A strange birth defect is on the rise in the United States, and scientists are at a loss to explain it.
Gastroschisis is a birth defect that causes a baby’s intestines to protrude outside of his/her body, through a hole in the abdominal wall beside the belly button. Sometimes this hole is very small, but it can also be quite large, and other organs such as the stomach and liver can extend from the baby’s body.
The Cornucopia Institute, a public interest group of thousands of organic farmers and consumers, and two of its members have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, alleging unqualified individuals have been put in place to determine what is “organic.”
A study recently published by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) suggests women who eat as much or more seafood as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends for pregnant women may be exposing themselves to unsafe levels of mercury, depending on the types of fish they’re eating.
Source: The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
People who stress out about getting old are more likely to be diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease, scientists are warning. Researchers have found middle-aged people who dread their senior years are more likely to have dementia-like changes to their brain years later. On the other hand, those who think positively about their inevitable aging are less likely to be diagnosed.
On March 8, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) voted to become the first school district of its size to require hormone- and antibiotic-free chicken in its school meals. More than 732,800 students are enrolled at LAUSD’s 1.274 schools.
The full changes go into effect in fall 2017.
An outbreak of yellow fever in Angola has infected thousands of people and claimed 238 lives since December. The first cases of the outbreak were reported in the capital of Luanda, and has since spread to 16 of 18 of the country’s 18 provinces.
Researchers have found a common denominator in the brains of people with schizophrenia and autism: low levels of vitamin B12.
For the study, researchers examined the brains of those who have already passed away, with age ranging from the beginning of birth to 80 years old. Researchers found that vitamin B12 levels were 10 times lower in the oldest people compared with the youngest, indicating that levels decline consistently over the course of many years.
A Penn State University researcher has created a genetically modified mushroom that is now at the center of controversy over GMO regulations of genetically modified creations.
The world’s honeybees are in rapid decline. Due to pesticide exposure, disease, and more, there are 70% fewer of them now than there were just 70 years ago. A number of hotels in San Francisco are sympathetic to the plight of these vital pollinators, and have turned their rooftops into sanctuaries for the fuzzy, winged creatures.
After the state House voted in favor of the medical marijuana bill, marijuana activists were biting their nails for fear the Senate would find a way to slow or stall the bill, but the bill passed last week.
Supporters knew they’d been successful, as Governor Tom Wolf had vowed to sign it into law. And the governor did not disappoint. Wolf signed the bill on Sunday, making Pennsylvania the 24th state in the nation to embrace marijuana as a legitimate form of medical treatment.
Wolf said:
