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‘Saving Brains’ of kids in developing countries: Grand Challenges Canada funds 14 bold new ideas

Grand Challenges Canada, Toronto 23 October 2013 4 projects nominated for grants up to $2 million; 10 projects awarded $270,000 Grand Challenges Canada, funded by the Government of Canada, today extended a total of $10.1 million to 14 bold, creative projects aimed at improving the early brain development of kids in low-resource countries. Projects in […]

Economic rewards of better land management: Estimated 2.3 billion tons of crops worth $1.4 trillion

United Nations University, Institute for Water, Environment and Health, Hamilton, Canada 24-Sep-2013 UN-backed report, ‘Economics of Land Degradation,’ debuts at world desertification conference, Namibia Adopting proven sustainable land management practices could raise world crop supplies by an estimated 2.3 billion tonnes, worth $1.4 trillion, experts say in a study being released at a major global […]

$100M green energy megafund launched by science, investment experts in Malaysia, Japan

Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology, Kuala Lumpur 23 September 2013 Venture capital fund to seed building of green energy products, businesses in SE Asia; Meanwhile, Malaysians, General Electric agree to create modern national ‘smart grid’ To accelerate the national and regional development and manufacture of green energy products and businesses, Malaysia has partnered with […]

Rising use of wastewater in forecast but world lacks data on ‘massive potential resource’

United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, Hamilton, Canada 5 Sept. 2013 UN-backed study says annual treated wastewater in North America roughly equals volume of Niagara Falls; less than 4 percent is reused Amid growing competition for freshwater from industry and cities, coupled with a rising world shortage of potash, nitrogen and phosphorus, […]

Scientists sequence genome of high-value grape, seek secrets of wine’s aroma

United Nations University – BIOLAC (Biotechnology for Latin America and the Caribbean) 2 Sept. 2013 Marking 25th year, UNU-BIOLAC also announces brokered breakthrough to diagnose widespread problem of syphilis with a quick, $1 test Demystifying the chemical processes that create a wine’s aroma, and the invaluable potential application of that understanding in winemaking, is the […]

Major awards announced for innovative solutions to prevent infant/maternal deaths

Grand Challenges Canada, Toronto Saving Lives at Birth 31 July 2013 Some 22 projects from nine countries: Australia, Canada, Guatemala, Italy, Senegal, Spain, Uganda, UK and the USA won grants today ranging in size from $250,000 to $2 million from the Saving Lives at Birth partnership, comprised of USAID, Grand Challenges Canada, DFID (UK), NORAD […]

Managing shared waters: Treasury of papers helps capture 20 years of lessons

United Nations University Institute for Water Environment and Health, Canada Global Environmental Facility IW:LEARN, Slovakia 25 July 2013 Sharing Nile’s vital flow through 11 nations, water in Arab region, spread of ‘world’s worst weed,’ changes in Atlantic fisheries, among topics in special collection of articles capturing decades of lessons in trans-boundary water management The science-based management […]

Renewable energy: World invests $244 billion in 2012; shift to developing countries underway

UN Environment Programme / REN21 12-Jun-2013 Installed capacity continues to grow as solar prices drop 30-40 percent New wind installations surge For only the second time since 2006, global investments in renewable energy in 2012 failed to top the year before, falling 12% mainly due to dramatically lower solar prices and weakened US and EU […]

Potentially ‘catastrophic’ changes underway in Canada’s northern Mackenzie River Basin

Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy, University of California Berkeley 10-Jun-2013 Biodiversity in watershed covering roughly 20% of Canada compared to Africa’s Serengeti; Alarm raised at melting of permafrost, ice that plays vital global climate role Canada’s Mackenzie River basin — among the world’s most important major ecosystems — is poorly studied, inadequately monitored, and […]

Harvard expert: “Agricultural innovation offers only path to feed Africa and the world”

Harvard Kennedy School, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Cambridge MA 3-Jun-2013 The world can only meet its future food needs through innovation, including biotechnology: Kenya-born Harvard prof. Calestous Juma The world can only meet its future food needs through innovation, including the use of agricultural biotechnology, a Harvard development specialist said today. Since their […]

Even farm animal diversity is declining as accelerating species loss threatens humanity

Chair IPBES / Science Advisor to the Prime Minister, Malaysia / Malaysian Industry‑Government Group for High Technology 27-May-2013 Founding Chair of new world biodiversity body offers first public remarks The accelerating disappearance of Earth’s species of both wild and domesticated plants and animals constitutes a fundamental threat to the well-being and even the survival of humankind, […]

