science wire

"Regret-free" approaches for adapting agriculture to climate change
A new study calls for governments and farmers to adapt to climate shifts, despite uncertainties about what growing conditions will look like decades from now.

Four-fold rise in children treated for obesity-related conditions
The number of children admitted to hospital for problems related to obesity in England and Wales quadrupled between 2000 and 2009, a study has found.

MRC and Wellcome Trust invest £24m in Cambridge obesity institute
This joint initiative from the MRC and Wellcome Trust will provide exciting new opportunities to better understand the fundamental causes of disease such as obesity and diabetes and translate that knowledge into improved therapies Professor Stephen O'Rahilly The Medical Research Council (MRC) and Wellcome Trust are to invest £24m into obesity research led by the Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science (IMS).

Health in adults may be determined before birth
The likelihood of adults developing obesity, asthma, allergies, cardiovascular disease and many more conditions may well be determined in the womb, according to the findings of a new Report by the Br

Views of the landscape
In a talk on Monday (20 May 2013) Dr Simon Nightingale will explore how painterly interpretations of the countryside were embedded into the literature of agricultural improvement in a way that might s

Young children appear to reject story characters who are obese
Research by the University of Leeds has shown that very young children appear to reject story book characters who are overweight, but not those who are disabled. Led by Professor Andrew Hill from the Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, the research investigated young children’s ratings of, and choices between, story characters drawn as overweight, normal weight, or disabled.

Report lays out how farmers in Africa hold key to growing more with less impact
African smallholder farmers can increase food production and reduce poverty without harming the environment, says a new briefing paper launched today.

Prestigious ERC Synergy grant for intelligent implant to tackle obesity

Over-egging the chocolate this Easter: why you should always keep an eye on what you are eating
Psychologists at the University of Birmingham suggest that ‘attentive eating' affects how much people choose to eat.

Duration of breastfeeding during infancy does not reduce a child’s risk of being overweight/obese at 11.5 years
A new study that analysed the effects of an intervention which succeeded in improving the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding during infancy - involving nearly 14,000 healthy infants in Belarus, Eastern Europe - found that it did not result in a lower risk of overweight or obesity among the children at age 11.5 years.

Food Cultures: Growing, Cooking, Eating project reveals new appetite for behavioural change
At a time when 25% of the adult population is considered to be obese and the annual cost of the national obesity epidemic is estimated at £5 billon, a Plymouth-based research project that introduced young men and older people to sustainable and healthy food activities points to innovative partnership solutions.

How do smallholder farmers fit into the big picture of world food production?
Small-scale sustainable agriculture may offer a better route out of poverty as well as a path to food sufficiency." —Dr David Nally, University of Cambridge On Monday 28 January

Innovations in soil science will grow the solutions to global food security
Soil science will be fundamental in overcoming the growing threat of global food and fuel crop shortages as the world's population continues to rise, according to innovative research by a University of Sheffield expert.