Feature Channels: Food and Water Safety

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Newswise: Scientists Help Fish Harvesters Implement Adaptive Strategies to Climate Change
Released: 19-Oct-2023 3:05 PM EDT
Scientists Help Fish Harvesters Implement Adaptive Strategies to Climate Change
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

For hundreds of years, business owners engaged in New Jersey’s commercial fisheries industry have weathered adversity, from coastal storms to species shifts. Recognizing this resilience, and acknowledging the challenges posed by global climate change, Rutgers scientists have come to their assistance. One of the results of recent efforts is a guide that researchers have developed for marine businesses, A Resilience Checklist for New Jersey’s Commercial Fishing Industry.

Released: 19-Oct-2023 11:05 AM EDT
Pinpointing the emergence of muddy flavors in your fish
University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Science

Researchers have been able to pinpoint exactly when the muddy off-flavor emerges in farmed fish, which could help to make it easier to deal with the compounds that turn people away from farmed fish

Newswise: The unsettling revelation? Human actions are shifting this balance
Released: 19-Oct-2023 2:05 AM EDT
The unsettling revelation? Human actions are shifting this balance
Chinese Academy of Sciences

The delicate balance between nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in our environment, known as the N:P ratio, has long been understood in the context of nature and food. But a new study suggests that this balance might have far-reaching impacts on our health, influencing everything from the rise of certain cancers to the spread of infectious diseases like malaria and Zika.

Newswise: Researchers Develop Efficient Mung Bean Peptides-Calcium Chelate: A Promising Alternative to Traditional Calcium Supplements
Released: 18-Oct-2023 11:05 PM EDT
Researchers Develop Efficient Mung Bean Peptides-Calcium Chelate: A Promising Alternative to Traditional Calcium Supplements
Chinese Academy of Sciences

Huge quantities of mung bean starch production result in ecological pollution and protein resource wastage. In response, scientists have devised a solution: MBP-Ca, an efficient calcium supplement derived from mung beans.

Newswise: New institute aims to address gap in nation’s health care system through highly effective yet overlooked nutrition interventions
Released: 18-Oct-2023 1:00 PM EDT
New institute aims to address gap in nation’s health care system through highly effective yet overlooked nutrition interventions
Tufts University

The Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University establishes a university-wide initiative aimed at transforming health care through scalable food-based interventions.

Released: 12-Oct-2023 6:05 PM EDT
Experts warn of risk of civil unrest in UK due to food shortages
University of York

A shortage of popular carbohydrates such as wheat, bread, pasta, and cereal are most likely to trigger civil unrest, say the experts, who work across academia, policy, charities, and business.

Newswise: New Center Addresses Global Climate Change Impacts on Water, Other Resources
12-Oct-2023 9:00 AM EDT
New Center Addresses Global Climate Change Impacts on Water, Other Resources
University of California San Diego

UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science is leading an international consortium called the Global Center on Climate Change, Water, Energy, Food, and Health Systems to address the impacts of climate change in the climate-vulnerable communities in Jordan.

Newswise: MSU to Address Global Water Issues Through New Alliance
Released: 11-Oct-2023 3:35 PM EDT
MSU to Address Global Water Issues Through New Alliance
Michigan State University

Michigan State University has harnessed its vast water research expertise to create the MSU Water Alliance. This will be a bridging organization among existing water science units on campus and among faculty with water expertise to address challenges, which are immense.

Released: 11-Oct-2023 9:05 AM EDT
$7.3M Grant to Expand Wheat Pathogen Surveillance
Cornell University

One of the world’s largest crop pathogen surveillance systems is set to expand its capacity to protect wheat productivity in food vulnerable areas of East Africa and South Asia.

Released: 11-Oct-2023 7:00 AM EDT
St. Louis Collaborators Launch Cultivar STL
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Initiative aims to strengthen partnerships with Latin America to produce healthier and more sustainable food for people and the planet

Newswise: Securing the Food Pipeline from Cyberattacks
Released: 10-Oct-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Securing the Food Pipeline from Cyberattacks
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL researchers are investigating the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of an increasingly smart food and agriculture sector.

Released: 6-Oct-2023 7:05 AM EDT
Wastewater surveillance research provides a 12-day lead time for RSV season: new study
University of Ottawa

In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers using wastewater surveillance over conventional indicators have predicted the start of the annual respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season 12 days early.

