Scientists here in Taiwan have discovered that extracts from chlorella, or green algae, and plantlike flagellates known as cryptomonadales can be used to fight bird flu by preventing the immune system from overreacting to the avian flu virus, health officials announced yesterday.
Experiments were conducted upon rabbits at the National Health Research Institute (NHRI) under the Department of Health and it was found that after being given the extracts, rabbits affected by bird flu were able to survive the disease.
Researchers used a variety of algae for their research but found that chlorella and cryptomonadales grown in Taiwan had the best effects.
Although successful in their experiments with rabbits, they acknowledged that they have not tested the effects of the extracts on humans, because there have been no human cases of bird flu in Taiwan.
The researchers said they will look for partners in the food processing industry to produce the algae extracts in the form of "health food."
Su Yi-jen (
He also said that these two elements are found in the algae family and can be extracted and produced as health food, and he claimed that if there is not enough medicine if and when a bird flu epidemic strikes, the algae extracts can be distributed as a substitute.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS