Nobel Conference Blog

Year: 2010

  • Nature magazine series on the role of science in meeting world food demand

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    jdontje

    The Nature magazine article series available at this link (http://www.nature.com/news/specials/food/index.html ) takes a look at the role of science in meeting world food demand in the future. There seems to be an honest effort to look critically at what scientific research can and cannot do in meeting growing food demand while protecting the environment. One…

  • The Kathleen Show and Marion Nestle

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    mkoomen

    Marion Nestle is featured in the media often.  The Kathleen show is described at thekathleenshow.com as: Smart, funny, and down-to-earth, Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau delivers great information in an entertaining hour of radio. Kathleen is a mom, wife and former drug pusher (legally) turned critically acclaimed filmmaker. They feature some of the country’s most provocative thought leaders who…

  • Is this your brain on meat?

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    heldke

    A story on Morning Edition today discusses anthropological arguments showing that a meat diet is what enabled our ancestors to develop bigger brains. A diet of cooked meat, to be more specific.

  • Nestle: Water and Sports Drinks

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    mkoomen

    It’s summer and we are thirsty. Marion Nestle tackles the “8 glasses of water myth” and the value of sports drinks in her latest blog: Food Matters column: water and sports drinks

  • Are YOU a supertaster?

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    heldke

    Several years ago, when I learned about  “supertasters,” the people Linda Bartoshuk discovered who have extraordinary numbers of taste buds, my first thought was “oh, please, let me be a supertaster!” As luck would have it, I’m not in that superminority. But now I know how lucky I am.  Supertasting is not superfun. Imagine that…

  • Frances Moore Lappe: World Hunger…Again and Again and Again

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    heldke

    In 1979, Frances Moore Lappe and Joseph Collins published a little book called World Hunger: Ten Myths. Subsequently revised to include twelve myths, the book was reprinted countless times and is still a classic in the field of food and justice, a mainstay publication of the organization Food First. In the book, Lappe and Collins…

  • How do you feel about cake?

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    heldke

    If you see a piece of cake, or hear someone say the word “cake,” do you find yourself, well, wanting cake–even if you just got up from a huge meal? Scientists at two conferences this week have been investigating the differences between “hedonic” and “homeostatic” eaters–that is, between eaters for whom the siren song of…

  • Why crop diversity matters

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    heldke

    Here’s an interesting piece, called “Why the UK Should Pay More Attention to Its Food,” which discusses the reasons that diversity in our plant species matters. Read into it and you’ll find a discussion of Cary Fowler and the Global Seed Bank project. ““It would cost $30million to conserve wheat, one of the world’s most…

  • Paul Thompson on the ethics of animal biotech

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    heldke

    “Decisions about the future development and use of animal biotechnology may be more effective and widely accepted if parties from various disciplines increase their commitment to frequent and sustained cooperative efforts,” notes Paul B. Thompson, upon the release of a new issue paper on the ethics of animal biotechnology. The paper, entitled Ethical Implications of…

  • Drink more coffee!

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    heldke

    A piece in the Guardian (UK) finally gives us the news we want to hear: drinking more than four cups of coffee is GOOD for you. Or at least it may guard against head and neck cancers! Check out the story here.