Released: 5-Oct-2023 3:05 PM EDT
Climate Intervention Technologies May Create Winners and Losers in World Food Supply
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

A technology being studied to curb climate change – one that could be put in place in one or two decades if work on the technology began now – would affect food productivity in parts of planet Earth in dramatically different ways, benefiting some areas, and adversely affecting others, according to projections prepared by a Rutgers-led team of scientists.

Newswise: RUDN Chemists Made Antibacterial Films More Effective With Iron
Released: 5-Oct-2023 7:05 AM EDT
RUDN Chemists Made Antibacterial Films More Effective With Iron
Scientific Project Lomonosov

RUDN University chemists have improved the effectiveness of antibacterial chitosan films used in medicine and the food industry. It was made by adding iron and a new chitin derivative to chitin nanoparticles.

Newswise: Wastewater detects signs of antimicrobial resistance in aged care
Released: 3-Oct-2023 8:05 PM EDT
Wastewater detects signs of antimicrobial resistance in aged care
University of South Australia

A new study published today, analysing wastewater samples from several aged care facilities and retirement homes, has uncovered worrying signs of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a concerning trend in aged care facilities.

Newswise: Desalination system could produce freshwater that is cheaper than tap water
Released: 27-Sep-2023 5:05 PM EDT
Desalination system could produce freshwater that is cheaper than tap water
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Engineers at MIT and in China are aiming to turn seawater into drinking water with a completely passive device that is inspired by the ocean, and powered by the sun.

Released: 27-Sep-2023 2:05 PM EDT
MSU works to make drinking water safer by fighting contaminants
Michigan State University

MSU has been awarded a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, to better understand the amount of pathogens, such as Legionella, and disinfection byproducts in drinking water distribution systems and to assess associated health risks.

Released: 21-Sep-2023 2:30 PM EDT
New method for purifying drinking water could be used in disaster zones
University of Bath

Scientists have developed a new method that converts seawater into drinking water that could be useful in disaster zones where there is limited electrical power.

Released: 19-Sep-2023 10:05 AM EDT
Hope springs amid water safety concerns
Virginia Tech

For the past five years, a history professor has been working with a community in Guatemala to ensure that its water supply is safe. Recently, he received a national grant to continue this work.

Newswise: With automated treatment, affordable water from nontraditional sources can flow to underserved communities
Released: 7-Sep-2023 9:30 AM EDT
With automated treatment, affordable water from nontraditional sources can flow to underserved communities
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are developing advanced automation techniques for desalination and water treatment plants, enabling them to save while providing affordable drinking water to small, parched communities without high-quality water supplies.

1-Sep-2023 8:00 AM EDT
Rubber plumbing seals can leak additives into drinking water, study says
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Rubber seals inside some plumbing devices contain additives that contribute to their flexibility and durability, but these potentially harmful compounds can leak into drinking water, according to a small-scale study in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters.

   
Released: 5-Sep-2023 2:15 PM EDT
Farms that create habitat key to food security and biodiversity
Stanford University

It seems intuitive that forests would provide better habitat for forest-dwelling wildlife than farms.

Released: 5-Sep-2023 2:10 PM EDT
Poor water quality disproportionately affects socially vulnerable communities
Institute of Physics (IOP) Publishing

A new study published in IOP Publishing’s journal Environmental Research Letters examines the links between drinking water quality violations and social vulnerability in the United States, revealing that these violations disproportionately affect the most vulnerable communities.

Newswise: UAH senior design students develop new water supply system for Nicaraguan village through Engineers Without Borders
Released: 5-Sep-2023 2:05 PM EDT
UAH senior design students develop new water supply system for Nicaraguan village through Engineers Without Borders
University of Alabama Huntsville

Electrical engineering senior design students at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) recently designed an automated chlorine dispenser to upgrade the water supply for a village in Sabana Larga, Nicaragua.

Newswise:Video Embedded 3d-printed-living-material-could-clean-up-contaminated-water
VIDEO
Released: 5-Sep-2023 11:00 AM EDT
3D-printed ‘living material’ could clean up contaminated water
University of California San Diego

A "living material," made of a natural polymer combined with genetically engineered bacteria, could offer a sustainable and eco-friendly solution to clean pollutants from water. UC San Diego researchers developed their living material using a seaweed-based polymer and bacteria that have been programmed to produce an enzyme that transforms various organic pollutants into harmless compounds. In tests, their material decontaminated water solutions tainted with a pollutant from textile manufacturing: indigo carmine, a blue dye that is used to color denim.

