in research for the companies.

Analysis
Continue reading the main story
Fergus Walsh
Medical correspondent, BBC News
Be open. Be transparent. That seems to be the key learning point for the WHO from this joint investigation.

It is common practice for academic experts to work closely with the pharmaceutical industry, such as getting funding for drug trials, or to be paid for attending meetings.

On all clinical papers authors must publicly declare any competing interests.

So it is surely advisable that the WHO follows the same policy with its advisors.

And there is surely no logic in refusing to name the members of the emergency committee which advised the WHO about the pandemic.

To fail to do so presents an own goal to critics and conspiracy theorists.
Although the scientists involved had freely declared the links in other places and said WHO asked for conflicts of interest forms prior to expert meetings, the ties were not publically declared by WHO.

It is not clear whether these conflicts were notified privately by WHO to governments around the world, the BMJ said, and a request to see conflict of interest declarations was turned down.

In addition, membership of the "emergency committee" which advised WHO's director general Margaret Chan on declaring an influenza pandemic has been kept secret.

It means the names of the 16 committee members are known only to people within WHO, and as such their possible conflicts of interest with drug companies are unknown.

On its website, WHO says: "Potential conflicts of interest are inherent in any relationship between a normative and health development agency, like WHO, and a profit-driven industry.

"Similar considerations apply when experts advising the Organization have professional links with pharmaceutical companies.

"Numerous safeguards are in place to manage possible conflicts of interest or their perception."

'Male menopause' idea questioned

'Male menopause' idea questioned
Doctors are divided on the idea of a male 'menopause' The "male menopause" is a myth, according to a review.

Some doctors have linked a fall in testosterone levels as men get older to symptoms such as depression and low sex drive.

But an editorial in Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin says many men reporting symptoms have normal hormone levels.

They warn against giving synthetic testosterone as it can increase the risk of prostate cancer.

Doctors are divided on the idea that men go through a well-defined "menopause".

Continue reading the main story What the paper says is that the doctor must assess the risks versus the benefits of giving testosterone
Dr Ian Banks

Men's Health Forum
Some doctors advocate the use of synthetic testosterone to relieve some of the symptoms associated with so-called male menopause such as weakness, depression and sexual problems.

But the journal says that unlike the menopause in women, where levels of the female hormone fall dramatically, testosterone levels fall by only 1 to 2% a year from the age of 40 onwards in men.

Around 80% of 60-year-olds and half of those in their 80s still have levels within the normal range.

The editorial concludes: "There is no place for testosterone therapy in older men without symptoms, or without clearly low testosterone concentrations on more than one occasion."

Risks vs benefits

Commenting on the report, Dr Ian Banks, a GP and president of the Men's Health Forum, said: "What the paper says is that the doctor must assess the risks versus the benefits of giving testosterone."

He said men seeking a "quick fix" for symptoms such as tiredness and lack of sex drive should consider lifestyle changes first.

"We've got to get the message over to resist the temptation of the quick fix and look at things such as lifestyle that you can do something about," he added.

shaun

Shaun ! rest in peace. love from mum and richard

Shaun ! rest in peace. love from mum and richard

New UN climate head demands ambition and transparency

New UN climate head demands ambition and transparency
Page last updated at 14:28 GMT, Tuesday, 18 May 2010 15:28 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version By Steven Duke
Editor, One Planet, BBC World Service

Ms Figueres asked for "ambition, transparency and inclusiveness" The new head of the UN's climate convention has called for ambition and transparency in UN climate talks.

Christiana Figueres also told the BBC that the process used to hammer out a deal at December's Copenhagen summit was "not the most satisfactory".

The Costa Rican diplomat, who has been involved in UN climate negotiations since 1995, said she was "very honoured" to take up the post.

"It's time to make more effort, it's time to be more ambitious," she said.

Speaking to the BBC's One Planet programme, Ms Figueres added: "It is time to be more transparent and it's time to be more inclusive."

Little accord

The immediate challenge facing the new executive secretary will be to rebuild political and public support for UN negotiations, following the perceived failure to deliver a binding agreement at the Copenhagen summit.

A weaker deal - the Copenhagen Accord - was thrashed out by a select group of countries as the summit came to a stuttering end.

