Critical plant bank in danger

Plant scientists around the world are warning that hundreds of years of accumulated agricultural heritage are in danger of being plowed under after a Russian court ruled today (August 11) that the land occupied by a world-renowned plant bank on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg may be transferred to the Russian Housing Development Foundation, which plans to build houses on the site — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Revealing the Ancient Chinese Secret of Sticky Rice Mortar

Construction workers in ancient China used sticky rice to make a super-strong mortar for city walls and other structures that even withstood earthquakes. Chemists now have discovered the ingredient in sticky rice that made the mortar so strong. Scientists have discovered the secret behind an ancient Chinese super-strong mortar made from sticky rice, the delicious sweet rice that is a modern mainstay in Asian dishes. They also concluded that the mortar — a paste used to bind and fill gaps between bricks, stone blocks and other construction materials — remains the best available material for restoring ancient buildings

New Ebola Drug 100 Percent Effective In Monkeys

The Ebola virus first emerged in 1976, striking fear with the uncontrollable bleeding it causes and mortality rates up to 90 percent. Ever since then, scientists have been struggling to find a way to treat the infection or protect against it. A team led by Thomas Geisbert of Boston University has used an experimental drug to protect monkeys from death after injecting them with massive doses of the most lethal strain of Ebola. We were stunned, Geisbert says. I’ve been working with this virus for my whole career — 23 or 24 years — and we’ve had some mild successes where maybe we could go up to 50 percent protection, he said. But I was really shocked that we got complete protection

Scientist Infected With Computer Virus

A British scientist claims to have become the first human to be infected by a computer virus, in an experiment he says has important implications for the future of implantable technology. Dr Mark Gasson from the University of Reading infected a computer chip which was then implanted in his hand with the virus and then transmitted it to a PC to prove that malware can move between human and computer