Daill Mail - 08.08.2019

Daily Mail, Thursday, August 8, 2019 Page 27

You wait 60 years for a plant

to show any sign of life... then

it sprouts up by 14ft in 8 weeks!

Boris pledges

£250m extra to

f ight dementia

Record growth: Markers show the

daily height of the plant, now 15ft tall

Found in the Mexican desert,

agave have been used for centuries

to make many things, including the

drinks tequila, pulque and mezcal

The juice is turned into agave

nectar, a sweetener often used as a

substitute for sugar or honey

Leaves of some species can be

made into rope or soles for shoes,

while their spiked edges can be

fashioned into sewing needles

There are hundreds of species of

agave, some reaching 30ft tall.

Most wait decades to flower just

once, then die. Afterwards, their

roots can be used for fuel

The succulents draw in gallons of

water in spring and autumn to

survive arid summers and winters

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The amazing agave

IT has lain dormant for six decades, baf-

fling experts’ attempts at identification.

Until eight weeks ago, the mystery plant

stood barely a foot tall and was set to be

removed because it was so uninteresting.

To the amazement of staff and visitors at

Cambridge University Botanic Garden, it

has since rocketed to 15ft and is threatening

to break through the roof of the glasshouse.

But for the garden, where the plant has

been patiently tended since 1962, it a bitter-

sweet moment.

The ‘asparagus on steroids’ now growing

by 4in a day is about to bloom – and die.

That process will at least allow experts to

examine the hundreds of flowers, which will

last about a month, and identify its species.

All they known is that it is a type of agave –

a succulent from the same family as aspara-

gus. Some species can take 100 years to

flower in the wild in Mexico.

The plant had been due to be removed

from the Botanic Garden because visitors

were etching their names on its tough lower

leaves. Because it could not be identified, it

was also of little use for research.

But then it shot up, aided perhaps by last

month’s heatwave, which saw a record tem-

perature of 38.7C (101.7F) – the UK’s hot-

test day ever – set within the garden. Glass-

house assistant Barbara Griffith, who has

been recording the plant’s height, said on

average it has grown 10cm (3.9in) each day.

‘People have written their names on the

leaves, so in a way we’re not sorry to see it

go,’ she said. ‘We are excited to see it flower

though, because we will finally be able to

identify it.’ Botanic Garden head of horticul-

ture Sally Petitt said: ‘Despite our endeav-

ours to understand the plants in our collec-

tion, we are constantly surprised by them.

‘This agave is no exception. It has been

with us since at least 1962 and has done

very little except sit quietly and slowly

increase in size. We certainly had no expec-

tations that it would flower now, so were

very surprised, and excited, to spot that it

was producing a flower spike.’

Miss Griffith, who has worked at the gar-

den for a year, added: ‘Agaves are really

interesting plants. Every part is used for

something – one species you get tequila

from. We’re eagerly watching it now to see

how quickly it will grow, how tall it will get.’

based on their DNA.

He added: ‘The NHS is revered

for the world-class care it pro-

vides every day. But it is also

dementia sufferers. We launched

a campaign last month calling

for a cross-party solution to the

crisis of sufferers selling homes

to pay for care.

No 10 said AI is already being

developed in some hospitals,

successfully predicting cancer

survival rates and cutting the

number of missed appoint-

ments. The £250million will be

spent on a National Artificial

Intelligence Lab to make the

UK a world leader in research.

The lab will sit within NHSX,

which oversees the digitisation

of England’s health and care

services. Health Secretary Matt

Hancock said: ‘We are on the

cusp of a huge health tech revo-

lution that could transform

patient experience by making

the NHS a truly predictive, pre-

ventive and personalised health

and care service.

‘I’m determined to give the

NHS the chance to be the

world leader in saving lives

through artificial intelligence

and genomics.’

Downing Street said the AI lab

could improve cancer screening

by speeding up the results of

tests – helping to save thousands

of lives a year. The lab will use

predictive models to better esti-

mate future NHS needs for beds,

drugs, devices or surgeries.

And it could help identify which

patients could be more easily

treated in the community.

NHS England’s chief execu-

tive Simon Stevens said: ‘Care-

fully-targeted AI is now ready

for practical application in

health services.’

O Sign the Mail’s petition at

change.org/dementiacare

A NEW £250million artificial

intelligence laboratory will help

boost dementia research, Boris

Johnson announced last night.

The Prime Minister pledged the

lab will also improve the lives of

cancer and heart disease patients.

The money will fund ground-breaking

research to spot the signs of dementia,

enabling patients to receive treatment

far earlier – and perhaps even help

prevent the onset of the disease.

Mr Johnson said the funding would

enable up to 5million people to be

given a free personalised health report

By Daniel Martin Policy Editor

Daily Mail Reporter

Healthy middle age ‘cuts disease risk’

KEEPING fit and eating well in middle age signifi-

cantly cuts the risk of developing dementia 25

years later, researchers have found.

Experts tracked nearly 8,000 British men and

women from the age of 50 until 75. Those who

had an unhealthy lifestyle at 50 were 2.46 times

more likely to develop dementia than those

with an optimal rating.

Fiona Carragher, of the Alzheimer’s Society,

said the research at University College London

adds to a ‘growing bank of evidence’ that sup-

ports the link between heart and brain health.

The researchers, whose work is published in the

British Medical Journal, assessed lifestyle based

on diet, exercise, smoking, body weight, blood

sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure.

They added these together to give each per-

son a ‘heart score’.

Dr Sara Imarisio, of Alzheimer’s Research UK,

added: ‘Research suggests that midlife is a key

window of opportunity for protecting brain

health. It’s promising to see this study show that

even small changes to improve heart health

may have a positive effect on dementia risk.’

leading the way in harnessing

new technology to treat and pre-

vent – from earlier cancer detec-

tion to spotting the deadly signs

of dementia.

‘Today’s funding is not just

about the future of care though.

It will also boost the frontline by

automating admin tasks and

freeing up staff to care for

patients. My task is to ensure

the NHS has the funding it

needs to make a real difference

to the lives of staff and patients.

‘Transforming care through

artificial intelligence is a perfect

illustration of that.’

The funding boost is a victory

for the Daily Mail, which has

called for improved care for

Reaching

the roof:

The agave

at the

Botanic

Garden

CAMPAIGN

END DEMENTIA

CARE COST

BETRAYAL

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