Admitting those accord talks were "not transparent and not inclusive enough," Ms Figueres denied that Copenhagen had been a failure, stressing climate change was now "at the top of every political agenda in every country".

The next big summit being organised by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be held in Mexico at the end of the year.

Kim Carstensen, leader of the Global Climate Initiative with WWF, offered Ms Figueres the environment group's congratulations.

"She promises to be an inspiring leader who can keep a high level political dialogue going in order to secure the first critical elements of a climate treaty in Mexico," he said.

"Her background should allow her to foster trust between countries and to push for an ambitious climate deal."

Asked if it was time for the UN to look at ways to control the climate other than by enforcing tough cuts in carbon emissions, Ms Figueres re-iterated that emissions will remain the focus of her efforts.

But she did suggest it was wrong to devote all political attention to curbing harmful gases, saying efforts to help countries adapt to a changing climate had become "relegated to the side, and need to come to the centre and front".

She will take over from outgoing executive secretary Yvo de Boer in July, after the annual two weeks of negotiations between officials in Bonn.

You can hear the full interview with Ms Figueres in this week's edition of the One Planet show on the BBC World Service

gnaw through the nuts'

By Mark Kinver
Science and environment reporter, BBC News
Agoutis are said to the only rodent able to gnaw through the nuts' outer casing A study examining the natural dispersal of Brazil nuts has suggested that intensive harvesting could threaten future regeneration of the trees.

Researchers found that large rodents quickly ate the nuts, rather than caching them, when supplies were scarce.

When supplies were plentiful, almost twice as many nuts were buried, increasing the chance of successful germination, the team added.

The findings appear in the Journal of Tropical Ecology.

The scientists from Norway, Brazil and the UK said that very little was know about the fate of Brazil nuts under natural condition, despite it being one of the most economically important non-timber crops to come out of Amazonia.

Seasonal effect

In order to get a better understanding of how the seeds were dispersed, they tracked 900 marked seeds to see how seasonal food availability affected agoutis' and acouchis' - large scatter-hoarding rodents - caching rates, dispersal distances and how long the seeds were buried before being eaten.

BRAZIL NUT TREE FACTSContinue reading the main story Can grow to 50m (164ft) high
The trees live for about 500 years
The trees' fruit have a hard case, which contains 10-25 seeds (nuts)
The seeds remain trapped, unless the case is gnawed open by agoutis
Trees located in dense tropical forests can take up to 150 years to reach maturity
"We basically found that the seasons had a very strong effect on the dispersal distances and what happened to the seeds themselves," explained Torbjorn Haugaasen, an ecologist at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

"During the wet season (April) - when there are a lot of other fruits in the forest - more seeds were cached for later retrieval," he added.

"In the dry season (September), on the other hand, more seeds were eaten immediately because there was not that much food around and the rodents needed to draw on the food resource.

"Seeds were also taken further away during the dry season, which suggests that the rodents saw them as a more valuable resource than during the wet season," Dr Haugaasen told BBC News.

The field study, carried out during 2006, showed that 74.4% of seeds were buried during the wet season, compared with just 38.2% during the dry season.

The team suggested that collecting too many Brazil nuts from an area could replicate "dry season" conditions for the rodents.

"Reduced seed availability due to intensive harvesting could potentially create a dry-season scenario where most seeds succumb to pre-dispersal predation, thereby adversely affecting the natural regeneration of Brazil nut trees," they wrote.

Seeds of hope

The researchers said that populations of two large rodent species were responsible for the dispersal of the Brazil nut tree seeds: agoutis and acuchis.

Up to 25 seeds, what we call Brazil nuts, are contained in the trees' fruit However, they added, only the agoutis were capable of gnawing through the hard, thick outer casing of the fruit and releasing the seeds (Brazil nuts).

Agoutis, which can weigh up to 6kg, are found throughout the same range as the Brazil nut trees in South America.

"The (trees) therefore rely almost entirely on these large terrestrial rodents for the release of their well-protected seeds," the team explained.

"Those seeds not consumed within the germination period (12-18 months) may germinate, and seeds may remain viable for at least six years."

Scatter-hoarding also benefits plants in a number of ways, such as transporting seeds away from the parent plants and increasing the probability of reaching a site more suitable for germination.

