What are the chances of humankind migrating to Mars? Well, the prospects are looking good. Analysis of Martian soil have revealed that it's actually good enough to grow asparagus in. Story in the full article.

The average person will probably have nothing in mind about his own solid waste except to get rid of it by flushing it. Thank goodness they didn't have johns 14,000 years ago or we might have less clues about our ancestors. Recently discovered in Oregon is the oldest native American DNA, and it's all because someone's feces lasted so long. Full story after the jump.

Astronomers believe that there's a strong possibility that life could exist on the icy Saturn's moon called Enceladus. This is due to several findings pointing out at several organic molecules and icy crystals. See the image that made NASA and the astronomers believe after the jump!

Ever wonder if there's life outside planet Earth? If so, then you might probably be interested by the new found information by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Ideally, this planet should be filled with carbon monoxide, but in reality the astronomers were able to detect water vapor. More information in the full article.

A news release issued by the Society of Chemical Industry has established the possibility of cutting down organic food costs using a simple oxygen treatment, thus making chemical-free foodstuff more accessible to the general market.

The main reason why organic produce are more expensive compared to those grown with conventional methods is the large losses incurred during storage. While organic farms have state-of-the-art refrigeration methods and facilities, these are clearly not enough.

Here is where the newfangled oxygen treatment comes in. Pre-treating the crops with low-levels of oxygen at 20ºC prevents organic produce from scald formation, a cold storage injury incurred during prolonged cold storage. This technique has been developed in Volcani Center, Israel, by Edna Pesis and her team.

They have already tested the oxygen treatment on apples, 90% of which were still crunchy-fresh after 8 months of storage. On the other hand, 100% of untreated organic apples succumbed to scald formation. What's good about this treatment is that it can be tweaked to work with other produce, such as tomatoes and the like.

What's all the fuss in buying vegetables and fruits that cost twice as much as the general grocery fare? People nowadays are willing to pay for what they consider as "pesticide-free" or organic for health reasons. Some organic vegetables have been proven to be richer in nutrients than chemical-treated cousins such as peppers which were found to have 33% more vitamin C and 26% more phenolic compounds.

However, the consumer's pockets are bleeding profusely for every purchase of organic food products. The key factor in cutting down organic food costs is by extending shelf life of organic produce.

"These are important and costly but if paying out for these facilities can ensure a whole crop is not rejected by a retailer because it is a little limp or dehydrated, then it is a cost that has to be absorbed," said Claudia Ruane, spokesperson of Abel and Cole organic produce.

Should they implement the simple but effective oxygen treatment, consumers may see competitive prices on their pesticide-free vegetables and fruit very soon.

Drinking too much causes hangovers. That's common fact. The degree of your hangover depends on your tolerance for alcohol, just as the amount you take in does. That's another common fact. But what isn't so common is the fact that there are certainly kinds of alcohol that gives you worse hangovers than others.

The British Medical Journal reported that those included in the list of drinks which can produce the most hangover symptoms are the following: brandy, red wine, rum, whiskey, white wine, gin, and vodka. In another study, it revealed that bourbon "was twice as likely to cause sickness as the same amount of vodka."

This is because of the complex organic molecules and congeners, present in a drink. It is said that congeners - like methanol - common in darker liquors, have the greatest effect when it comes to sending you off to la-la land after some swig of your drink of choice. Then again, of course, impurities existing in poorly refined spirits (ie. cheap vodka) could also be a factor.

Beer not on the list? Good. Party's still all good, then.

There's a lot people want to talk about when it comes to the future, and that's exactly the nature of this article. And while we liked some of the ideas, honestly, it makes us hungry. To that effect, we picked up this interesting list of nutritional innovations scientists and doctors hope will take place within the next 25 years:

For some of the more minor innovations:

• Dark chocolate, milk chocolate's bitter cousin, will become a widely recognized snack, and will eventually replace milk chocolate.
• The world will finally know what's the healthiest dose of red wine for any person, and will unlock some of its other yet to be discovered benefits.
• Nutritionists will finally know what the optimal dose of Vitamin E per person is, avoiding all the complications of an overdose.
• Food-borne infections will be reduced, thanks to the use of bacteria-killing viruses, and radiation.
• Truly accurate nutritional value numbers on supermarket food products.
• School cafeterias will provide two healthy food categories: Mixed diets, and vegetarian.
• Organic farming will be standard in more than 50% of the US.
• 40% to 50% of the U.S. population will be vegetarian.

