Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

Avian Flu Diary: EID Journal: Environmental Persistence of Monkeypox Virus on Surfaces in A Household

Among the most contaminated surfaces they found were door knobs, cabinet door handlesfaucets, and light switches

Viral DNA may be detected, even when the virus is no longer viable, or in concentrations too low to be infectious. But these researchers were able to successfully isolate viable virus from 3 of the samples, suggesting transmission of the Monkeypox virus by fomite was at least possible.

Yesterday the CDC’s EID Journal published a research article on the environmental sampling at the home of last summer’s imported case in Texas, which like the above study, found extensive MPXV-WA DNA contamination on both porous (e.g., bedding, clothing) and non-porous (e.g., metal, plastic) surfaces throughout the home.

These researchers were also able to successfully culture viable virus from 7 samples (primarily from porous surfaces15 days after the patient had left the house.  Since only 1 in 21 samples from non-porous surfaces yielded viable virus, it is possible the virus degrades more slowly on porous surfaces.

Source: Avian Flu Diary: EID Journal: Environmental Persistence of Monkeypox Virus on Surfaces in A Household

Drawing the wrong lessons from Sri Lanka’s organic farming experience (commentary)

Our research on the diets of long-term organic versus conventional tea farmers in Sri Lanka suggests that it is actually the established organic tea farmers who have done much better over the past two years. They receive a price premium for their product, have well-established internal supplies of high-quality organic compost to maintain their soils, and their tea yields are the same or better than those of conventional tea farmers.

Their steady earnings combined with vegetable gardens for home consumption mean that they have nutritious diets. This compares with conventional tea farmers who had to deal with the sudden loss of chemical fertilizer supplies last summer, struggled to find good-quality organic compost, and then saw declining yields, lower incomes, and poorer diets.

Source: Drawing the wrong lessons from Sri Lanka’s organic farming experience (commentary)

Video: Study Shows How Dogs Recognize Their Toys — FACE Foundation Blog

Lolsys Library

Our dogs love their toys, and many of them have favorite toys. Many dogs are also able to retrieve a particular toy when their owners name it, i.e., “Bring me Bear.” Researchers at the Family Dog Project, a Hungarian academic research institute that studies the behavioral and cognitive aspects of the dog-human relationship, recently examined[…]

Video: Study Shows How Dogs Recognize Their Toys — FACE Foundation Blog

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