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4 June 2011| NewScientist | 7 CAMERA PRESS SCHOOLCHILDREN in the US should steer clear of energy drinks, and go easy on the calorie-rich sports drinks too, the American Academy of Pediatrics warned this week. The academy’s report is the latest attack in the battle to stop children consuming “empty calories” from sweet drinks in school vending machines. Although the drinks industry agreed to phase out sugar-rich sodas in 2006, this has been offset by a surge in the consumption of sports and energy drinks. “We know caffeine and other stimulants in energy drinks raise blood pressure, cause insomnia and can be addictive,” says Marcie Schneider of the academy’s Committee on Nutrition, and co-author of the report (Pediatrics, DOI: 10.1542/peds.2011-0965). “There is no reason for a child to consume an energy drink,” she says. The report warns that some energy drinks contain more than 500 milligrams of caffeine, the same as in 14 cans of soda. Sports drinks are also unnecessary in schools except following prolonged sessions of an hour or more, says Schneider. Stick to fruit juice SIXTEEN people in Germany have died so far after consuming a toxic strain of Escherichia coli, traced to organic cucumbers. More deaths are expected: of the 1200 people, mainly women, infected so far, 373 have developed a syndrome that includes kidney failure, which can be lethal. E. coli are normal gut bacteria, but strains called STEC carry genes for a toxin that damages capillaries in the gut, causing bloody diarrhoea. It also activates the clotting system, blocking capillaries and damaging organs. STEC is carried by cattle, which are immune to the toxin. Victims of the most common STEC strain get it from beef or water contaminated by cattle faeces. The strain in the German outbreak is rare, however, and it is not clear if it travels in the same way. If it does, its presence on organic vegetables is not surprising; more manure is used to fertilise organic than other crops. No one yet knows if this is a general health risk but several studies have found higher levels of E. coli on organic vegetables. In 2006 an outbreak of STEC on an organic spinach farm in California killed three people. “If cattle manure is used as a fertiliser, it is probable that vegetables such as cucumbers will be contaminated with E. coli,” says Jonathan Fletcher at the University of Bradford, UK. “If not washed properly it would be present in sufficient numbers to cause infection,” he adds. “Quote to go in here over four lines range left like this Quote to go in her like this xxxxx” BERND WUESTNECK/AFP/GETTY Robot to kiss asteroid… For the first time, NASA will visit an asteroid and bring something back. A robotic spacecraft called OSIRIS- Rex is scheduled to launch in 2016, arriving at the near-Earth asteroid 1999 RQ36 in 2020. There it will collect more than 55 grams of dust, which it will return to Earth in 2023. Last year, Japan’s Hayabusa probe brought 1500 grains of dust back to Earth from the asteroid Itokawa. …before humans visit? NASA also plans to send humans into deep space – in a craft based on the Orion capsule, which was originally designed for trips to the moon. Now rebranded the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, it could take humans to asteroids or even Mars. Too many prisoners The US Supreme Court has decided that California needs to reduce the number of prisoners in its jails by 30,000 to improve the mental health of those incarcerated. Instead of releasing them into California’s communities, the court suggests they be transferred to out-of-state or county facilities. Metals in the closet The United Nations Environment Programme wants you to recycle that old cellphone gathering dust in the back of your cupboard. Many of the rare earth elements that green technology relies on are costly, but recycling old unwanted gadgets for the metals they contain could lower the cost of technologies such as wind turbines and electric cars. Imams 4 Darwin Muslim leaders have been invited to sign an open letter declaring there is no contradiction between their faith and the acceptance of evolution. Organised by the online Clergy Letter Project, the “Imam letter” joins the “Clergy Letter” and the “Rabbi Letter”, by which 12,725 Christian and 476 Jewish clerics have backed evolution. –Teeming with toxic bugs?– Killer cucumber Cyber vs kinetic “There is no reason for a child or a teenager to be consuming an energy drink” “If cattle manure is used as a fertiliser it is probable that vegetables will be contaminated with E. coli ” IS IT better to fight fire with fire, or use a great big missile? When it comes to responding to cyber- attacks, the answer appears to be “both”. While the British government said this week that it is developing cyber-weapons to respond to debilitating attacks on critical infrastructure, such as the power grid, the Pentagon says it may opt for traditional “kinetic” hardware. UK armed forces minister Nick Harvey says cyber-weapons will soon be integral to the UK military’s arsenal. But in the US, a far more aggressive approach is expected to be outlined in a cyberwar strategy document due for publication next month. Previewing the nascent strategy in The Wall Street Journal, a Pentagon official said: “If you shut down our power grid, maybe we will put a missile down one of your smokestacks.” 60 SECONDS –Dismay and disdain– For daily news stories, visit newscientist.com/news
