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POPSPlastic chemical linked to heart disease It was suggested that plastic should not be microwaved, but it is clearly more serious than that, considering the way chemicals 'leech' from things in which thet have come into contact. Bisphenol A can cause abnormal concentrations of enzymes, which are catalysts or 'Messengers' between different Organs in our body.
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POPSAustralia in biosecurity hotspot Germs don't need a passport. We cannot encase ourselves in a bubble. We cannot stop the evolution of pathogens. Our best defense is in our own immune systems. We need to know more about our immune system, than the germs, because lethal strains can develop at random. Our immune system is something we all have in common.
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POPSGene test could 'prevent' heart disease I believe genetic testing should be an option, not a requirement. That may be a good principle for adults, but the call is for testing to be done on 'at risk' children under 10. I'd be surprised if they could find anyone in the world that wasn't subject to some genetic risk or another. Still, a DNA Database is as good as a chip, or an ID card, and much better than a finger print...but I'm a cynic..or perhaps an optimist with experience.
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POPS'Flexi-bee' could pre-empt varroa mite.
Of course there is the honey, but there is also the critical role bees play in pollination, particularly crop fertilization. The loss of honey bee populations has the potential to have a devastating effect in many crops that at the moment we take for granted. There are two suggestions. One is to prevent the mite laying by altering a chemical released by the bees. The other disrupts the life cycle of the mite. It doesn't have to be either/or, both approaches need to be tried, in addition to further suggestions. The main thing we have to worry about taking into account our record of 'fixing' problems in nature (we don't seem to be that good at it) Is that our efforts don't further endanger the bee populations At the moment however, if we do nothing we will lose the bees. There is the possibility, that bees will develop their own resistance to the mite naturally. Selective breeding may be an option. I would be more inclined to listen to a beekeeper than a geneticist,.
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POPSSpider helps track disease outbreaks A 'Spider' being "The Web-walking part of a search engine that collects pages for indexing in the search engine's database. Also called a bot.":answers.com I thought I'd better put that in, because when I first saw the title, I had visions of biologists, out in the wild, catching spiders to be tested for disease. Now if you want to find out about disease outbreaks, you can just google them before the WHO Centres of disease control have any idea. Maybe WHO should google not yahoo.
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POPSResearchers close on chlamidia vaccine For the Australian native koala. When combined with habitat destruction, chlamydial disease continues to be a major threat to koalas. The disease is similar to the strain suffered by humans, and the research could help develop a vaccine in humans.
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POPSScientists find malaria's 'sticky' genes The understanding of the malaria parasite, which seems to behave in a similar way to a virus, can help the development of new treatment methods, both in the stage that causes the disease in humans, and the phase in which it is carried by the intermediate host, the Anopheles mosquito. Research is also continuing into the genes behind the immune system of the mosquito, which actively fights against the malaria parasite.
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POPS'Devil-proof' fences to save Tassie icon The cancer affecting Tasmanian devils is infectious. In areas where the disease is present, up to 95% of the population of devils have been killed. According to the Save the Tasmanian Devil program the disease is now present across more than 60% of Tasmania.
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POPSHow to fold Proteins Proteins are complex molecules, and understanding the way they can fold using distributed computing, in the unused cpu load of home computers, can spread the load and research in more detail , both the way proteins fold, and the effects of incorrect folding. A prime example of such an instance in in the proteins known as prions, which with a wrong fold can be one of the contributing factors in Alzheimer's disease. The foldingathome network is the biggest computer in the world, with calculations done by the petaflop
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POPSScientists put cocoa under the microscope 70% of the world's cocoa is grown in Africa, and it has remarkable resistance to drought and disease. I wonder however if the study will help the African farmers, or the chocolate manufacturers, due to the the tendency to pay a pittance for the beans, then mark up the price substantially after manufacture. Often the cacao industry is the equivalent of slavery.
