Short News Article

Alpha-gal syndrome has been on the rise in the United States.

What is it?

Alpha-gal syndrome is a food allergy that causes people to become allergic to red meat and other products made from mammals.
The condition is developed after being bitten by the Lone Star tick.
The tick, found in the eastern and southern parts of the country, injects a sugar molecule known as alpha-gal into the human body through its bite.
This causes the immune system to develop a reaction – ranging from severe to mild – to red meat.

A project attempting to restore climate change fighting marine plants in Cornwall has proved a success in its first year.

What is seagrass?

Seagrass is a flowering marine plant that has the potential to capture carbon from the environment up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests.
Seagrass live in near-shore waters of most of the worlds’ continents.
They are the main diet of dugongs and green turtles and provide a habitat for many, smaller marine animals, some of which, like prawns and fish, are commercially important.
They also absorb nutrients from coastal run-off and stabilise sediment, helping to keep the water clear.
Seagrasses store more than twice as much carbon from planet-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) per square mile than forests do on land, according to a 2012 study.
The plants also help support fisheries and protect coasts from erosion.