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HuckleB
HuckleB's Journal
HuckleB's Journal
March 3, 2016
"Bananas have reached such all-star status in the American diet that we now consume more of them than apples every year. Yet you're probably used to seeing just one type of banana at your supermarket: the relatively bland yellow Cavendish. It has high yields, ships pretty well, and ripens slowly, making it appetizing to global food distributors.
Unfortunately, the popularity of the Cavendish might also be its downfall. A nasty and incurable fungus known as Tropical Race 4 (TR4) has spread in Cavendish-producing countries around the world, and it could be making its way straight toward banana heartland: Latin America, which produces 80 percent of the world's exports.
For a paper published in November in the journal PLOS Pathogens, researchers confirmed that the version of TR4 afflicting bananas in different countries around the globe—including China, the Philippines, Jordan, Oman, and Australia—appears to come from a single clone. Ever since the fungus migrated from Asia and Australia into Africa and the Middle East starting in 2013, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization has urged countries to step up their quarantining of sick plants. Yet the Pathogens paper confirms that these quarantines, seemingly the only prevention against the spread of the fungus, which can live in soil for up to 50 years, have mostly failed. "It indicates pretty strongly that we've been moving this thing around," says professor James Dale, one of the world's experts on bananas and the director of the Queensland University of Technology's Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities. "It hasn't just popped up out of the blue."
The finding seems to confirm every banana grower's worst fear: that the Cavendish will go down the same way our old favorite banana did. A century ago, Americans ate only Gros Michel bananas, said to have more complex flavor and a heartier composition than today's Cavendish variety. Then, the monoculture fell prey to the fungal disease Tropical Race 1, or "Panama disease," which wiped out the crop around the globe. There was nothing anything could do to stop it.
..."
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Noting the anti-GMO movement's unethical attacks on research of the banana developed to contain more vitamin A, as part of an attempt to save lives, this story seems somewhat relevant, even if it's a couple months old.
The Only Way to Save Your Beloved Bananas Might Be Genetic Engineering
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2015/12/hate-gmos-then-prepare-kiss-bananas-goodbye"Bananas have reached such all-star status in the American diet that we now consume more of them than apples every year. Yet you're probably used to seeing just one type of banana at your supermarket: the relatively bland yellow Cavendish. It has high yields, ships pretty well, and ripens slowly, making it appetizing to global food distributors.
Unfortunately, the popularity of the Cavendish might also be its downfall. A nasty and incurable fungus known as Tropical Race 4 (TR4) has spread in Cavendish-producing countries around the world, and it could be making its way straight toward banana heartland: Latin America, which produces 80 percent of the world's exports.
For a paper published in November in the journal PLOS Pathogens, researchers confirmed that the version of TR4 afflicting bananas in different countries around the globe—including China, the Philippines, Jordan, Oman, and Australia—appears to come from a single clone. Ever since the fungus migrated from Asia and Australia into Africa and the Middle East starting in 2013, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization has urged countries to step up their quarantining of sick plants. Yet the Pathogens paper confirms that these quarantines, seemingly the only prevention against the spread of the fungus, which can live in soil for up to 50 years, have mostly failed. "It indicates pretty strongly that we've been moving this thing around," says professor James Dale, one of the world's experts on bananas and the director of the Queensland University of Technology's Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities. "It hasn't just popped up out of the blue."
The finding seems to confirm every banana grower's worst fear: that the Cavendish will go down the same way our old favorite banana did. A century ago, Americans ate only Gros Michel bananas, said to have more complex flavor and a heartier composition than today's Cavendish variety. Then, the monoculture fell prey to the fungal disease Tropical Race 1, or "Panama disease," which wiped out the crop around the globe. There was nothing anything could do to stop it.
..."
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Noting the anti-GMO movement's unethical attacks on research of the banana developed to contain more vitamin A, as part of an attempt to save lives, this story seems somewhat relevant, even if it's a couple months old.
March 2, 2016
"Albert Einstein is the most famous scientist of all time. From Calgary to Cape Town the image of the wild-haired, contemplative lone genius holed up in a messy office, changing the universe, has evolved into the archetype of how society sees scientists. More than that, it has shaped the social perception of the whole scientific endeavour.
True science, we are led to believe from a very young age, is never wrong. True scientists – the Galileos, Newtons and Curies – stare into the abyss and return with deep truths about the universe we inhabit. Anything less and, well, you might as well throw in the towel. And so scientists spend their careers desperately trying to be right in every classroom, seminar and paper.
But this is not how science works. It’s not even how science is supposed to work.
The scientific method is built on four cornerstones: observation, hypothesis, experiment and the revision of the hypothesis based on the results of the experiment. The last is just a fancy way of saying “admitting that you were wrong."
