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The Headlines:

650 dogs killed daily in Baghdad
Bandages may soon have new functions
San Fran pet sale ban
Monsanto fined for mislabeling seeds
Green tea grows clothes

The Details:

650 dogs killed daily in Baghdad

You heard that number right. The Associated Press reports 58,000 of Baghdad’s estimated 1.25 million stray dogs have been killed in the last three months, equating to about 650 dogs every day.

Iraqi officials hasten to say the killings are necessary because packs of stray dogs have been attacking people, some even killing children. But the brutality of the canine extermination is unsettling.

Government workers have been putting out poisoned meat for the dogs to eat. We haven’t been able to confirm which poisons they are using, but a common one, strychnine, is said to cause hours of pain before the animal suffocates and dies. And there’s no telling how many other animals besides stray dogs are ingesting this poison meat.

When they aren’t poisoning dogs, Iraqi police are shooting dogs in the streets. This is also problematic because the Iraqi police force is not known for its accuate aim. Many shots probably miss their intended area and only wound the dogs, causing prolonged and painful deaths.

The World Society for the Protection of Animals has many strategies for fixing this problem, including animal protection legislation, vaccinations, spaying and neutering, and registration of pets. But in war-torn Iraq, where many humans are still not given the care and protection they need, the services of the WSPA seem to be the last thing on the government’s mind.

Bandages may soon have new functions

Researchers at the University of Bath and the Southwest UK Paediatric Burns Centre are developing wound dressings that not only stop bleeding, but also detect infections and even release antibiotic medication as well.

This completely safe dressing only responds to harmful bacteria and doesn’t have to be changed nearly as often because the medicine to treat infection is built right in.

The nanotechnology can detect disease-causing pathogens and then release antibiotics contained in nanocapsules. When it does this, a color-changing dye indicates that medicine has been released.

Scientists hope this new medical technology will be available for mass use, especially by developing countries, in four years.

San Fran pet sale ban

What began as a proposal to outlaw puppy and kitten mills in San Francisco has become a hefty piece of proposed legislation banning pet sales entirely.

The list of pets that the legislation would render unsellable includes: rats, snakes, hamsters, guinea pigs, turtles, gerbils, birds, cats and dogs. (Chicken and rabbit sales are already prohibited in the city.) All of these critters end up in shelters and are frequently euthanized.

Phil Gerrie is a member of the San Francisco Commission of Animal Control & Welfare, which advises the San Francisco legislature on matters concerning animals. Gerrie brought the idea up in one of their meetings. When they scheduled a hearing for it, over 100 people from all sorts of animal rescue groups as well as concerned citizens showed up, causing the longest meeting the Commission has ever had.

Local and national media paid attention to the idea, prompting a firestorm of debate. Even Jack Cafferty of CNN got in on the action, calling the idea “not half bad.”

All the fuss is making it impossible to actually get the resolution together, so for the moment, the vote on the proposal has been set back another month.

Monsanto fined for mislabeling seeds

No environmentally conscious news day would be complete without a story on Monsanto, the multinational agricultural seed and supply company. They may have won in the Supreme Court last month lifting the ban on their alfalfa seeds, but they lost a hefty chunk of change two weeks ago.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued a record-breaking $2.5 million fine to the company for mislabeling and illegally distributing cotton seeds containing genetically engineered pesticides.

The EPA has good reason to sternly punish the company. Just like the alfalfa seeds, not much is known about the environmental effects of the genetically engineered component of the pesticide, Bacillus thuringiensis or BT. Since the EPA can’t be sure what happens when BT is allowed to spread uncontrollably, they strictly limit the selling and planting of the seeds.

Monsanto violated this limit, mislabeling and distributing the seeds. The EPA cites 1,782 violations occurring in 22 states. The fine was for $2.5 million. In fiscal year 2009 alone, Monsanto sold $7.3 billion worth of seeds and seed genes.

Green tea grows clothes

The hip word for it is BioCouture, but scientifically speaking, it’s cellulose-spinning bacteria.

Fashion designer Suzanna Lee started this research project at Central Saint Martin’s College in London. There she was able to use a vat of sugary green tea to grow a textile biomaterial.

To do this, Lee adds a bacterial culture to the tea and allows it to grow into a usable sheet over the course of two to four weeks. Then, Lee places the sheet over a wooden mold and dries it into the desired clothing item shape.

Very little dye is needed to color the biomaterial and it can be molded into place or sewn like conventional fabric. The BioCouture clothing has the look and feel of vegetable leather.

It is still being improved however, so don’t expect it on the mass market just yet.