RARE CHANCE FOR MAN OF TWO HEARTS

It was one of those rarest moments for Canadian Shane Bowman, 12, to play with his old heart. Bowman had a heart transplant and got a chance to see and hold the heart. He had a dialated Cardiomyopathy, a condition caused by a virus and his heart was
enlarged to about 555grams. A normal heart is about 200grams. AP Photo.

Zambia launches its first biotech outreach society

By Singy Hanyona, Barack Gogo and Ken Bosire in Lusaka, Zambia

LEADING Zambian scientists this month launched the first biotechnology outreach society in Lusaka in a ceremony snubbed by the government of President Levy Mwanawasa, a leading opponent of genetic engineering in Africa.
The initiative by a team of scientists from the University of Zambia and spearheaded by the Dean of the Faculty of Natural Resources, Dr Luke Mumba reflects mounting concern among local scientists over the government’s continued reluctance to embrace the emerging science of biotechnology. They said the government’s attitude was hindering and slowing down efforts to modernize the country’s ailing agricultural sector.

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Final countdown to Cartagena Protocol

COUNTRIES intending to trade in Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) would soon be bound by the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, an international instrument that will be coming into force on the September 11, 2003.
The Protocol is the first binding international agreement governing the movement of Living Modified Organisms across national borders. It seeks to protect biological diversity from potential risks that may be posed by LMOs resulting from modern biotechnology.
This new regime promises to make the international trade in LMOs more transparent while introducing important safety measures that will meet the needs of consumers, industry and the environment for many decades to come.
The Protocol deals primarily with LMOs that are to be intentionally introduced into the environment (such as seeds, trees, or fish) and with genetically modified farm commodities (such as corn and grain used for food, animal feed or processing).

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