Environment

Twelve students will be paid to eat genetically modified (GMO) bananas as researchers at Iowa State University start moving forward with a long-delayed project. The project which is funded by the  Bill and Melinda Gates foundation would pay each student $900. Thes tests are to be carried out on the students without any previous animal testing, so it is not known what the impact would be to the students’ health. According to The Des Moines Register, the bananas were created by a Australian scientist and contain a gene that is supposed to help people living in Africa make vitamin A.

A huge widespread carbon monoxide (CO) spike has occurred over the entire West Coast of America – stretching from British Columbia, through Washington and Oregon, and on over most of California. Very little media coverage has yet been given, but early indications suggest that this might be a precursor to a major earthquake about to occur. Dailykos.com reports: Some theory on a possible earthquake connection from Natureasia.com: Earth emits a burst of carbon monoxide (CO) a few days before an earthquake, according to geophysicist Ramesh Singh.

A mysterious bloodsucking creature has killed over 200 birds in China, with authorities baffled as to who or what is causing the gruesome deaths.  Experts say the only clue they have as to its identity is the fact it leaves a four-toed webbed footprint, around the size of a kids hand, near the scene of the crime. Ibtimes.co.uk reports: South China Morning Post reports that the predator had left large bite marks in the birds but had not eaten the flesh. Instead, it had sucked out the blood of its prey.

U.S. Congress is attempting to pass the “Deny Americans the Right to Know” (DARK) Act which would make it illegal for food manufacturers to list GMO ingredients on their labels.  GMO giant Monsanto are behind this push for secrecy in a last ditch effort to keep the public in the dark about the dangerous GMO ingredients being put into the food they’re eating. ` Naturalnews.com reports: Remember: These industry operators are the same “corporate science” cretins who also lobbied for the tobacco industry and who now promote chemical pesticides and herbicides.

Three former Tepco executives of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant operator were indicted on Monday for allegedly failing to take measures to prevent the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. Three top officials were formally charged with professional negligence resulting in death and injury. This will be the first criminal trial over responsibility for the tsunami-sparked reactor meltdowns that forced thousands from their homes in the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.