Editors sound the SARS alarm bells

Editors sound the SARS alarm bells

'Does this virus have the power to conquer the whole world?' was how the Daily Express flagged one of its first articles on the virus(es) responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). 'As if war and terrorism were not enough, a terrified world now has a new threat to contend with — a mystery illness that is spreading around the world from the Orient,' said the Daily Mail. 'The sympt...

New alarm bells

Some species do appear to practise construction skills — birds in particular — and to require some mental flexibility in starting the process. But ultimately, animals build the way they do because they are genetically programmed to do so, Hansell concludes. But evolution can lead to surprising results. Hansell notes that most of our closest primate relatives create little more than temporary sh...

Alarm bells louden

Previous progress towards instituting carbon emission caps in the US have been derailed by fears (voiced most prominently by the current administration) that such regulations would stifle the American economy. There has been progress, however, as exemplified by the bipartisan support for the Lieberman– Warner Climate Stewardship Act, which, while not reaching a full vote by the Senate this year...

Foot and mouth alarm bells

Biologists’ alarm bells ring louder

climate change. It suggested that the action plan agreed in Scotland in July “fell far short of a strategy to stop the rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.” Frustration at the lack of action on climate change was expressed by John Lawton, head of Britain’s Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution who, in the wake of hurricane Katrina, criticised US policymakers and told journalists he...