‘The Bees Can’t Wait’: White House Plan to Save Pollinators Falls Short, Say Experts – Lauren McCauley

Faced with the growing crisis of declining bee populations, the White House on Tuesday released its strategy for improving pollinator health. Almost immediately, experts decried the plan, saying it “misses the mark” by refusing to acknowledge the overwhelming role that pesticides play in driving bee deaths. Under the strategy (pdf) put forth by the Pollinator Health Task Force, which falls under the …

Omega-3 fatty acids enhance cognitive flexibility in at-risk older adults

A study of older adults at risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease found that those who consumed more omega-3 fatty acids did better than their peers on tests of cognitive flexibility — the ability to efficiently switch between tasks — and had a bigger anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region known to contribute to cognitive flexibility. The analysis suggests, but does …

Monsanto Knew of Glyphosate (Roundup)-Cancer Link 35 Years Ago – GM Free Cymru

According to evidence unearthed from the archives of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in the United States, it has been established that Monsanto was fully aware of the potential of glyphosate to cause cancer in mammals as long ago as 1981. Recently the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) issued a statement in which glyphosate (the main component …

Monsanto’s Glyphosate Blankets GMO Crops Near Schools – Mary Ellen Kustin and Soren Rundquist

Genetically engineered crops, or GMOs, have led to an explosion in growers’ use of herbicides, with the result that children at hundreds of elementary schools across the country go to class close by fields that are regularly doused with escalating amounts of toxic weed killers. GMO corn and soybeans have been genetically engineered to withstand being blasted with glyphosate – …

Is the Federal Govt. Harassing and Censoring Its Own Scientists for Studying Ties Between Pesticides and Bee Deaths? – Reynard Loki

Following reports [3] that scientists at the United States Department of Agriculture are being harrassed and their research on bee-killing pesticides is being censored or suppressed, a broad coalition of farmers, environmentalists, fisheries and food-safety organizations urged an investigation in a May 5 letter [4] sent to Phyllis K. Fong, USDA Inspector General. “The possibility that the USDA is prioritizing the interests of the chemical industry …

Is Solving Climate Change as Simple as Sucking Carbon Out of the Air? – Tara Lohan

It sounds almost too obvious. But we may be able to stave off some of the major effects of catastrophic climate change simply by sucking out of the air the vast amounts of carbon dioxide we’ve been spewing for decades. It’s not a new idea, but it’s one that has never been economical. Until now, perhaps. Graciela Chichilnisky believes her …

Clinton Foundation a cesspool of corporate poisoners, junk food companies, and pushers of vaccines and GMOs – Jonathan Benson

If you think electing Hillary Clinton as president will somehow bring about anything other than business as usual in Washington, there’s some beachfront property in Colorado with your name on it. Nearly every top donor to the Clinton Foundation that actively lobbied Hillary’s State Department is connected to pharmaceuticals, vaccines, junk food, globalization, chemicals, oil and biotechnology, which means more …

Saving the Monarch Butterfly – David Suzuki

The monarch butterfly is a wonderful creature with an amazing story. In late summer, monarchs in southern Canada and the U.S. northeast take flight, travelling over 5,000 kilometres to alpine forests in central Mexico. The overwintering butterflies cling to fir trees there in masses so dense that branches bow under their weight. The monarch’s multigenerational journey northward is every bit as remarkable as …

Cut pesticide use to boost yields? It’s worked for millions of farmers in Asia and Africa – Jules Pretty and Zareen Pervez Bharucha

Pesticides are intended to be harmful. They kill pests, diseases and weeds. But some also harm humans and wildlife. Pesticides are a huge global business, worth around US$45 billion. Each year, 3.5 billion kilogrammes of pesticides are applied to food crops and their use is growing. Much use of this use is at best ineffective and at worst outright harmful. In recent …

Non-GMO corn offers far more nutrition without the poison, study shows

An eye-opening investigation conducted by Canada’s only supplier of non-GMO corn seed has revealed that genetically modified “Frankencorn” is severely lacking in a number of vital nutrients. Compared to non-GMO corn varieties, Monsanto’s Roundup Ready corn contains only a small fraction of the amount of calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese and carbon normally found in natural corn. Shattering the …