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POPSCloned mice cells treat Parkinson's The cells came from the mouse used, and were accepted more easily. Embryonic stem cells are often said to be useful, because they don't have an identity yet, but the immune system can be hard to fool, and as every person has their own supply of stem cells, at different stages of advancement, . it makes sense to use cells that will be recognized. The field is only in it's early stages. While Embryonic stem cells seem to have had potential, there are no doubt cells that are just as pliable within each of us, and using them for any treatments, will mean a number of other problems wont have to be overcome.
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POPSOvereating disrupts web of genes. They say perhaps they can develop drugs that will solve the problem.? Perhaps sensible eating would be a good idea. We don't have any idea of the effects of a bad diet on our genes, amongst many other things. Many of these effects are no doubt passed down to the children.
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POPSFolding(Proteins)@home-Distributed Computing Stanford University is doing valuable protein research spreading the load to thousands of personal computers using unallocated CPU time.It has a low 'status' so all other programs are given priority. I had heard about it but didn't know it was so easy to join. You can be anonymous, have a username, or also be part of a team. where the work done is tallied. I found out about it at the Ubuntu site, so I joined team Ubuntu, but thought there could always be a team clipmarks. I'll leave that with egoldstein, I just joined and have no idea about teams and team numbers. Theres 1 'client' per CPU so dual cores can have 2 (2 teams?) There is a link in the program to show how many proteins have been done. Programs for linux,apple and mac. I don't know about after rebooting. Ubuntu has a script that restarts every reboot Windows may have to run exe again. mac? I can't be sure the username search works from the clip, but if you're interested the top link to Stanford will make a lot more sense
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POPSGene Combo May Hike Prostate cancer risk The research may lead to a blood test that can identify high risk individuals A statement struck me as bizarre - Looking at gene combos being a relatively new approach. They are about to release products of many strands of genetic research to the general public, and it has only just occurred to them that many diseases and conditions are a result of a gene 'combo'? I would have thought that had already been established. But the truth seems to be that while we can fathom some of the actions of single genes, the way they act in combination is a complete mystery. Evidence they Do Not Have Enough Information or understanding, to allow products of genetic research to enter the public domain. But that won't stop them.
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POPSW.H.O. Urges vigilance as Bird Flu Spreads They are still waiting for the first case of human to human transmission, but there is the problem that many of the affected areas are remote, and far from medical facilities, so there can be a gap in communication, and action, and the disease can spread before action is taken. There is also the no-doubt crippling effect of having total populations of poultry destroyed for the sake of containing the disease, when they can be a communities primary source of food and income.
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POPSTrachoma programs fail Indigenous Australians Trachoma is spread through poor hygiene and living conditions, and disappeared in non-Indigenous Australians about 100 years ago. Australia is the only developed country to still have the preventable disease. The conditions in which Indigenous Australians live could hardly be described as developed. Perhaps Australia could be described as selectively developed.
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POPSStudy: Monthly fasting may help heart The monthly cycle is based on a Mormon fasting ritual, once a month. Seems like a kind of Detox. The period does not seem as important, as the practice of relieving the body of toxins and fats among other things, that are part of the average high carbohydrate, processed food diets, that our systems still have trouble dealing with. Giving the digestive system a 'break' and some 'recovery time'.
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POPSDoctor Narrows definition of 9-11 Death A police officer James Godbee, started directing traffic outside the WTC two days before the collapse, and died three years later of sarcoidiosis, a lung disease, linked to the exposure to toxic dust.. His death is is not considered to be a result of the tower collapse, because, to be included, the victim must have been in the tower at the time of collapse. A staff member is quoted as saying that "There had to be a cut-off point somewhere" What arbitrary, bureaucratic BS. The amount of Asbestos,and Mercury in a Toxic cloud with a ph of 11+, which was evenly distributed over the lungs of anyone within a 5 mile radius, is going to be ignored? Why? They obviously don't need any of those fundamental reports, backed with scientific data, regarding the causes and effects, on the collapse, and subsequent effects on health, but it would be nice if there was even one. Forensic investigators. do not allow estimates.
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POPSNew Subtype of Ebola suspected in Uganda They are still waiting for confirmation that this is a new subtype, There is also the concern that the new subtype, does not present symptoms in exactly the same manner as the known subtypes
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