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☆ WHO chief scientist calls for increased monitoring and preparation for highly pathogenic bird flu
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The bird flu spreading through cattle in the United States is an “enormous concern” the chief scientist of the World Health Organization said Thursday as he called for more tracking and preparation for the virus. So far, there is no evidence that the highly pathogenic H5N1 flu virus can spread from person to person. Though H5N1 doesn’t spread from person to person, humans can catch it when they’re exposed to infected animals. They are only the second documented case of human H5N1 in the United States. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that while the current risk to public health from H5N1 is low, it is monitoring the situation carefully.

Persons: Dr, Jeremy Farrar, “, Richard Webby, ”, hasn’t, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN, World Health Organization, WHO, Research, Get CNN, CNN Health, US Department of Agriculture’s, Plant Health, Services, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC Locations: United States, British, Geneva, Texas, Colorado, St, — Texas, New Mexico , Kansas, South Dakota , Idaho , Michigan , Ohio, North Carolina

☆ CEO quit his 6-figure job at Microsoft—and landed a $300,000 'Shark Tank' offer for his new startup
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A self-proclaimed "serial plant killer" went on ABC's "Shark Tank" — and came away with a $300,000 offer for his houseplant health company Flora. Flora was founded in 2022 by Aabesh De, a former Microsoft employee who quit his "cushy" six-figure job to build a soil meter and accompanying app that alerts people about the health of their houseplants. "My dear mother gave me her prized rose bush plant that she had for years," De, 29, said on the show. "I would never go for a subscription model after buying [the soil meter]," she said. "I think you're smart as hell, and I like to invest in people who are smart as hell," Greiner said.

Persons: Aabesh De, De, we've, weren't, Robert Herjavec, Mark Cuban, Kevin O'Leary, O'Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Greiner, You've Organizations: Microsoft, CNBC Locations: Flora

☆ The Asian longhorned tick spreading across the US can clone itself thousands of times and even kill cattle
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The ticks turned out to be an invasive species, the Asian longhorned tick, newly established in Ohio. The curious case of the dead cattleAsian longhorned ticks are tiny and can be difficult to distinguish between other species. Risa Pesapane/Ohio State UniversityPesapane and her colleagues suggest the Ohio cattle died from blood loss. Asian longhorned ticks are hard to spot, contain, and killTiny and brown, the ALT is hard to distinguish from other types of ticks, making it difficult to spot. AdvertisementCattle are the preferred meal of Asian longhorned ticks.

Persons: —, Risa Pesapane, Pesapane, It's, Oleksandr Melnyk, Kevin Lahmers, Lahmers, Joellen Lampman, Lampman, Ohio State University Pesapane, it's, There's, Ikeda Organizations: Service, Ohio State, Medical Entomology, Pesapane, US Department of Agriculture, Getty Images, Virginia - Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ohio State University, Plant Health, Yale School of Public Health Locations: Ohio, West Virginia, But Ohio, East Asia, Virginia, United States, New Zealand, North Carolina, Lyme, Rocky

Meanwhile, two indoor farming companies that attracted strong startup money — New Jersey's AeroFarms and Kentucky's AppHarvest — filed for bankruptcy reorganization. Advocates say growing indoors uses less water and land and allows food to be grown closer to consumers, saving on transport. Tom Kimmerer, a plant physiologist who taught at the University of Kentucky, has tracked indoor farming alongside his research into the growth of plants both outdoors and inside. He said some companies may be struggling to scale up, with problems that come from launching in spaces that aren't necessarily built specifically for indoor farming. Several of the companies say they're on the right track.

