Insects, viruses could hold key for better human teamwork in disasters
In a new and novel study, scientists are looking to nature -- specifically, to ants, bees and viruses -- for ways to improve human collaboration during disaster relief efforts. At the center of the scientists' sights are a sub-group of their own species -- specifically, civil engineers, who historically have had a limited role in such efforts, especially those involving critical physical...New tooth enamel dating technique could help identify disaster victims
Remnants of above-ground nuclear testing provide a way to determine age at time of death The radioactive carbon-14 produced by above-ground nuclear testing in the 1950s and 1960s is providing forensic scientists with a more precise way to determine a person's age at the time of death. The method could help in the identification of victims of Hurricane Katrina and other large-scale disast...The ecological effects of the Chernobyl disaster
Nearly 20 years ago Reactor number 4 at Chernobyl exploded, sending radiation across a large region of what is now the Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Some 40 radionucleotides were released into the environment, including Strontium 90 (90Sr) and Cesium 137 (137Cs). Yet despite radiation levels dangerous to humans, most natural areas in the region have rebounded, and by ecological standards, are fun...Indonesia - disaster relief aid in action
ISN's immediate response to this latest quake - to strike the Indonesian island of Java - was to call once again on its Renal Disaster Task Force (RDRTF). Under the leadership of Dr. Raymond Vanholder, the Task Force acted rapidly by sending two scouts to join a team from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The two Task Force members Dr. Arjan van der Tol, Nephrologist, (who also participated...A human taste for rarity spells disaster for endangered species
The shady pursuit of endangered bird eggs made international headlines in May 2006 when Colin Watson, widely considered Britain's most notorious illegal egg collector, died after falling from a 12-meter tree, allegedly while hunting a rare egg. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds estimates that up to 30 of Britain's most vulnerable species are targeted by collectors. Classical economics...Oshkosh Truck spends $4.8 million on disaster-resistant network
The purchase will outfit with a portfolio of sophisticated networking solutions, including a single converged "self-healing" network to be phased...State initiative prepares Wisconsin IT systems for a disaster
Wisconsin may never have a disaster on the scale of September 11 or Hurricane Katrina, but technology experts in state government are making continuity plans to ensure the Badger State responds more like New York City than New Orleans. The state's Enterprise Emergency Management Planning Project, conceived following September 11, was outlined during the Fu...SupraNet helps disaster-relief charity with server support
Madison Internet service provider McCallum and SupraNet CEO Bryan Chan said in a press release that the support would help Aidmatrix deal with the unexpected number of recent disast...Hurricane Katrina: Many disaster recovery systems were outdated
Despite predictions and preventative measures, Katrina caught many businesses and people off guard. Asks adjunct Northwestern professor James Carlini, what disaster recovery plans do you really have in place for your business and your home and how updated are they? While most of the news coverage has focused on the people and residential aspects, few reports have really taken into consi...Madison company urges disaster warning upgrades
"There was a three- to four-hour delay after the levees were breached, where people could have been alerted to the coming danger and resources mobilized simultaneously," said Kendall Post, chief tec...AIDS Disaster in India is Imminent
While concern over the AIDS crisis ravaging sub-Saharan Africa dominates much of the discussion at this week's XIII International AIDS Conference, researchers and AIDS workers are sounding the alarm for what many consider to be the next big trouble spot--India."We have a very serious catastrophe in the offing, and if there's an enemy of India it's not Pakistan, it's not China, and it's not any...'Prozac miracle' could end in disaster
A major lawsuit has been launched against the British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline on behalf of a group of people who say they became chronically addicted to an antidepressant drug in the same class as Prozac. The case, which has been filed in California, is the first ever to claim damages for addiction against one of the drug companies that have made billions from SSRIs (selective seroto...Wonder drug - could end in disaster
Prozac and drugs like it could be making healthy people with no history of mental illness feel suicidal. Prozac is prescribed to more than 38 million people world-wide, and has been one of the pharmaceutical industries biggest success stories of recent years. Prozac and Lustral belong to a group of drugs known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). This class of drugs of which Prozac...Disaster Planning Guide From Harvard Health Publications
Harvard Health Publications have come up with a disaster-planning guide to help the people who live in the areas// that are frequented by tropical storms, hurricanes, tidal waves and cyclones. No matter where anybody lives in the world, people are vulnerable to some sort of natural disaster such as a blizzard, earthquake, flood, hurricane, or tornado. In addition, terrorist attacks are a...Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Risk In Young Natural Disaster Survivors
A new study has found that young people who survive natural disasters like the tsunami or even Hurricane Katrina are at a high risk of developing// chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as depression. The study conducted by UCLA researchers says that these factors need to be kept in mind when counselling adolescents post-disaster. The study highlights the case of young s...