Only swan knows?

In August 2006, Michigan got relived when the avian flu strain found on swans turned out non-harmful to both birds and humans. This time, the whole states may feel more comfortable with the avian flu invasion to the US, based on the recent USGS-supported report results. Story.

A two-year investigation of birds for detecting the avian influenza by USGS , the US Fish and Wildlife Service , and specialists from other federal agencies, US birds came up with “no highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses.”
Nearly 75,000 waterfowls, shorebirds, gulls, and terns, including 1,799 Michigan birds were tested.

Although many scientists have confirmed that the low-pathogenic H5N1 is apparently not dangerous to the birds, another new data suggest that this virus do affect the lives of birds.”

Here is a relevant news release from ScienceDaily. Com. Dutch scientists found that migratory swans carrying a mild form of avian influenza moved slower than healthy individuals to next stopover sites. They say this slow migration pattern would give the birds more opportunity to get in touch with many healthy birds passing by them on migration. In this way, the virus can spread more rapidly than previously thought.

Professionalism in volunteer blogs matters

Two computer scientists have suggested the formalization of citizen journalism for coordinating responses to natural and man-made emergencies. “Volunteer blogs” have already been operated in emergencies including the damage assess of 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina .

On Katrina occurring, Google and a network of volunteer scientists and other civilians mapped the zone using Web tools such as Google Earth and Maps .

Currently, Flu Wiki is well know as a role model of the volunteer blog. Flu Wiki was developed to show ongoing governmental response and surveillance for the international outbreak of avian flu.

A potential challenge of operating volunteer blog is at losing its consistency with the non-obligative nature.

"It’s hard to keep up virtual interest in reporting over the long periods of time required. Volunteers can keep their spirits and energy levels high for a month, but not for three years,” says Jishnu Das, a World Bank official, and a leader of RisePak.

Professionalism matters in supporting central government who should provide balanced allocation of relief in a timely manner. Moreover, when it comes to pandemic disease, keeping constant network depends on the educated citizens in underdeveloped countries.

Nap for health

photo from bugbog.com

Relax and enjoy half-hour nap in the afternoon.
Six years of study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Athens Medical School in Greece shows that regular afternoon siesta of 30 minutes or more could lower the risk of heart disease.

Researchers’ hypothesis for this study is that napping may have stress-releasing effect, which has been implicated in heart disease.

In Greece, where the study was conducted, regular afternoon siesta has been known to reduce the rate of coronary heart disease, along with the Mediterranean diet including fruits, vegetables, beans and olive oil.

Refer to the effect of ”power nap” as a way of stress release. Plus, a healthy diet tip from the website of the University of Athens Medical School.

Bird Flu in Britain

(Photo from Nature.com )

Britain came up with the first occurrence of bird flu at a commercial turkey farm in Suffolk. The strain was found out to be the same to that was detected in Hungary in January. The virus transmission route to Britain is still uncertain. For the possible likage between the turkey farm and its Hungary-based food company, the British government vets have confirmed that there have been regular visit of lorries from Hungary.

For the possibility of transmission by birds’feces from careless workers, the farm is still insisting that is barely possible because the farm has sustained “highest biosafety standards.”

Dr. David Nabarro, Senior UN System Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza, announced there would be more outbreaks in upcoming months.

Although some scientists say its threat to humans is quite small , they still consider a possibility that the virus could mutate into a form that easily spreads among humans.

Here is a map showing how bird flu has spread since 2004.

Future of Global Warming up to Science or Politics?

(AP photo by Dan Crosbie/Canadian Ice Service)

World’s scientists released the final details of report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for policy makers. The focus of the report is that there is at least 90% possibility that human-caused emission is the main factor in global warming since 1950.

World Scientists for IPCC reported that the final report emphasizes the hazardous consequences of the twice of the preindustrial concentration of carbon dioxide; Climate would possibly warm between 3.5 and 8 degrees Fahrenheit causing small but significant risk.
The report also predicted that millions more people would suffer from food and water shortage by 2080 in China and Australia, as well as parts of Europe and the United States. But poor countries including Africa or Bangladesh would be most affected countries by warming climate because they were least able to cope with sudden coastal damage and drought caused by climate change.

But the largest non-stop emitter United States has still doubted whether it is mandatory to adopt a policy to reduce the emission. Reflected from this fact, it is unsurprising that Bush Administration was found to pressure government scientists not to be very “honest” about ongoing global warming by omitting such terms as “global warming” or “climate change” in science reporting.
Furthermore, the American Enterprise Institute, known as a “think tank with close ties to the Bush administration,” has been criticized by environmental activists about reportedly offering $10,000 to scientists who challenged the result of IPCC report. story.

Scientific facts surrounding the global warming have been based on the decision by 800 contributing authors whose research was scrutinized by over 2,500 scientific reviewers. But this so called “authoritative” facts still seem to be powerless in front of several political powers.