Now, some of these innovations might turn out to be truly groundbreaking:

• Nutrigenomics - Doctors can now prescribe medicine not only based on outside symptoms, but also on a person's genetic traits. This will also allow for far more accurate health checkups, and tailored fitness regiments.
• Super-foods - food that takes all bodily functions into account - such as blood pressure, cholesterol, eyesight, aging, etc -  will finally be in the market, allowing for foods tailor-fit to certain ailments and conditions.

While we know these are very far off, we're just happy thinking about all the possible innovations that could happen in something as mundane as the realm of good eats. Here's to your health!

The term "eco-tourism", much like the "organic" label which has been used as a marketing tool to capitalize on the growing demand for organic food, has spurned a lot of fake green destinations. Dishonest tourism operators, now known as "greenwashers" have resorted to using eco-tourism solely for money-making.

There is no universal definition for it but the International Eco-tourism Society says eco-tourism is "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people".

To help sort  the true-blue green destinations from the greenwash, Lonely Planet, the world's leading publisher of guidebooks, has published Code Green (US$19.99). Code Green is a collection of green ideas defined by three principles:

• Tread lightly on the environment
• Immerse yourself in the culture
• Have a positive economic benefit for the local community

The book is filled with ideas for travelling across the planet. These include walking the Larapinta Trail in Central Australia, whitewater rafting in Chile, whale watching in New Zealand, hiking in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan and learning bush survival skills in the Kalahari Desert. Each featured destination comes with a narrative that captures the essence of the place as well as a list of responsible travel credentials.

There's probably no product on the shelves of Wal-Mart today other than organic milk. In fact Wal-Mart has now released its own brand that will sell cheaper than other organic milk products in the market.

Even though lower prices are always welcome, critics are worried that consumers will be getting a diluted form of organic milk.

Activist groups as well as other organic retailers claim that the company where Wal-Mart gets its milk from operates from large factory farms that are diluting the principles of organic agriculture. They say that since Aurora's cows don't spend any significant time roaming pastures, eating fresh green grass, and doing all the silly things cows do, they're not producing milk that is as good as it should be.

Aurora Organic Dairy says that its two farms in Colorado and Texas comply with Agriculture Department standards. Aurora contends that grass feeding should not be the sole measure of animal health and well-being. According to the company, its record of animal welfare is certified by an independent third-party expert and that its animals are outside all year long.

Aurora says that their cows are never locked in barns and get no hormones and no antibiotics.

Perhaps the main point of the conflict here is the manner in which Aurora gets its milk. Because Aurora milks its cows three times a day and feeds its animals diets of calorie-dense grains, its milk production per cow is also higher than that of other organic milk producers. Something that critics say is more like mass production and far removed from organic farm fresh natural goodness.

Some organic farmers and activists claim that the organic label in the U.S. has been reduced into a gimmicky marketing tool designed to cash in on the growing demand for organic food products. They also expressed their concerns over loosening regulations as well as the alleged violations of the USDA organic standard by two hugely popular organic brands, Horizon Organic and Aurora Organic Dairy.

The US Department of Agriculture says that any product that carry the "USDA organic" should have at least 95% of its ingredients farmed without using chemicals, hormones, antibiotics, pesticides or any other methods considered unnatural or harmful to the environment. Organic or sustainable farming techniques that merit the 'USDA organic' label include using ducks and insects for pest and weed control, and water conservation and natural methods of soil replenishment.

Making things more complicated is the label "natural". Food products tagged as "natural" is apparently not synonymous with "organically farmed". "Natural" indicates that a product contains no artificial ingredients or artificial food coloring, but how the ingredients were grown or raised is another story.

"It is sort of a marketing gimmick," said Cindy Moore, director of Nutrition Therapy at the Cleveland Clinic. "If you have a product with limited nutrients, making them with organic products isn't going to make it better."

But as far as many consumers are concerned, "organic" equals "healthy" and there are studies that support the equation. Organic food is better for children because their bodies can't handle pesticide residues very well, and the USDA-certified organic label guarantees these products do not contain some 300 synthetic food additives allowed by the FDA in conventional food products.

For others however, buying organic is their way of supporting environment-friendly establishments. Organic food sales in the US grew from 17% to 20% for the past few years while sales of conventional food grows at only about 2% to 3% annually.