European researchers are working alongside Indian experts to rethink the collection, decontamination and reuse of sewage in the world’s most populous country. By HELEN MASSY-BERESFORD Winding its way through the mountains and plains of northern India, the Ganges River is sacred to the Hindu religion. More prosaically, its water and nutrients are vital to the region’s … Read more
As a deadly disease that people can catch from ticks moves across the continent, the EU is seeking new tests and a vaccine for the infection. By ANTHONY KING A 62-year-old man was bitten by a tick while hiking through fields in Spain. Two days later he began to feel ill and was taken to a … Read more
By identifying the gender of chicks in their eggs, EU-funded technologies could help prevent the killing of millions of the birds every year. By PIETER DEVUYST Wil Stutterheim is on a mission: to stop the global poultry industry’s slaughter of billions of day-old chicks every year. Male chicks are deemed largely useless for poultry farmers because … Read more
With new findings that the immune system plays a key role in conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels, options emerge for new cures. By VITTORIA D’ALESSIO Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide, responsible for 32% of all deaths. While the illness is triggered to a large extent by an unhealthy lifestyle, a flaw … Read more
When the body machinery that kills off hundreds of millions of cells a day fails, inflammation and sickness are often not far behind. By VITTORIA D’ALESSIO Cell death, which might sound unwelcome, is actually essential for keeping every person alive. The process, tightly regulated by the body, destroys old or damaged cells to make way for … Read more
With tens of millions of poultry culled every year to contain avian influenza, scientists are rushing to find new ways to protect flocks from infection and avert a human pandemic. By VITTORIA D’ALESSIO Researchers are learning important lessons about how bird flu spreads and the characteristics of the virus in Europe. Bird flu is on the … Read more