Scientists race to develop farm animals to survive climate change and other news and views for Sunday 4 May

• Scientists race to develop farm animals to survive climate change – “When a team of researchers from the University of Delaware traveled to Africa two years ago to search for exemplary chickens, they weren’t looking for plump thighs or delicious eggs. They were seeking out birds that could survive a hotter planet. The researchers were in the vanguard of food scientists, backed by millions of dollars from the federal government, racing to develop new breeds of farm animals that can stand up to the hazards of global warming.”
• Trailer Parks Lure Wall Street Investors Looking for Double-Wide Returns – “With more of the U.S. middle class sliding into poverty and many towns banning new trailer parks, enterprising owners are getting rich renting the concrete pads and surrounding dirt on which residents park their homes.
• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. … Very high rates of resistance have been observed in
  bacteria that cause common health-care associated and community-acquired infections (e.g. urinary tract infection, pneumonia) in all WHO regions.
• Putin’s Not Post-Communist, He’s Post-Fascist – “Some like to idealize Vladimir Putin as the ideological successor to the left-wing Soviet leaders, but that’s sheer nonsense. His speeches offer clear evidence that his points of reference originate in fascism.”
• Organic Farming Factions Spat Over Synthetic Substances – “… organic purists like Mark Kastel, co-founder of the Cornucopia Institute … fear that the organic label is being taken over by large companies that care more about profits than organic ideals and are willing to blur the line between organic and conventional agriculture. The critics accused the USDA of ‘capitulating to corporate interests’.”