Gull superbug
Migrating gulls have been found to carry bugs resistant to antibiotics, showing for the first time that wild birds may spread them around. Six of 57 droppings collected in the Berlengas archipelago, off Portugal, contained bacteria resistant to the antibiotic vancomycin (Proteome Science, vol 8, p 48).
Tigers get high
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Camera traps at 4 kilometres above sea level in the mountains of Bhutan have recorded a male tiger apparently marking its territory and a female lactating, suggesting that tigers are breeding high in the Himalayas. The potential existence of 鈥渢iger corridors鈥� in Asia, and of mountain refuges, are cause for optimism.
Fish left dangling
A decision on whether to permit the sale in the US of salmon that are genetically modified to grow twice as fast as normal was deferred this week. Instead, the Food and Drug Administration called for more research on issues including potential environmental impacts if transgenic salmon were to escape.
Global goals shaky
The world is unlikely to meet the Millennium Development Goals set for reducing poverty, hunger and disease by 2015. The number of people in extreme poverty is down, but almost exclusively in China; child deaths have also fallen, but less than half as fast as targeted; and 1.02 billion people are chronically hungry 鈥� the highest number ever.
World nuclear bank
The US is pushing for the creation of an international nuclear fuel bank to supply countries that want it for peaceful purposes. Energy secretary Steven Chu said the US would seek approval for the bank at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in December. It is hoped that such a bank could make it harder to obtain nuclear material for weapons.