Newswise: Illinois professor examines the critical role of food in the Civil Rights Movement
Released: 5-Sep-2023 9:55 AM EDT
Illinois professor examines the critical role of food in the Civil Rights Movement
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

African American Studies professor Bobby J. Smith II examines how the Civil Rights Movement included struggles around food in his book “Food Power Politics: The Food Story of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement.” The book is the inaugural title in the Black Food Justice series by the University of North Carolina Press.

Released: 31-Aug-2023 4:05 PM EDT
Large proportion of Michigan’s C. jejuni infections are caused by antibiotic resistant strains
Michigan State University

Research from Michigan State University has shown that more than 100 strains of Campylobacter jejuni, a leading cause of foodborne illness, circulating in Michigan are resistant to at least one antibiotic.

   
Released: 28-Aug-2023 1:30 PM EDT
Australian woman found with parasitic roundworm in her brain caught from carpet python
Australian National University

The world’s first case of a new parasitic infection in humans has been discovered by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) and the Canberra Hospital after they detected a live eight-centimetre roundworm from a carpet python in the brain of a 64- year-old Australian woman.

Released: 26-Aug-2023 11:05 AM EDT
30 Kids in 30 Days: Accidental Ingestions of Marijuana Edibles
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

In July, the New Jersey Poison Control Center assisted in the medical treatment of 30 children ranging from 1 to 12 years old who accidentally ate marijuana edibles. The experts give safety tips.

Newswise: Advance of Carbohydrate Discovery in Polygonatum sibiricum
Released: 24-Aug-2023 10:30 AM EDT
Advance of Carbohydrate Discovery in Polygonatum sibiricum
Chinese Academy of Sciences

Polygonatum sibiricum belongs to the Asparagaceae family and has been lauded for its array of physiological benefits.

Newswise: Could microplastics in soil introduce drug-resistant superbugs to the food supply?
Released: 23-Aug-2023 4:15 PM EDT
Could microplastics in soil introduce drug-resistant superbugs to the food supply?
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

A new review in Pathogens suggests micro- and nanoplastics in agricultural soil could contribute to antibiotic-resistant bacteria with a ready route into our food supply.

Newswise: Smart packaging of the future?
Released: 22-Aug-2023 10:30 AM EDT
Smart packaging of the future?
Case Western Reserve University

About one-third of all food produced for human consumption gets lost or wasted—roughly 1.3 billion tons of food each year.

Released: 22-Aug-2023 7:05 AM EDT
Challenges ahead: navigating climate change and water management
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

Freshwater is vital for humans, ecosystems, and economies. However, climate and socio-economic changes are expected to substantially alter water availability. A pioneering study emphasizes considering future water withdrawals in low flow projections, highlighting the urgency of coordinated efforts to reduce excessive extraction in European rivers.

Released: 17-Aug-2023 4:15 PM EDT
Research gives new insights into fighting antimicrobial resistance
University of Nottingham

Cooking food thoroughly and avoiding some types of vegetables and salad during a course of antibiotic treatment could potentially reduce antibiotic resistance, by preventing bacteria carrying resistance genes getting into the gut, according to a new study.

Newswise: Cleaning water with ‘smart rust’ and magnets (video)
7-Aug-2023 11:45 PM EDT
Cleaning water with ‘smart rust’ and magnets (video)
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Pouring flecks of rust into water usually makes it dirtier. Now, researchers have developed special iron oxide nanoparticles called “smart rust” to trap estrogen hormones that are potentially harmful to aquatic life. They will present their results at ACS Fall 2023.

Released: 14-Aug-2023 1:05 PM EDT
New research offers solutions to improve drinking water access in developing countries
University of Notre Dame

New research from Alfonso Pedraza-Martinez, Professor of IT, Analytics and Operations in the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, examines the critical problem of drinking water access in rural areas of developing countries and recommends optimal locations to build new water projects.

Newswise: Developing technology to detect harmful chemicals in shrimp supplies
Released: 14-Aug-2023 9:00 AM EDT
Developing technology to detect harmful chemicals in shrimp supplies
Texas A&M AgriLife

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence for Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense, CBTS, led by Texas A&M AgriLife Research, is supporting a DHS Summer Research Team effort to detect harmful chemicals in shrimp supplies.