Persons: AppHarvest —, Jacob Portillo, Eden Green, that’s, ”, It's, they’re, Tom Kimmerer, “, Kimmerer, Hannah Burrack, you’re, ” Burrack, Evan Lucas, he's, Lucas, Eden, Eddy Badrina, Arama Kukutai, Matt Ryan, Curt Covington, isn't, “ It's, ” Covington, ___ Walling, Joshua A, Bickel, ___, Melina Walling Organizations: Eden Green Technology, Kroger, University of Kentucky, Michigan State University, Northern Michigan University, Eden Green, Walmart, AgAmerica, Associated Press, AP Locations: CLEBURNE, Texas, Dallas, Eden, Cleburne, California, Detroit, Elmwood, Farm, Lexington , Kentucky, Plenty, Chicago, Georgetown , Kentucky, Georgetown, ___

☆ Invasive species cost the world $423 billion every year and are causing environmental chaos, UN report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Scroll through the gallery to see more of the planet's most problematic invasive species. Sarefo / Wikimedia Commons In pictures: Invasive species around the world Prev Next‘Prevention, prevention, prevention’Along with invasive species, other key drivers of biodiversity loss include destruction of land and sea habitats, exploitation of organisms, climate change and pollution. As well as flammable invasive plants sparking and spreading wildfires, climate change is enabling invasive species to move north – even to remote areas such as high mountains, deserts and frozen tundra. Preventing the arrival of new species into new regions is the best way to manage threats from invasive species, according to the report. For invasive species that have already taken hold, eradication has been a useful tool, especially on islands, according to the report.

Persons: ”, Helen Roy, ” Roy, David Gray, Peter Stoett, Anibal Pauchard, Ian Hitchcock, Starling, MENAHEM KAHANA, Phil Mislinski, Jeff J Mitchell, SANJAY KANOJIA, MUNIR UZ ZAMAN, ” Stoett, Stoett, –, ” Pauchard Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN, Services, billabong, Nile Virus, Ontario Tech University, Chile’s Institute of Ecology, Pacific, World Wildlife Fund, US Department of Agriculture, USA, Studies, New Zealand Government, European, Starlings, AFP, Getty, North, Wikimedia Locations: Darwin, Australia, Africa, Caribbean, Guam, North America, Hawaii, Maui, Antarctica, Pacific, North, South America, Azov, China, Japan, Europe, Bermuda, New Zealand, New York, USA, Australasia, South Africa, United States, AFP, East Africa, Western Asia, Americas, Kenya, India, Puerto Rico, Kunming, Montreal

☆ An Invasive Hornet Species Is Spotted in the U.S. for the First Time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Rebecca Carballo | More About Rebecca Carballo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An invasive hornet species was spotted this month in the United States for the first time, and state officials in Georgia, fearing it could harm the agriculture industry, said they were working with federal officials and academic experts to eradicate it. A beekeeper in Savannah, Ga., discovered an unusual insect on his property and reported it to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, which worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the University of Georgia to confirm that it was a yellow-legged hornet. Native to tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia, the yellow-legged hornet could threaten the state’s honey production, native pollinators and agriculture industry, the state’s Agriculture Department said in a statement on Tuesday. The species’ appearance is troubling because the hornet preys on honeybees, said Chuck Bargeron, director of the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia.

Persons: Chuck Bargeron Organizations: Georgia Department of Agriculture, U.S . Department of Agriculture’s, Plant Health, Service, University of Georgia, state’s Agriculture Department, Center Locations: United States, Georgia, Savannah , Ga, Southeast Asia

☆ Florida's rising water temperatures raise concerns for health of coral reefs, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Maria Cardona | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MIAMI/KEY WEST, Florida, July 15 (Reuters) - Rising temperatures in Florida's waters due to climate change have sparked an extreme stressor for coral reefs causing bleaching, which has scientists concerned. Just within the last week, as the U.S. South struggles under a heat wave, NOAA has reported Florida water temperatures in the mid-90s Fahrenheit (35 C). Coral reefs create homes for millions of species of marine life, support healthy ocean food webs and protect coastlines, experts say. Florida's coral reefs are also a tourist attraction and help support the local economy. Reporting by Maria Alejandra Cardona in Miami and Key West, Florida Writing by Matthew Lewis; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: it's, Michael Studivan, Michael Crosby, Studivan, Maria Alejandra Cardona, Matthew Lewis, Diane Craft Organizations: MIAMI, National Oceanic, Health, Monitoring, U.S, NOAA, Mote Marine Laboratory, Aquarium, Key, Thomson Locations: Florida, Miami, Port of Miami, Key West

☆ Coronavirus Probably Spread Widely in Deer and Perhaps Back to People, U.S.D.A. Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Emily Anthes | More About Emily Anthes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Indeed, the new study confirms prior reports that some coronavirus variants, including Alpha and Gamma, continued to circulate in deer even after they became rare in people. They found multiple versions of the virus in deer, including the Alpha, Gamma, Delta and Omicron variants. Then, the scientists compared the viral samples isolated from deer with those from human patients and mapped the evolutionary relationships between them. They concluded that the virus moved from humans to deer at least 109 times and that deer-to-deer transmission often followed. Many questions remain, including precisely how people are passing the virus to deer, and the role that the animals might play in sustaining the virus in the wild.

