news Pesticide use linked to Parkinson’s disease David Adam symptoms occur because neurons that pro- argues that rotenone should be used with Long-term low-level exposure to a pesticide duce dopamine, a chemical messenger that greater caution until more is known about widely used in horticulture and water man- rouses the body to action, degrade. In addi- the risks. agement could be a cause of Parkinson’s tion, fibrous protein deposits called Lewy Because rats injected with rotenone disease in humans, researchers at Emory bodies accumulate in brain cells. mirror the symptoms of Parkinson’s so University in Georgia warned this week. Rotenone is extracted from several plants closely, the animals will help researchers They found that rats given repeated whose juice has been used by South and Cen- to study the disease. The work will be pub- doses of the insecticide rotenone, which is tral American people for centuries to catch lished in the December issue of Nature derived from plant extracts, have difficulty fish. Unlike synthetic pesticides, it breaks Neuroscience. I walking, shaky paws, and protein deposits in down quickly in the environment, and was their brains — all tell-tale symptoms of thus thought to pose little danger. Parkinson’s disease. To study the physiological effects of The results, which appear to strengthen rotenone, the pesticide was injected into the existing epidemiological evidence of a link bloodstream of laboratory rats. Like many between pesticide exposure and Parkinson’s, other pesticides, it was known to block were announced at a meeting of the Society the activity of the enzyme needed to provide for Neuroscience in New Orleans. “We’ve the dopamine neurons with energy. In shown that exposure is sufficient to do it in the rats, rotenone killed some dopamine rats, and presumably the same can happen in neurons and caused deposits resembling people,” says neurologist Tim Greenamyre, a Lewy bodies. member of the Emory team. Benoit Giasson, a Parkinson’s disease Parkinson’s disease affects one or two specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, adults in every thousand, and the risk Philadelphia, points out that the doses given increases tenfold beyond the age of 50. Suf- to the rats — and their administration ferers become clumsy and move stiffly, and through injection — are very different from their muscles often spasm. These and other the normal human exposure. But he still

Unprecedented gift boosts basic physics in

David Spurgeon, Montreal It is believed to be the largest year of US$120 million. An independent institute for research philanthropic gift in Canadian history and Lazaridis says that basic science in into theoretical physics is being set up in the country’s biggest single private Canada is underfunded, and that the gifts Waterloo, , thanks to the generosity contribution in support of basic science. will support an area of research that is vital of a Greek immigrant who made his fortune The institute will be located on a site to the technological advances that benefit through creating a high-tech firm that that will be provided at a nominal rent by humankind. specializes in hand-held electronic the city of Waterloo. The gift from “Just about every major industrial communication devices. Lazaridis is being supplemented by a revolution and technical advancement is The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical further Can$10 million each from the [rooted] in basic theoretical physics Physics is being financed with a donation company’s other joint chief executive research,” he told a press conference of Can$100 million (US$65 million) from officer, , and its vice-president announcing the creation of the institute. Mike Lazaridis, the 37-year-old founder of operations, Doug Pregin. The initial He cited research on lasers, wireless and joint chief executive officer of donations are hoped eventually to become technology, , semiconductors Research In Motion. a permanent endowment. and superconductors. “It all started with The proposed institute is planned to have thinkers thinking about problems and links with all of the universities in the laws that are the foundation of our physical region, and will initially operate with a core world,” he said. of between 10 and 15 researchers, who may The creation of the institute has been have joint appointments with other described by John Polanyi of the University

CITY OF WATERLOO institutions. Areas of research to be covered of Toronto, who won the Nobel prize in by the institute include quantum gravity chemistry in 1986 for his work on (both string and non-string forms), elementary chemical processes, as “a gesture quantum information theory and quantum of historic importance for Canadian computing, elementary particles and fields, science”. Polanyi described the gift as and cosmology. “entirely out of the mainstream”. Lazaridis, who arrived in Windsor, Polanyi also called for government to fall Ontario, with his parents in 1967, graduated into line with its science funding. The from the in electrical federal government of Canada and that of engineering and founded Research In Ontario province are already negotiating Basic instinct: entrepreneur Mike Lazaridis Motion in 1984. The company describes with Perimeter officials about their possible unveils the plans for the Perimeter Institute. itself as “a world leader in the mobile involvement, according to its executive communications market”, and had sales last director, Howard Burton. I © 2000 Macmillan Magazines Ltd NATURE | VOL 408 | 9 NOVEMBER 2000 | www.nature.com 125