INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES: MRI-Based Atlas of the Developing Mouse Brain Debuts

Higher Latitudes See Longer Ragweed Season One significant cause of seasonal allergies is plants from the genus Ambrosia, which includes several types of ragweed. A study of ragweed pollen data from 10 U.S. and Canadian sites shows the duration of the pollen season increased by up to 27 days since 1995 at latitudes above about 41°N. Papillion, Nebraska, at 41.15°N, has a season 11 days longer than in 1995, Minneapolis, Minnesota (45.00°N), has a season 16 days longer, and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (52.07°N), has a season 27 days longer. An estimated 10% or more of the U.S. population is sensitive to ragweed pollen, and by one estimate allergies cost the United States approximately $21 billion per year. Protests against New Asbestos Plant in India Construction on an asbestos manufacturing plant in the Indian state of Bihar has come to a halt after six months of student-led protests, according to news reports from the subcontinent. Several dozen countries now ban most or all forms of asbestos, and earlier this year, the Collegium Ramazzini reintroduced its call for a global ban on asbestos. An estimated 125 million people are exposed to asbestos in the workplace, and thousands of deaths and new diagnoses of asbestos-related disease are reported each year.