Dr Haugaasen explained that the team decided to carry out the study in order to build on the findings of a 2003 paper published in Science, which first identified the link between intensive harvesting and the lack of young Brazil nut trees.

Writing in the 2003 paper, researchers said: "Persistently harvested stands were characterised by larger (and presumably older) trees and few or no juveniles.

But, they observed: "Juveniles were most common in unharvested and lightly harvested stands."

However, Dr Haugaasen said, the people harvesting the nuts could unknowingly be contributing to the regeneration of the trees, as some nuts were accidentally dropped as they were carried out of the forest.

"We actually found seedlings along the path used by the collectors. However, this does not mean that they are all going to reach maturity because they are in (vulnerable) places."

But he warned that restricting nut collecting could prove to be counterproductive because the harvests were a key source of income for local communities.

"Alternative possibilities, such as managed planting of seedlings in natural gaps in the forest might be a better solution," he suggested.

Dr Haugaasen said that the next step for the researchers was to look at the "management implications" of their findings.

"We also need to know how the hunting of these rodents can effect the natural regeneration of these trees," he added.

"You can have a negative impact by reducing the number of these rodents.

"However, if you have a large number of seeds already buried by a rodent before it is shot, no-one else knows where those seeds are.

"So, you could arguably have a positive impact on regeneration."

Further studies on the ecology of Brazil nut trees are expected to be published in the coming 12 months

was the Euro the eternal answer

was the Euro the eternal answer
the finances of Greece illustrate the one size fits all has issues
German stereotype ?
Who kept the U.K out of the euro
Petrol bombs were thrown at police, who responded with pepper spray and tear gas

Greece is "on the brink of the abyss", President Karolos Papoulias has warned, after three people died during protests over planned austerity measures.

"We are all responsible so that it does not take the step into the void," the president said in a statement.

It followed a day of violence during which protesters set fire to a bank, killing three employees.

Greece's government has vowed to pursue the spending cuts - a condition of its 110bn euro ($142bn; £95bn) bail-out.

"We are prepared to pay the heavy political cost," Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou told parliament during Wednesday's debate on the bill.

"We will not take a single step backwards."

The euro hit a fresh 13-month low against the dollar and European stock markets were also hit, amid concerns over Greek bail-out plans.


ANALYSIS

By Malcolm Brabant, BBC News, Athens



The situation in Athens is very tense at the moment - people are pausing and reflecting on what has happened.
Some people think that the deaths of the bank workers will have the impact of dampening down the protests because people will think that losing human lives is not worth it. But there are others who believe that this is the start of a social explosion.

This is a very volatile country.

If the outside markets look at Greece and think it is about to collapse, it may become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In video: Reporter overcome

There are also fears Greece's debt crisis could spread to other countries.

The austerity measures - which the Greek parliament is due to vote by the end of the week - include wage freezes, pension cuts and tax rises. They aim to achieve fresh budget cuts of 30bn euros over three years, with the goal of cutting Greece's public deficit to less than 3% of GDP by 2014. It currently stands at 13.6%.

The general strike is the third to hit Greece in as many months. The protest became violent, with petrol bombs thrown at police who responded with pepper spray and tear gas.

The bodies of two women - one pregnant - and a man were found inside the Marfin bank branch on Stadiou Avenue in central Athens. They were among 20 people working there when the petrol bomb was thrown.

Most of the employees managed to escape the fumes as the flames took hold, but the three found their way blocked as they tried to escape to the roof and they suffocated.

Prime Minister George Papandreou told MPs in parliament the killings were a "murderous act".


GREEK AUSTERITY MEASURES
Public sector pay frozen till 2014
Public sector allowances cut by 20%
State pensions frozen or cut
Average retirement age up from 61 to 63
VAT increased from 19% to 23%
Taxes on fuel, alcohol and tobacco up 10%
One-off tax on profits, plus new gambling, property and green taxes


In pictures: Greece protests
Angry Greeks 'left carrying the can'
Greek economy 'to shrink by 3%'
Hewitt: Europe's days of anxiety
"Nobody has the right to violence and particularly violence that leads to murder. Violence breeds violence."

