Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 15

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2000 A-15 HEALTH a SCIENCE ECTYE2C: A Diary of the Planet Biotech rice could solve itamin A deficiency in Third World nations Mi 'S UK the endosperm, the part people eat. The rice is unlikely to be sold in the United States or Europe, but it has public relations value for proponents of biotechnology. Most biotech crops developed so far are either tolerant of herbicides or toxic to insects, traits of little benefit to consumers, and the seed companies are struggling to overcome consumer resistance in Europe and Asia. The biotech rice could improve the industry's image because it was developed without commercial funding and will be easily available to farmers, said Mary Lou Guerinot, the Dartmouth College biologist who wrote the Science commentary. "One can only hope that this application of plant genetic engineering to ameliorate human misery without regard to short-term profit will restore this technology to political acceptability," she wrote.

Critics of biotech crops say not enough is known about their safety or effect on the environment. They say potential benefits of the rice should not be used to block efforts-to require stricter regulation. "I certainly agree that certain applications of biotechnology can have great social value, but that in no way obviates other concerns," said Rebecca Goldburg, senior scientist for the Environmental Defense Pond. It will take more testing to determine whether the biotech rice will meet a person's daily needs for vitamin A. Although the laboratory rice may have sufficient beta carotene, levels could vary in the varieties that are bred from it, Guerinot said.

Getting consumers to accept the yellowish rice also could be a challenge. They will have to be convinced the rice will prevent blindness and other health problems, said Per Pinstrup-Anderson, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute. "You're changing the color of a very basic food staple for millions of people, and that's never easy. But I think it can be done," he said V3 6 2'. las CoimMs 1 i aentlnie I wdingl f- yf For the week ending January 74.

vow United Arab Emirates Desert drought ends The first measurable rain in 10 months fell on Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and meteorologists predicted that more showers are likely. Much of the Middle East has been in the grip of a drought, and traditional Muslim prayers for rain have been held in many cities. Worldwide At least four people were injured and more than 400 homes were damaged by a magnitude 5.1 temblor that struck northeast China's Liaoning province, i A magnitude 6.4 quake in Chile's Antofagasta desert region knocked out power. It I 4 in i By Philip Brasher The Associated Press WASHINGTON Scientists have genetically engineered a tvoe of rice that could end vitamin A defi ciency in tne developing world, a Eroblem that is a common cause of lindness and other health prob-lems in millions of children. The researchers at a Swiss laboratory spliced three genes into the rice to make it rich in beta carotene, the source of vitamin according to a report on their findings appear- ing today in Science magazine.

The new crop, dubbed "golden because of the hue the beta carotene gives it, is not expected to available to farmers for several years. Also, scientists still have to determine if the altered rice loses any of the original rice's nutritional 6 lvalue. Nonetheless, the International ii Rice Research Institute already is working on breeding the new trait into popular varieties. A U.S. biologist, in a Science commentary on the findings, said the re-v search "exemplifies the best that -agricultural biotechnology has to of-fer." 4 The Rockefeller Foundation, the lead sponsor of the rice research, i views biotechnology as a solution to world hunger, and also wants to de- i velop crops that would be resistant to drought, pests and soil toxins.

believe it eventually will I be possible to put iron and other nu- trients in plants once the genetic pathways are known. Rice is a relatively poor source of many essential nutrients, including i vitamin but is the staple for half the world. An estimated 124 million 3 children worldwide are deficient in vitamin including a quarter million in Southeast Asia who go blind each year because of the problem. 'Improved nutrition could prevent 1 million to 2 million deaths a year, i Rice naturally produces its own beta carotene, but it is lost in the process. The biotech variety would have beta carotene right in 8 PC PACKAGE INCLUDES: SOFA, LOVESEAT, CHAIR, 2 LAMPS, 2 END TABLES COFFEE TABLE LOVEbKOO THREE PIECE KITCHEN DINETTE INCLUDES: Table 2 Chairs ST.

H'j i B.ur throughout Mexico have died as a result of a bitter cold snap during the first two weeks of January. The majority of fatalities have occurred in the northern deserts of the country, especially in the border state of Chihuahua, where temperatures have plunged to as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Many of the deaths have been caused by hypothermia, but a significant number of fatalities have also been caused by faulty heaters. China At least five people have been killed and four others injured in snowslides in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Mexico Killer bees attack school More than 20 students in Mexico were attacked by a swarm of Africanized killer bees at their primary school in Acapulco.

The victims were taken to the city's general hospital for treatment after the attack left five of the children in serious condition. Officials at the Vicente Guerrero School, where the attack took place, said that high levels of humidity in the aging structure had attracted the aggressive bees to colonize there. 4 Hit i 1 i 'I 1 4, 1 "Tl( 7 Spain Ibex extinct The very last living Spanish Ibex was found dead under a fallen tree in Ordesa National Park in Spain on Jan. 6. Forest rangers near the French border found the 13-year-old female with her skull crushed.

The animal was one of a subspecies of Pyrenees mountain goats known in Spain as "bucardo." Although the bucardo became a protected species in 1973, shrinking habitat and poachers eroded its numbers until only the lone female remained. France Reforestation The three million trees that were destroyed by record storms across France last month will be replaced in a massive reforestation program announced by the government. The storms' hurricane-force winds destroyed the equivalent of 1 ,250,000 acres of woodland. Around Paris, half the city's trees were uprooted, Including historic 200-year-old trees at the Palace of Versailles. The plan will involve approximately 5,500 previously unemployed workers to begin the arduous and dangerous first stage of the process clearing, cutting and shipping damaged trees.

Mexico Kiliing cold At least 100 people Vi. 1 1 -l i. V'4. it. rVf '-v J.

i i s. i I 1 1 11 i I Um fur more hifoiiviatian, call All luis 1 II; 7 I r. easy' Earth movements were also felt southern Mexico, Northern Cali- -fornia's wine country, Japan, Tai- wan, Indonesia's Irian Jaya v' province, southern Iran, southeast Turkey, southern Greece and west- ern Austria. Indonesia Bugged to Death The worst Indonesian grasshopper invasion since 1968 has devastated vast areas of crop-. land in the province of West Kali-! mantan.

Environmentalists blame the plague on the destruction of nearby rain forests that were habitat to many birds, which are the grasshoppers' natural enemies. Distributed by: The Los Angeles Times Syndi cate mail: earthiislio.net 2000Eanh Environment Service I fev -ij v. -v ipm in 1 nMV rniimv eHTiinniiu WtiLIU HLL Unl fmUrtl A dnlullunl ANY SENQLE BALE OR CLEARANCE-PRICED ITEM IN FURS. Coupon valhf Fridv. January 14 and laturday.

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