In the News: Lessons in Food and Health

Fig.1. Seeds from the NUAC Farm in Northern Uganda, part of an effort by the US Agency for International Development to aid in a global effort for food security (Credit: USAID via Flickr, 2012)

Collections offer valuable lessons in global health, food security, and biodiversity. Read to learn about mitigating emerging infectious diseases, providing a future for herbaria, and protecting our crops in the coming century:

• SciColl’s workshop last October, held jointly with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, highlighted the importance of scientific collections and their essential role in the detection, characterization, mitigation, and prediction of emerging infectious diseases: “The Role Of Scientific Collections In Scientific Preparedness,” Emerging Infectious Diseases (August 2015) 

• North American herbaria are slowly dying off, putting the plants they protect and the future of botany in danger: “Plant Collections Left In The Cold By Cuts,” Nature (01 July 2015)

• Which specimens offer scientific value and data that furthers our understanding of a field? Collecting expeditions for scientists are full of choices that address how to preserve a small corner of the world for future research: “The Richest Reef: To Collect Or Not To Collect?” Scientific American (26 June 2015)

• These chestnut laboratories hope to save a tree that was decimated by a plague in the early 1900s. A library of disease-resistant genes and a field full of saplings are just the start: “Once And Future Nut: How Genetic Engineering May Bring Back Chestnuts,” NPR (19 June 2015)

• Increased demand for food, more people, and changing weather due to climate change all threaten food security. There is no silver bullet, but crop diversity is a good place to provide for the future: “A Space For Landraces At MAXXI,” Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog (23 June 2015)