Nibbles: Japan, Bananas, GMO, Bees, Squirrels, Mangroves, Climate change and indigenous people, Goji, Svalbard, Heirloom rice, Dataporn

2 Replies to “Nibbles: Japan, Bananas, GMO, Bees, Squirrels, Mangroves, Climate change and indigenous people, Goji, Svalbard, Heirloom rice, Dataporn”

  1. Carolina Gold was the rice grown on the rice plantations. it “disappeared” because the plantation soil was not suited to mechanical cultivation.

    a rice based cuisine developed on the rice plantations, and the culinary influences that went into it are discussed in an interesting book:

    Carolina Rice Kitchen: The African Connection by Karen Hess

  2. “golden” varieties of rice and several other crops are being presented as “improved” with beta-carotene. but the science is not entirely clear.

    beta-carotene is an anti-oxidant and a source of Vitamin A; but, researchers have found that beta-carotene is also pro-inflammatory. they raise the question of how its effect on inflammation should be factored in when considring the safety of beta-carotene supplementation.

    Yeh et al. Interactions of beta-carotene and flavonoids on the secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators in an in vitro system. Chem Biol Interact (2008) pp. 386-93
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19135038

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