Good for health, bad for fertility

ANTIOXIDANTS are a part of health food products like Kellogg’s cornflakes, Protinex and Horlicks. But claims of these being healthy and nutritious are likely to fall flat as antioxidants have been found to have adverse health reactions. A research has shown that antioxidants like vitamins C and E could be harmful to women planning to have a baby.

When McDonald’s ate crow

In 1990, McDonald’s threatened activists of a London-based ethical food group with libel suits. A pamphlet, What’s wrong with McDonald’s, had earned them the ire of the fast food biggie. Three of the activists from London Greenpeace—not to be confused with Greenpeace International, which distanced itself from the matter— apologised to McDonald’s and agreed not to circulate the leaflet. But Helen Steel, a part time bar worker earning £65 a week, and David Morris, an unemployed single parent, were dragged to a London court.

Letters

THE STALK EXPERIENCE

science & Technology - Briefs

Atmospheric sciences Earth glows as chorus plays

Stalk soup

One of the great acumen of those living close to nature is that they know exactly when nature offers a gift.

Science & Technology - Briefs

PHYSICS For faster computers

Science and Environment - Briefs

BIOLOGY Yellow pigment clue to evolution Bilirubin, responsible for the yellowish tinge in the skin, eyes and nails of jaundice patients, has for the first time been identified in plants. The pigment was discovered in Strelitzia reginae Aiton, commonly know as the Bird of Paradise plant. It is indigenous to South Africa and known for its orange and blue inflorescence.

From roaming to home delivery

The public distribution system is throwing up innovations, with officialdom seeking new ways of cracking the problem. However, some have remained non-starters despite their usefulness.

Control your food. It is your business

Our control over our food and our health requires inventive institutional reordering and new ideas about the way food regulations work.

Fungal wand

SOY is an enduring favourite of healthfood aficionados. It is known to ward off cancer and reduce risk of brittle bone and heart diseases. The oil seed owes its ability to antioxidants. The trick to exploit these fully is to change the way soy is consumed, say scientists at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow. They have found that the antioxidant property of soy gets enhanced when it is fermented with a fungus, Trichoderma harzianum.