Released: 11-Aug-2023 2:40 PM EDT
Even treated wastewater affects our rivers
Goethe University Frankfurt

A new study by Goethe University Frankfurt shows: Effluents from wastewater treatment plants change the invertebrate communities in Hesse’s waters.

Released: 11-Aug-2023 11:40 AM EDT
Sampling Strategy Research Shows How to Improve Safety Checks of Powdered Products
Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences

New research on powdered products safety checks shows that some methods are more powerful at catching contaminants than others.

Newswise: Slits from a small lake in Karelia may be beneficial to people
Released: 11-Aug-2023 8:20 AM EDT
Slits from a small lake in Karelia may be beneficial to people
Scientific Project Lomonosov

Russian limnologists have investigated the chemical composition of a small reservoir in the north-western part of Russia and have found out that sediment cores (slits) meet the standards of heavy metals concentrations. The scientist have established that the lake is clean despite the close proximity of a railway and a village. Theoretically, the lake’s sediment cores may be used in agricultural work or medicine.

Released: 10-Aug-2023 11:05 AM EDT
"Get back to where you once belonged!" Back-to-School stories for media
Newswise

It's that time of year again. For media working on stories about the seasonal return to school, here are the latest features and experts in the Back-To-School channel on Newswise.

     
Released: 10-Aug-2023 10:30 AM EDT
Pivotal discovery in sensor technology to combat water contamination and more
Argonne National Laboratory

Researchers have developed an innovative method for screening sensors to detect heavy metals, bacteria and other agents in water. This method could lead to mass manufacturing of sensors that provide dependable part-per-billion monitoring of water quality.

Released: 9-Aug-2023 10:00 AM EDT
Scientists spurred by a thirst to transform the field of phytoplankton forecasting
Virginia Tech

Safe drinking water is threatened globally by the increased toxicity of phytoplankton — or microscopic algae — blooms. The need for a better understanding of when and where the blooms will emerge spurred Virginia Tech researchers to start developing the first automated, real-time lake phytoplankton forecasting system. Working with the University of Florida, Virginia Tech faculty have been awarded a $2.

Newswise: Microalgae vs. mercury
Released: 9-Aug-2023 9:30 AM EDT
Microalgae vs. mercury
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

In the search for ways to fight methylmercury pollution in global waterways, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory discovered that some forms of phytoplankton are good at degrading the substance.

Released: 8-Aug-2023 5:10 PM EDT
Nitrogen runoff strategies complicated by climate change
Carnegie Institution for Science

As climate change progresses, rising temperatures may impact nitrogen runoff from land to lakes and streams more than projected increases in total and extreme precipitation for most of the continental United States, according to new research from a team of Carnegie climate scientists led by Gang Zhao and Anna Michalak published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Newswise: University of Oregon study will engage rural, Indigenous groups on climate issues
7-Aug-2023 7:30 PM EDT
University of Oregon study will engage rural, Indigenous groups on climate issues
University of Oregon

A University of Oregon research team has landed a $3 million federal grant to work with Indigenous and rural communities in Oregon to find ways of reducing climate-changing carbon in the atmosphere in ways that build trust with historically marginalized groups.

Released: 7-Aug-2023 12:15 PM EDT
Current estimates of Lake Erie algae toxicity may miss the mark
Ohio State University

A new study analyzing toxins produced by Microcystis, the main type of cyanobacteria that compose the annual harmful algal bloom (HAB) in Lake Erie, suggests that the toxicity of the bloom may be overestimated in earlier warm months and underestimated later in the summer.

   
Released: 4-Aug-2023 3:05 PM EDT
New study identifies disparities in testing and treating well water among low-income, BIPOC households in NC
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

North Carolina leads the nation for most households relying on private wells as a primary source of drinking water, with one in four households on private wells.

Released: 3-Aug-2023 11:10 AM EDT
Three out of every ten meals ordered from the main food delivery app in Brazil come from dark kitchens
Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

About a third of the restaurants listed on iFood, the food delivery app most used by Brazilians, are “dark kitchens”, according to the first study of the topic conducted in Brazil, and one of only a few worldwide.

   
Released: 2-Aug-2023 12:05 PM EDT
UIC leads field study on home, water safety after Ohio chemical spill
University of Illinois Chicago

A multi-university study will investigate the aftermath of the train derailment and subsequent chemical spill and fires in East Palestine, Ohio, to gain a better understanding of the impact that this event had on the community.



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