China: 44 H7N9 Flu Cases, One In Beijing
A 7 year old girl in Beijing has H7N9 influenza. Her parents sell poultry. So probably still transmission from birds. 11 dead so far. The scary part: Genetic sequence data indicate that the H7N9 virus may bind more easily to human receptors than avian receptors and that the virus may also be transmitted by air. Scarier still: H7N9 causes brain damage and damages other organs. See this NEJM about the potential for a global pandemic written by Timothy M. Uyeki, M.D., M.P.H., M.P.P., and Nancy J. Cox, Ph.D. We might still dodge this one. Hasn't shown up yet outside China. H7N9 might not mutate into a form easily transmitted b...
Source: FuturePundit - April 13, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Randall Parker Source Type: blogs
High Phthalates In Some Common Spices?
In a University of Washington study people were fed catered organic foods which had no exposure to plastic containers in an attempt to reduce urinary pthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), which are endocrine system disruptors. Surprisingly, the special diet had an effect opposite of what was intended. The urinary concentration for pthalates were 100-fold higher than the those levels found in the majority of the general population, The comparison comes from a study conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a program of studies managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and designe...
Source: FuturePundit - March 2, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Randall Parker Source Type: blogs
Newcastle Virus Modified To Kill Only Prostate Cancer Cells
An ideal cure for cancer will only kill cancer cells while leaving all other cell types alone. It is quite difficult to develop such a narrowly targeted anti-cancer agent. However, some VPI researchers have genetically modified a virus so that it selectively targets and kills only prostate cancer cells. A recombinant Newcastle disease virus kills all kinds of prostate cancer cells, including hormone resistant cells, but leaves normal cells unscathed, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the Journal of Virology. A treatment for prostate cancer based on this virus would avoid the adverse side effects typic...
Source: FuturePundit - March 2, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Randall Parker Source Type: blogs
Mediterranean Diet Still Better Than Other Diets
While lots of other diets have conflicting studies that leave people baffled one winner continues to stand out. The Mediterranean diet is still the gold standard (that's gold olive oil) by which other diets are measured. Get most of your fat calories from olive oil and nuts. Eat less red meat. Avoid refined grains. Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. You can cut your stroke and heart disease risk by almost a third. Probably more if you follow the diet for longer than the latest study. I keep a bottle of olive oil out on my kitchen counter so I'll pour it on stuff. I keep bottles of olives in the fridge too and use them as s...
Source: FuturePundit - February 25, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Randall Parker Source Type: blogs
Mars Colony Premature Without Genetic Engineering
What would be the point of living on Mars? The cost per person to get there is probably in the hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars. The living standard would be incredibly low due to lack of atmosphere, little water, lack of trees and fossil fuels, lack of fish in oceans, lack of very large scale specialization of labor, and other factors. Mars residents would be dependent on Earth for scientific and technological advances for easily a century if not more. We could not afford to ship a large enough starter human population to Mars to provide enough human population to enable the specialization of labor necessar...
Source: FuturePundit - February 24, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Randall Parker Source Type: blogs
Suppose You Need To Evade Domestic Drones
The domestic drone unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are coming. Already 64 UAV bases are on US soil. Tens of thousands of drones will be in American airspace in several years. By 2020, it's expected 30,000 drones will be operating over the US. Smile, you're on candid drone camera. The huge growth in commercial applications for drones, notably including the film industry with prices under $1000 has lowered the threshold for companies and private individuals. The drones have become more autonomous and software for extracting useful information from their data feeds continues to become more powerful as well. Farmers, search an...
Source: FuturePundit - February 23, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Randall Parker Source Type: blogs
Brain Scans Predict Political Party Affiliation
The rebels sabotaged the functional magnetic resonance imaging machines at government facilities in order to allow their members to pass undetected. The Party sought to import replacement parts. You won't be able to hide in the privacy of your own mind when the Party suspects you of heresy of thought. Liberals and conservatives exhibit different cognitive styles and converging lines of evidence suggest that biology influences differences in their political attitudes and beliefs. In particular, a recent study of young adults suggests that liberals and conservatives have significantly different brain structure, with liberals...
Source: FuturePundit - February 16, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Randall Parker Source Type: blogs
Mice Brain Age Declines Reversed With Molecular Change
Restoring neuron production in aging mice prevents decline in learning ability. Cognitive decline in old age is linked to decreasing production of new neurons. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center have discovered in mice that significantly more neurons are generated in the brains of older animals if a signaling molecule called Dickkopf-1 is turned off. In tests for spatial orientation and memory, mice in advanced adult age whose Dickkopf gene had been silenced reached an equal mental performance as young animals. This is a surprising result (at least for me). The ability to make new neurons does not make the r...
Source: FuturePundit - February 13, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Randall Parker Source Type: blogs
Envy Depletes Our Willpower
When you find yourself in a situation where you feel envy you will have to exercise self control, i.e. willpower. You have a limited supply of self control. We propose that social comparisons with better-off others trigger an impulsive envious response that entails a behavioral tendency to strive for their superior good. However, given that the experience of envy is painful, self-threatening, and met with social disapproval, people typically attempt to control their envious reactions. Doing so requires self-control capacities, so that envious reactions may only become apparent if self-control is taxed. In line with these p...
Source: FuturePundit - February 9, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Randall Parker Source Type: blogs
The Potential For Shale Oil Production
Heard about the big shale oil extraction boom in North Dakota? California has 4 times as much shale oil as North Dakota and that's over two thirds of total US shale oil. So far, little of the crude is derived from the Monterey Shale, whose untapped deposits are estimated at 15.4 billion barrels, or more than four times the reserves of the Bakken Shale in North Dakota, according to the United States Energy Information Administration. Shale oil is cited as a reason why Peak Oil is a bad theory. But consider: 15.4 billion barrels is less than half current world yearly oil consumption. The Monterey Shale is not that big. Don't...
Source: FuturePundit - February 6, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Randall Parker Source Type: blogs
The Big Feb. 15, 2013 Near Earth Asteroid Fly-By
Asteroid 2012 DA14 is coming to visit. The 150 foot asteroid (big enough to wipe out a city) will pass inside geosynchronous orbit and Amateurs found it. We really ought to make a bigger effort to find killer asteroids. We might already know about an extinction event asteroid coming our way if we'd spend the Space Shuttle or International Space Station money on asteroid detection instead.... (Source: FuturePundit)
Source: FuturePundit - February 6, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Randall Parker Source Type: blogs
