Scorpion Toxin Makes Fungus Deadly to Insect Pests

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Fungus injected with deadly scorpion toxin can kill mosquitoes quickly.
Fungus injected with deadly scorpion toxin can kill mosquitoes quickly.

University of Maryland entomology professor Raymond St. Leger has discovered how to use scorpion genes to create a hypervirulent fungus that can kill specific insect pests, including mosquitoes that carry malaria and a beetle that destroys coffee crops, but does not contaminate the environment as chemical pesticides do.


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All News summaries for November 12, 2007

Scientists search for answers from the carbon in the clouds

12 minutes ago | User rating: not rated yet
An aerosol mass spectrometer developed by chemists from Aerodyne Research Inc. and Boston College is giving scientists who study airborne particles the technology they need to examine the life cycles of atmospheric ...

'Green' potato health risk can be eliminated by cutting away affected area

36 minutes ago | User rating: not rated yet
Potatoes that have turned 'green' can potentially contain a naturally occurring toxin called Glycoalkaloids (GA) and pose a risk to public health according to a review paper published in the latest online issue of SCI's Journal ...

N.M. researchers hope to cultivate 'calming herb'

4 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- The plant has been described by local residents as magical, its qualities almost mythical. The native herb yerba mansa, translated from Spanish as the "calming herb," has been used medicinally for ...

Population policy needed for the UK in order to combat climate change

4 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
The biggest contribution UK couples can make to combating climate change would be to have only two children or at least have one less than they first intended, argues an editorial published on BMJ.com today.

Zoo will reopen exhibit where 16 stingrays died

5 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- A zoo in suburban Chicago plans to reopen an exhibit where 16 stingrays died last week when a malfunction let the tank's water get too warm.
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