Research indicates kids lacking Vitamin D (KING5 Seattle) In a new study Boston researchers estimate at least 40 percent of American infants and toddlers aren't getting enough Vitamin D. [News Source]

Better living through chemurgy. Advances in bioengineering, environmental worries, high oil prices and new ways to improve the performance of oil-based products using biotechnology have led to a revival of interest in using agricultural feedstocks to make plastics and other materials. [News Source]

Hungry for answers. A shortfall in supplies has doubled and tripled the prices of these basics, shoving them far out of reach of the poorest people on Earth, the one billion who live on less than $1 a day. [News Source]

Civilization’s golden era is teetering on collapse. This brilliant half-century was sponsored largely by fossil fuels, especially oil, which brought unprecedented economic growth, plentiful transportation and a rich and diverse lifestyle. [News Source]

Our strict, chemical-laden diet. How can we expect to live long enough to enjoy a hard-earned retirement if the food industry is trying to kill us? [News Source]

Poisonous ink likely cause of Biblical text-writing monks deaths. Monks who wrote Biblical texts and other religious materials might have died out of exposure to toxic mercury, with which the red colour ink they used for scripting was made, according to a study. [News Source]

All about the yield. "If we're going to have another agricultural revolution, it will need herbicides, pesticides and improved seeds," says Peter Hazell, an agricultural development economist and a former economist with both the World Bank and the International Food Policy Research Institute. [News Source]

Cereal killer. Corporations and big business decide what we eat, and what they offer us is in conflict with our health and biological needs. [News Source]

Source of salmonella proves elusive . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised the number of salmonella cases linked to raw tomatoes to 810 people in 36 states, making this salmonella outbreak the biggest ever in the U.S. linked to fresh produce. [News Source]

G8: climate change high on summit agenda. Global warming will be the centerpiece and the benchmark issue in which the world will evaluate the success of the G8. [News Source]

U.S. program targets obesity at grassroots level. A new program developed by the U.S. government is tackling the obesity epidemic by helping "tween" girls and their parents make small but important changes to build a healthier lifestyle. [News Source]

The dark side of sunscreens. Sunscreens, as most people know, are important for guarding against burns, skin cancer and premature aging. But certain ingredients might not be safe. [News Source]