Persons: APHIS Organizations: Alpha, Gamma, Plant Health, Service, D.C, Nature Communications, APHIS, Centers for Disease Control, University of Missouri Locations: ., Washington, North Carolina and Massachusetts

☆ U.S. reports case of atypical mad cow disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CHICAGO, May 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Friday an atypical case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad cow disease, in an older beef cow at a slaughter plant in South Carolina. USDA said the animal never entered slaughter channels and the agency did not expect any trade impacts as a result. It was the seventh detection of BSE in the United States since 2003 and all but one have been atypical. "This finding of an atypical case will not change the negligible risk status of the United States and should not lead to any trade issues," USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said in a statement. Reporting by Caroline Stauffer; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil boosts bird flu defense to protect world's top chicken industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Per protocol, local veterinarians in Espirito Santo took samples from the birds on site and sent them to the reference lab in Campinas, Brazil. "The entire industry is mobilized to monitor the situation identified in Espirito Santo," national meat lobby ABPA said in a statement. In other countries, avian flu outbreaks in wild birds have frequently been followed by transmission to commercial flocks. Bird flu outbreaks have contributed to higher prices of poultry and eggs, normally an affordable source of protein. Since early 2022, wild birds have spread the highly infectious virus farther and wider around the world than ever before.

☆ US government is testing avian flu vaccines for birds, but ending the historic outbreak isn’t that simple
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Eradication and vaccinationAs of April 26, the CDC says, nearly 58.8 million poultry have been affected by avian flu since January 2022. The virus has been detected in at least 6,737 wild birds, and the number is likely to be much higher. Vaccinated birds would be protected, but with this highly infectious disease, they still could shed some virus that could infect unprotected birds. Partial protection means more birds will be spreading the virus,” Gallardo said. The US has the largest poultry industry in the world, with 294,000 poultry farms.

Oct. 7, 2021 - APHIS director Robert Gibbens declines the request, citing “optics” and the risks of COVID-19 exposure. Oct. 25, 2021 – Three APHIS inspectors find 13 violations at Envigo, seven of which are “direct" or "critical." Nov. 16-19, 2021 - APHIS inspects Envigo and finds 26 violations, 14 of which are "direct" or "critical." Feb. 16, 2022 - Miller informs her staff that Goldentyer has removed her from working on any more Envigo inspections. March 8, 2022 - APHIS employees inspect Envigo and find five violations, two of which are “direct.”May 3, 2022 - APHIS inspects Envigo and only cite the company for failing to fix the dangerous flooring.

The Justice Department’s decision to subpoena government witnesses who would normally testify voluntarily to help build the government’s criminal case was highly unusual, according to a half-dozen legal and animal welfare experts. The inspectors wanted APHIS to take a tougher stance against the company for the mistreatment of the beagles. Yet, this did not happen with any of the agency's inspections of Envigo, public records show. TENSIONS RISETensions between Gibbens and Miller escalated shortly after Envigo appealed some of the findings from the October inspection, emails show. Gibbens told Envigo APHIS would strike the citation because the company ultimately provided the requested information.

More than 40 million egg-laying hens have been culled in the U.S. alone, causing the price of eggs nationwide to skyrocket, Lorenzoni said. Months earlier, the “bird flu” outbreak drove the cost of turkey meat to record highs. Poultry can become infected through direct exposure to wild birds but more likely from fecal matter that contaminates the ground around farms or yards. Many migrating birds are not sickened by bird flu, which means it’s not well understood just how widespread it is in the wild, Lorenzoni added. The sun can, for instance, naturally disinfect surfaces while gloomier days help viral particles survive on surfaces contaminated by infected bird poop, Lorenzoni said.

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