http://ec.europa.eu//research/index.cfm?pg=whatsnew en Wed, 22 May 2013 14:46:07 GMT http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=rss For more RSS news feeds click the link above. Wed, 22 May 2013 14:46:07 GMT http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=rss http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-devco-rdi&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=30074 It's a phenomenon known locally as the "black cloud", and it plagues Egypt every autumn after the rice harvest: an estimated 4 million tonnes of rice straw is burnt every season, spewing some 80,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the skies. It leaves a choking, toxic layer of thick smog hanging just 25 meters above over the entire Nile valley for weeks, and adds to the already polluted air over the Cairo megalopolis. ]]> Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-21:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-devco-rdi&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=30074 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-map2era&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29922 The use of plants in medicine is as old as medicine itself. Today, in the age of high-tech drug design, the pharmaceutical industry continues to draw on naturally occurring compounds in its search for new treatments. The fragrance and nutritional supplement industries are perhaps even more reliant on plant-sourced chemicals. ]]> Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-08:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/star/index_en.cfm?p=ss-map2era&calledby=infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=29922 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_07_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29913 The health impact of indoor air pollution is a real environmental health issue, which is believed to have a bearing on respiratory conditions such as asthma. This has prompted a European study to take action. While outdoor pollution is often cited as the cause of many asthma related issues, indoor threats are also being addressed in the light of World Asthma Day.]]> Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-05-07:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_05_07_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29913 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_03_13_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29353 Millions of European city dwellers endure urban noise pollution every day. Apart from its nuisance value, noise in Europe has health risks with stress and cardiovascular issues being particular concerns, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The social costs of traffic noise in Europe have been estimated to 0.4% of total economic output, mainly from road transport. ]]> Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-03-13:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_03_13_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29353 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_03_08_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29333 We are encouraged to eat more fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy lifestyle but this advice could in fact be damaging our health. With ever more commercial food production, research shows that traces of pesticides used on crops can make their way into our food system and into our bodies where they can disrupt hormone function.]]> Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-03-08:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_03_08_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29333 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_03_01_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29315 For centuries, common wisdom has held that spending time in nature - walking through forests, strolling along the beach, breathing fresh air - can be good for one's body, mind and spirit. Seeking to support this belief with fact, researchers are working to better understand the science behind the medicinal and therapeutic properties of the natural environment. ]]> Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-03-01:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_13_03_01_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=29315 http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=F7528058-F0DC-BC6E-7E93D5EDF3D7AC62 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-02-20:/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=F7528058-F0DC-BC6E-7E93D5EDF3D7AC62 http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=71D6E048-F12E-4A84-9CE27BF09E269ACF Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-01-25:/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=71D6E048-F12E-4A84-9CE27BF09E269ACF http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/index_en.cfm?pg=publications&tab=10 Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2013-01-15:/environment/index_en.cfm?pg=publications&tab=10 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_12_20_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=28753 Working to improve air quality is one of the areas in which the European Union has been most active by controlling emissions of harmful substances, improving fuel quality, and by integrating environmental protection requirements into the transport and energy sectors. Now the EU is funding its biggest investment in environmental health in a unique venture. Subjects will carry smartphones equipped with sensors to measure exposures to the environment, and their blood will be analysed to monitor molecular changes. One of the goals is to look for biomarker differences between people walking through areas with low air pollution and those exposed to urban fumes, in order to understand the triggers for conditions such as heart disease, lung cancer and asthma.]]> Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-12-20:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_12_20_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=28753 http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_11_27_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=28373 Ash trees have been suffering from the Chalara fraxinea fungus (otherwise known as ash dieback) across Europe: not only in mature forest areas, but also in urban areas such as parks and gardens, as well as in nurseries. It was discovered that in February of this year, a consignment of infected trees was sent from a nursery in the Netherlands to a nursery in Buckinghamshire, England. However, a recent Swedish study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research has revealed information that is of crucial importance for horticulturalists in the United Kingdom, and in northern and central Europe, in their battles against the aggressive attacks of the fungus. The results from the study are far-reaching, encouraging governments to invest in ash breeding programmes that will all but eliminate the disease.]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-11-27:/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_12_11_27_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=28373 http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=52164666-06F1-7644-EA2FA0E2FB4D5EC1 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-02-06:/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=52164666-06F1-7644-EA2FA0E2FB4D5EC1 http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/index_en.cfm?pg=publications&tab=9 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT tag:ch,2012-02-02:/environment/index_en.cfm?pg=publications&tab=9