Shifting global water systems: markers of a new geological epoch, “The Anthropocene”

Global Water System Project, Bonn 19-May-2013 Bonn Declaration issued by ‘Water in the Anthropocene’ science conference:  A majority on Earth face severe self-inflicted water handicap within two generations A conference of leading water scientists from around the world today issued a stark warning that, without major reforms, “in the short span of one or two […]

As Canada takes Arctic Council helm, experts stress north’s vulnerability to spills, emergencies

Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation, Toronto / Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Programme 13-May-2013 International experts recommend key focus areas for next 2 years As leadership of the Arctic Council passes from Sweden to Canada May 15, experts say it is crucial that northern nations strengthen response capabilities to shipping-related accidents foreseen in newly-opened northern waters, as well […]

Inventive: 102 bold new global health ideas win Grand Challenges Canada funding

Grand Challenges Canada, Toronto 29 April, 2013 59 creative, out-of-box health innovations devised in 13 low- and middle-income countries, plus 43 from Canada, share $10.9 million in seed grants and a single goal: Reduce debilitating disease, save lives in developing countries Grand Challenges Canada, which is funded by the Government of Canada, today announced 102 […]

Student, 16, progresses experimental way to kill cancer with gold nano ‘bullets,’ marvels experts

Bioscience Education Canada 9-Apr-2013 Raising scientists: Sanofi BioGENEius Challenge Canada celebrates 20 years of inspiring biotechnology studies and careers Cutting edge research into an experimental therapy that deploys nano-particles of gold in the fight against cancer earned an Alberta high school student, 16, top national honours today in the 2013 “Sanofi BioGENEius Challenge Canada” (SBCC). […]

‘Water Security’: Experts propose a UN definition on which much depends

United Nations University, Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH, Hamilton, Canada) / UN-Water 22-Mar-2013, World Water Day / International Year of Water Cooperation Amid changing weather and water patterns worldwide and forecasts of more severe transformations to come, calls have been growing for the UN Security Council to include water issues on its agenda. […]

Deep Carbon: Quest underway to discover its quantity, movements, origins and forms in Earth

Deep Carbon Observatory, Carnegie Institution of Washington DC 4-Mar-2013 Probing the secrets of volcanoes and diamonds, sources of gas and oil, and the origins of life itself, Deep Carbon Observatory scientists publish landmark volume 3 years into historic 10-year, $500 million global collaboration From Earth’s surface to hundreds of kilometers deeper than oilmen drill, the Deep […]

High school students mentored in top Canadian labs explore out-of-box ideas; Many find career-shaping passion for science in microscope

Bioscience Education Canada, Toronto 20-Feb-2013 Unexpected prizes from a high school biotech science competition, mentored by some of Canada’s top research experts, range from rich university scholarships and commercial patents to peer-reviewed journal citations and international speaking invitations, former teen participants say. But the reward cited most often by alumni of the Sanofi BioGENEius Challenge […]

Inspired: Canada funds 68 bold, inventive ways to improve health, save lives in developing countries

Grand Challenges Canada, Toronto 22 Nov. 2012 Grand Challenges Canada awards 68 $100,000 seed grants to innovators worldwide Some 51 innovators in 18 low and middle income countries and 17 in Canada will share $7 million in Canadian grants to pursue bold, creative ideas for tackling health problems in resource-poor parts of the world. Among the […]

Preserve the services of mangroves — Earth’s invaluable coastal forests, experts urge

United Nations University, Institute for Water, Environment and Health, Canada 14 Nov 2012 Loss of mangroves to fish farms, other development, a poor economic trade-off risking human and environmental well-being Experts are urging policy makers to preserve mangroves and their essential services to nature and humanity alike, saying their replacement with shrimp farms and other […]

Study details essential role of trust in agricultural biotech partnerships

Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, Toronto 1­ Nov ­2012 Researchers identify building blocks of trust: Honesty, transparency, capability, accountability, solidarity and generosity Trust between partners is a fundamental requisite in agricultural biotech projects, according to Canadian researchers who today published insights from a four year study into what built or undermined trust in eight […]

Malaysia to battle ‘nutrition transition’ problem emerging worldwide: More income, poorer diet choices

Office of the Science Advisor to the Prime Minister, Malaysia / Malaysian Industry‑Government Group for High Technology 1 Nov 2012 ‘Nutrition transition’ common to Mexico, India, China, other emerging economies With health problems like obesity and diabetes on the rise due to changing diets in emerging economies, Malaysia is forging new linkages between domestic and […]