But one of the protesters told the BBC it had been the fault of the police, whose "brutality" had led to the escalation.

"It's something tragic but I think that the responsibility in the last instance lies with the government because the government unleashed a tremendous amount of police violence against a huge demonstration," Panayotis Sotiris said.

Europe future 'at stake'

Meanwhile, the German parliament has begun considering the bail-out plan for Greece. Chancellor Angela Merkel urged MPs to back the emergency loan package agreed by European finance ministers at the weekend.


What went wrong in Greece?

Greece's economic reforms that led to it abandoning the drachma in favour of the euro in 2002 made it easier for the country to borrow money.

Greece went on a debt-funded spending spree, including high-profile projects such as the 2004 Athens Olympics, which went well over budget.

It was hit by the downturn, which meant it had to spend more on benefits and received less in taxes. There were also doubts about the accuracy of its economic statistics.

Greece's economic problems meant lenders started charging higher interest rates to lend it money and widespread tax evasion also hit the government's coffers.

There have been demonstrations against the government's austerity measures to deal with its 300bn euro (£267bn) debt, such as cuts to public sector pay.

Now the government has announced that it needs to access the 30bn euros (£26bn) in emergency loans it has been offered by other EU countries.
BACK 1 of 6 NEXT It requires Germany to pay the largest proportion of the loans.

"Quite simply, Europe's future is at stake," she said.

The EU has agreed to provide 80bn euros (£69bn) in funding - of which around 22bn euros would come from Germany.

Another 30bn euros will come from the International Monetary Fund and the remainder from other eurozone members.

European Council President Herman van Rompuy said the European Union was watching events in Greece.

"We are all concerned by the Greek economic and budgetary situation, but at this moment our thoughts are with the human victims in Athens," Mr van Rompuy said

"A major programme has just been finalised. This programme is ambitious and credible in efforts that it represents towards the budgetary plan and competitiveness."

The bail-out deal is designed to prevent Greece from defaulting on its massive debt.

However, it must first be approved by some parliaments in the 15 other eurozone countries.

Uganda's highest ice cap splits on Mt Margherita

Uganda's highest ice cap splits on Mt Margherita

Uganda's Rwenzori Mountains in 1987 on the left and in 2005 on the right
The ice cap on Uganda's highest peak has split because of global warming, Uganda's Wildlife Authority (UWA) says.

The glacier is located at an altitude of 5,109m (16,763ft) in the Rwenzori mountain range, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The authorities say a crevasse has blocked access to the Margherita summit - the third-highest peak in Africa, and a popular destination with climbers.

Scientists say glaciers in the Rwenzori range could disappear within 20 years.

UWA officials said a team had been sent to the mountain to assess the extent of damage on the route to Margherita.

According to researchers, the ice cap covered 6 sq km (2 sq miles) 50 years ago. It is now less than 1 sq km.

The mountain range, which is one of the few places near the equator to have glaciers, was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1994.

Election: Vote battle intensifies for final three days

Election: Vote battle intensifies for final three days

Cameron denies he is 'over-confident'
Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg are into the final three days of election campaigning.

The Tories are ahead in the polls but not by enough to get a majority - Mr Cameron says they will campaign through the night in a final push from Tuesday.

Mr Brown said he would fight "every inch" and said "judgement and wisdom" were needed after the financial crisis.

Mr Clegg told supporters in south-east London "the sky's the limit" and they had "three days to change Britain".

The three leaders are spending the bank holiday visiting numerous seats they hope to win on 6 May.

'No complacency'

Three days before the closest election since 1992, an ICM/Guardian poll puts the Conservatives on 33%, Labour and the Lib Dems on 28% while a YouGov poll for the Sun puts the Tories on 34%, Lib Dems on 29% and Labour on 28% - which continue to point to a hung parliament.

BBC News Channel chief political correspondent Laura Kuenssberg said despite the final TV debate and Mr Brown having to apologise after being overheard calling a pensioner "bigoted", the polls had not really shifted over the past week.

In Blackpool on Monday, Mr Cameron said there was not "one ounce of complacency" in his campaign and pledged a through-the-night campaign from Tuesday night to Wednesday night, in which he is expected to meet fishermen, bakers and florists who work in the early hours of the morning.


