Movers & shakers
The American Cleaning Institute, based in Washington DC, which represents the US cleaning products industry, has promoted James Kim to VP, science regulatory affairs, and Kathleen Stanton to associate VP, technical & internal affairs. These promotions follow the retirement of Richard Sedlak, executive VP, technical & internal affairs.
Water - waste not want not
Water is one of the most important components contributing to life on earth. When viewed from space, it is obvious that it covers 75% of the Earth’s surface and fills the troposphere with clouds.
The end of the World
Author Wallace-Wells makes for compelling reading with a portentous narrative that foresees the end of the world as we know it today.
Battling locusts
Kenya has become the latest Eastern African country to be invaded by the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), one of the most dangerous migratory pest species that has been ravaging Ethiopia and Somalia.
Whose water is it?
The rollback of the Obama era environmental protection measures continues in the US. The 2015 Waters of the US Rule (Wotus), aka the Clean Water Rule, has been repealed, with the wording that it replaced being, essentially, restored.
Plastic road trial
Rome’s Fiumicino airport is to test a new tarmac on one of its runways for a year. The material contains graphene and waste plastic and is claimed to have cost and environmental benefits.
Coronavirus vaccine race
In early January 2020, Chinese scientists released genetic information on the coronavirus causing an outbreak of SARS-like illness in Wuhan, China. The Vaccine Research Institute at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) immediately began development of a new vaccine.
Mind Matter
One rare piece of good news in the hunt for drugs for Alzheimer’s disease is a new antibody treatment that, if approved, could be the first disease-altering therapy ever, Anthony King reports
Fighting Lassa Fever
Nigeria is set to commence epidemiological studies on Lassa fever in order to generate much needed data to support ongoing research towards a vaccine for the deadly viral haemorrhagic illness.
Thiacloprid verdict
The European Commission has decided not to renew the approval of Bayer’s pesticide thiacloprid, effectively banning the chemical from use in Europe.