EMBRYO ENQUIRY
Freezing embryos could affect their subsequent growth, according to fertility expert Robert Winston of Hammersmith Hospital in London. Worldwide, thousands of babies have been born from frozen embryos. But Winston told Britain鈥檚 Independent newspaper that he will soon be publishing evidence that freezing can affect gene expression. Nobody has looked for problems before, he says. 鈥淎nd the reason nobody鈥檚 looked is that there is a huge commercial advantage in freezing embryos.鈥�
VOLCANO ALERT
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Hawaii鈥檚 biggest volcano, Mauna Loa, is starting to stir after 18 quiet years. The mountain鈥檚 surface has been bulging at the rate of 5 centimetres per year since May, after more than a decade of subsiding. Volcanologists have not yet issued a public warning, but say Mauna Loa could erupt in months or years. They are concerned that some people have settled so high up the volcano鈥檚 slopes they may not have time to escape.
PARROTS IN DANGER
A virus that may have been introduced by smuggled birds is the latest threat to New Zealand鈥檚 native parrots. In July, a number of non-native rosella parrots caught in the country died before being exported. Authorities now say the cause was psittacine pox, previously unknown in New Zealand. The infection is almost certainly not fully contained, says the agriculture ministry, and could spread to the endangered kaka, kakariki and kea, and the few remaining kakapo.
PHARMING BAN
The major biotech companies in North America have agreed not to plant genetically modified crops that produce drugs or chemicals in important food-producing regions. The voluntary ban has been adopted by members of the Biotechnology Industry Organization because of fears that a food contamination scandal could ruin the nascent 鈥減harming鈥� industry.