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Plant pathogen experts study banana disease in Tanzania

The banana crop is an important commodity in Tanzania and much of East Africa, with many in the region eating up to 400 kilograms of bananas per person per year. Plant diseases are a major threat to the sustainability of the crop, and over the past decade, a bacterial infection once found only in Ethiopia has risen in prominence in all countries around Lake Victoria, including Tanzania.

Teachers learn about emerging pathogens through catalyses program

For years, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics has predicted that the jobs of the future will shift more and more toward STEM fields – requiring training in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. STEM education does not come without challenges, however. Under-resourced schools often lack equipment necessary for instruction, and according to the U.S. Department of Education, the demand for teachers skilled in STEM subjects is higher than the number of applicants qualified to teach them.

Data analysis looks at Zika’s introduction to Americas, predicts microcephaly cases

Researchers at the University of Florida and several peer institutions have developed a model mapping the spread of Zika virus in the Americas and predicting that the virus arrived in Brazil in late 2013 or early 2014 before spreading throughout the region. The model also projects the number of microcephaly cases that will occur by the end of the year, with hundreds of cases in Mexico, Haiti and Colombia, and thousands of cases in Brazil due to Zika virus infection.