The health effects of a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize (from 11% in the diet), cultivated with or without Roundup, and Roundup alone (from 0.1 ppb in water), were studied 2 years in rats. In females, all treated groups died 2–3 times more than controls, and more rapidly. This difference was visible in 3 male groups fed GMOs. All results were hormone and sex dependent, and the pathological profiles were comparable.

The Guassa area of Menz in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia is an Afro-alpine ecological community with an indigenous resource management system. The local community harvest different resources including collecting grass and firewood from the Guassa area. Cattle and other livestock are also grazed in the Guassa area, especially during the dry season. Several sympatric species of endemic rodents dominate the small mammal ecological communities in the Guassa area, and form most of the diet of the endangered Ethiopian wolf.

Trichinellosis is a wide spread food borne zoonosis caused by species of the genus Trichinella. Until present T. spiralis is the only species usually found in porcine, sinantropics and wild animals from Argentina. Nevertheless, Krivokapich et al. isolated a novel species (Trichinella T12) from a Puma concolor, T.

Cinnamon bug or seed bug, Ochrophora (= Udonga) montana (Distant) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a serious pest of bamboo, feeds on developing seeds and is able to destroy all available seeds during massive outbreaks. Nevertheless, its outbreaks are occasional and were recently (2011) witnessed in Karanataka. Interestingly, periodic outbreaks of O. montana are known from the northeastern region (NER) of India, and largely corresponded with mass flowering of bamboos in Mizoram.
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Owls are natural predators of rodents, of which seven species are agriculturally important pests. Conserving owls will not only result in better rodent control preventing huge crop losses, but will also prevent indiscriminate chemical use, thus preserving the ecological diversity. Educational programs will go a long way in achieving this.

The rising noise decibel is not only damaging people’s ear drums but also the livelihood of night rat killers.

Scientists Wary Of Animal Welfare Act Draft
Hyderabad: Punishment for causing the death of a person in an accident is an imprisonment of up to two years as per IPC section 304 (A).

But kill a mouse or even injure it and you will have to serve upto five years in jail. You may even end up coughing up Rs one lakh as fine.

It may sound strange.

M.J. PRABU

Rats pose a major challenge to agriculture, especially after the monsoon season.

KOHIMA, Sept 19

Kohima, Sept 15: Although a favourable monsoon this year brought cheers to farmers after last year

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