Tang Pangs

Sunflower power

scientists at the University of Bonn, Germany, have identified a substance in sunflower that can prevent the human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) from reproducing in cell cultures. Called dicaffeoyl quinic acid (dcqa), the chemical is produced when the plant is infected with a fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum , which causes the white stem rot disease.

Health is skin deep

Doctors insist that some foodstuffs should be eaten along with their skin. The peels have vitamins, trace minerals and dietary fibres -- a fact unknown to many. Peeling off the skin dramatically reduces the nutritional value of a food item, reveals a study by the University of California, usa. This also holds true for processed foodstuff.

In short

joining hands: India and the UK recently agreed to enhance cooperation in sustainable development issues. This was indicated at a meeting between Union minister of environment and forests Thiru A Raja and the UK minister of state for environment Elliot Morley. Raja praised the UK's implementation of public-private partnership in environmental issues and said India would like to do the same.

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an apple a day: Consumption of fruits and vegetables reduces the incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer, according to a study by researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The researchers estimate that 2.6 million people die per year due to inadequate fruit and vegetable intake. Consuming around 600 grams of fruits and vegetables everyday can reduce the incidence of heart disease by 31 per cent, heart strokes and stomach cancer by 19 per cent, and lung cancer by 20 per cent.

Rich, suddenly

the natives of Ladakh recently earned a huge profit through direct auctioning of the processed pulp of seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides var turkestanica) berries. The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (lahdc), through cooperatives formed among local communities, sold nearly 86,000 kilogrammes (kg) of the pulp to Arctic Bio-Pro Limited, a Delhi-based company.

Quantity mars quality

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no fishy treatment: A human blood clotting agent required for treating haemophilia and serious bleeding has been produced using genetically modified fish by researchers from the University of Southampton, the UK. There is still a long way to go before the product reaches the market, but if the project is a commercial success, many other proteins might be made this way.

Rank display

If one were to make a fleeting visit to an Indian city, the sight that would first greet the eyes would be a sky-scraping cluster of cement, with a pinch of green. With home gardens being the prerogative of a privileged few, most middle class homes are adorned with at least a few potted plants. The more ambitious souls buy flowers regularly as room dcor. Even fewer also own a small terrace garden.

More than intoxicating

the deciduous plant mahua is one of the most important flora species of Orissa. It is also found in Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Its flowers are valued across the country for brewing a local liquor, which is called mahuli in Oriya. Its fruits are eaten raw and the seed kernels are crushed to expel edible oil.