In this country you don't inherit power, you have to earn it

Nick Clegg


Clegg warns of Tory 'arrogance'
He said he was taking "no vote for granted" and recognised that millions of people were still making up their minds.

In a message to his parliamentary candidates he said: "This is the vital time. You need to go door to door, street to street, house to house. We have a huge amount of work to do, a lot of people left to convince."

"If we get out there we can... win it and win it for our country," he said.

On Sunday he said his party had the "momentum" - and was criticised by Labour's Lord Mandelson who said Mr Cameron was "desperate to give the impression that he is home and dry" but in fact voters were "firmly resisting his soft soap campaign".

'Sky's the limit'

Addressing supporters in Blackheath, south-east London, Mr Clegg accused Mr Cameron of "breathtaking arrogance" and of "measuring up the curtains" at 10 Downing Street before the election had taken place.

Urging activists to "campaign every minute of the day", he said: "Anything can happen. The sky's the limit."


I'm going to fight every inch of the way and every second of the day

Gordon Brown
Mr Clegg said: "We have got three days in this most exciting election campaign, three days to change Britain for good. Three days to deliver the fairness... for the families and communities of Great Britain."

He acknowledged a change in Lib Dem strategy - campaigning in seats like Streatham and Lewisham that the party would not have expected to win. Mr Clegg told the BBC: "We are reaching deeper into parts of Britain that have been let down by Labour in particular for so long."

The Lib Dems have also released a list of celebrity supporters - which includes actors Colin Firth and Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, satirist Armando Ianucci and campaigner Bianca Jagger.

Meanwhile Mr Brown has been joined by his own celebrity supporter, Dragons' Den entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne, in visits to Basildon and Ipswich on Monday morning.

Equality plans

He acknowledged he was "fighting for my life" in what he described as "a post global-financial-crisis election".

He said the government needed to make the "right calls" and "judgement and wisdom" were needed while the Tories had been on the wrong side of the arguments during the economic crisis.

"It is a Labour majority government we need," he said.

"I'm going to fight every inch of the way and every second of the day to tell people in Britain that fight for the future must mean people look at our plan and what we're proposing."

The Conservatives have unveiled plans for a "contract for young people" - to guarantee them help with training and getting jobs and are setting out plans for new rules aimed at forcing listed companies to hire more female directors, proposals to close the gender pay gap and set up mentoring schemes for female and ethnic minority entrepreneurs.

Labour is concentrating on its "seasides manifesto" to boost resort towns and help them benefit from opportunities in low carbon businesses and economic regeneration.

The Lib Dems will turn their fire on the Conservatives arguing they would not reform the banks and rebuild the economy because they are "in hock to the City of London".

The three leaders will also address a CitizensUK election "assembly" of about 2,500 people in London. Each will speak for 10 minutes before taking questions from a panel about "civil society".

Australia shelves key emissions trading scheme

Mr Rudd has said climate change is "the moral challenge of our generation"

The Australian government has put plans for a flagship emissions trading scheme on hold until 2013 at the earliest.

The move comes after the scheme was rejected twice by the Senate, where Prime Minster Kevin Rudd's government does not have a majority.

Mr Rudd, who came to power promising tough climate action, blamed opposition obstruction and slow global progress on emissions cuts for the plan's delay.

Australia is one of the highest per capita carbon emitters in the world.

Australia has some of the highest per capita carbon emissions of developed nations.

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Mr Rudd had hoped the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) would cut Australia's carbon emissions by up to 25% from 2000 levels by 2020, by requiring industrial polluters to buy licences to emit carbon.

The scheme had been scheduled to begin in July 2011, but Mr Rudd said the government would now delay plans until the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

He said doing so would "provide the Australian government at the time with a better position to assess the level of global action on climate change".

The BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney says the postponement is a major climbdown by the Rudd government, which reflects the changing politics of climate change in Australia.

Developed countries with highest CO2 emissions

Tonnes of C02 per capita, 2006
Luxembourg	25.81
USA	20.12
Australia	19.06
Canada	17.10
Finland	12.94
Czech Republic	12.57
Estonia	12.34
Ireland	11.63
Belgium	11.47
Russia	11.14
Denmark	10.77
Germany	10.52
Netherlands	10.46
Greece	10.26
Iceland	10.15
Japan	9.96
Austria	9.47
Norway	9.40
UK	9.15
Spain	8.87

SOURCE: Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Ahead of the Copenhagen climate change conference, the prime minister looked set to fight - and win - this year's Australian election on the emissions trading issue, says our correspondent, but polls have pointed to an erosion of public support.

Mr Rudd had hoped to enact the CPRS into law before last year's Copenhagen climate summit.

But in December, shortly before the summit opened, the proposed scheme was rejected by the Senate for a second time.

The move came after the opposition Liberal party ousted its leader Malcolm Turnbull - who had pledged his backing for the measure - and replaced him with climate sceptic Tony Abbott.

Mr Rudd said the Liberal Party's decision to "backflip on its historical commitment to bring in a CPRS", coupled with a lack of global action on climate change, meant it was inevitable that the scheme would be delayed in Australia.

"It's very plain that the correct course of action is to extend the implementation date," he said.

'Moral challenge'

Despite the decision, the prime minister said his government remained committed to reducing greenhouse gases.

"Climate change remains a fundamental economic and environmental and moral challenge for all Australians, and for all peoples of the world. That just doesn't go away," he said.

Mr Rudd's critics will say that this exposes a familiar characteristic of his leadership: his reluctance to fight for causes when the polls suggest he might be in danger Read more from Nick Bryant

But Mr Abbott accused Mr Rudd of a lack of credibility over the policy reversal.

"It seems the government has dropped its policy to deal with climate change because it is frightened the public think that this really is just a great big new tax on everything," ABC News quoted him as saying.

"He's running away from it because he seems scared."

Mr Abbott has previously said it would be premature for Australia to adopt such a scheme ahead of other countries.

Some lawmakers had questioned the scientific case for global warming and said that the emissions trading scheme would damage Australia's economy.

'Pick the right veg' for health

Papaya is a fruit rich in beta-cryptoxanthin

Obvious choices of fruit and vegetables are not necessarily the healthiest, say researchers.

According to US experts, making simple swaps like eating sweet potatoes instead of carrots and papaya rather than oranges could make a difference.

Foods, like raspberries, watercress and kale, are richer in phytonutrients which may help prevent disease, they told a US meeting.

UK nutritionists said a balanced diet is essential to good health.

The British Nutrition Foundation warned that relying on eating a few select food types to boost health was ill-advised and said there was no such thing as a "superfood".

No one food can give you everything you need Dr Emma Williams of the British Nutrition Foundation

Experts recommend five portions a day of fruit and veg in a healthy diet.

Plant foods are known to contain "phytonutrient" chemicals that can protect the heart and arteries and prevent cancers.

But the most popular varieties may not be the best, according to US researchers.

They analysed data from US health surveys of people's dietary habits to look at the most common sources of phytonutrients.

They found that for 10 of the 14 phytonutrients studied, a single food type accounted for two-thirds or more of an individual's consumption, regardless of how much fruit and veg they ate overall.

Carrots were the most common source of beta-carotene, oranges and orange juice the most common source of beta-cryptoxanthin, spinach the most common source of lutein/zeaxanthin, strawberries the most common source of ellagic acid and mustard the biggest provider of isothiocyanates.

However, for each of these phytonutrients there was a richer food source available.

Richer foods

Switching from carrots to sweet potatoes would nearly double beta-carotene intake, say the researchers.

Similarly papaya contains 15 times more beta-cryptoxanthin than oranges, while kale has three times more lutein/zeaxanthin than spinach.

Raspberries have three times more ellagic acid than strawberries and one cup of watercress contains as much isothiocyanate as four teaspoonfuls of mustard.

Study leader Keith Randolph, who is a technology strategist for the supplement company Nutrilite, said: "These data highlight the importance of not only the quantity but also the significant impact the quality and variety of the fruits and vegetables you eat can have on your health."

Dr Emma Williams of the British Nutrition Foundation said: "They are right that some foods are richer sources of phytonutrients.

"But at the end of the day, to be healthy you need to make sure you have a varied and balanced diet.

"No one food can give you everything you need."

The findings were presented at the 2010 Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, California.