..."
Why it’s crucial that young scientists are taught the value of being wrong
https://theconversation.com/why-its-crucial-that-young-scientists-are-taught-the-value-of-being-wrong-54839"Albert Einstein is the most famous scientist of all time. From Calgary to Cape Town the image of the wild-haired, contemplative lone genius holed up in a messy office, changing the universe, has evolved into the archetype of how society sees scientists. More than that, it has shaped the social perception of the whole scientific endeavour.
True science, we are led to believe from a very young age, is never wrong. True scientists – the Galileos, Newtons and Curies – stare into the abyss and return with deep truths about the universe we inhabit. Anything less and, well, you might as well throw in the towel. And so scientists spend their careers desperately trying to be right in every classroom, seminar and paper.
But this is not how science works. It’s not even how science is supposed to work.
The scientific method is built on four cornerstones: observation, hypothesis, experiment and the revision of the hypothesis based on the results of the experiment. The last is just a fancy way of saying “admitting that you were wrong."
..."
March 2, 2016
"Albert Einstein is the most famous scientist of all time. From Calgary to Cape Town the image of the wild-haired, contemplative lone genius holed up in a messy office, changing the universe, has evolved into the archetype of how society sees scientists. More than that, it has shaped the social perception of the whole scientific endeavour.
True science, we are led to believe from a very young age, is never wrong. True scientists – the Galileos, Newtons and Curies – stare into the abyss and return with deep truths about the universe we inhabit. Anything less and, well, you might as well throw in the towel. And so scientists spend their careers desperately trying to be right in every classroom, seminar and paper.
But this is not how science works. It’s not even how science is supposed to work.
The scientific method is built on four cornerstones: observation, hypothesis, experiment and the revision of the hypothesis based on the results of the experiment. The last is just a fancy way of saying “admitting that you were wrong."
..."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A good piece that should be shared widely, IMO.
Why it’s crucial that young scientists are taught the value of being wrong
https://theconversation.com/why-its-crucial-that-young-scientists-are-taught-the-value-of-being-wrong-54839"Albert Einstein is the most famous scientist of all time. From Calgary to Cape Town the image of the wild-haired, contemplative lone genius holed up in a messy office, changing the universe, has evolved into the archetype of how society sees scientists. More than that, it has shaped the social perception of the whole scientific endeavour.
True science, we are led to believe from a very young age, is never wrong. True scientists – the Galileos, Newtons and Curies – stare into the abyss and return with deep truths about the universe we inhabit. Anything less and, well, you might as well throw in the towel. And so scientists spend their careers desperately trying to be right in every classroom, seminar and paper.
But this is not how science works. It’s not even how science is supposed to work.
The scientific method is built on four cornerstones: observation, hypothesis, experiment and the revision of the hypothesis based on the results of the experiment. The last is just a fancy way of saying “admitting that you were wrong."
..."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A good piece that should be shared widely, IMO.
March 2, 2016
"...
So I asked — Do you work in Flint? Gant just shrugged and said no. Because he doesn’t distinguish between true lead-poisoning and the trace amounts of lead normally found in human bodies, Gant has no qualms marketing his services to everyone, including privileged hipsters whose drinking water is probably just fine. Here in DC, it’s the residents who can’t afford to replace older lead pipes who are really at risk for lead poisoning.
Getting safe, privileged Americans to freak out and spend money seems to be the sine qua non of environmental health advocacy these days. The Environmental Working Group — the group whose stated mission is to protect human health — most recently used the Flint water crisis to remind people to buy EWG-recommended water filters.
The constant message seems to be spend money to save your family from risks that are either unlikely or don’t exist at all (hello, fluoride). Meanwhile, do nothing to help the poorest Americans (in Flint and elsewhere) who are actually at risk.
After Gant concluded his talk, we left the room and my son pressed me to answer whether of any of that was true. I told him he should read more about lead poisoning and make up his own mind about Charles Gant, but he’s in middle school and he just said, Noooo that’s boring. Just tell me!
..."
--------------------------------------------------------
Meet the Alternative Medicine Doctor Who Uses Flint as a Marketing Ploy
http://groundedparents.com/2016/03/01/meet-the-alternative-medicine-doctor-who-uses-flint-as-a-marketing-ploy/"...
So I asked — Do you work in Flint? Gant just shrugged and said no. Because he doesn’t distinguish between true lead-poisoning and the trace amounts of lead normally found in human bodies, Gant has no qualms marketing his services to everyone, including privileged hipsters whose drinking water is probably just fine. Here in DC, it’s the residents who can’t afford to replace older lead pipes who are really at risk for lead poisoning.
Getting safe, privileged Americans to freak out and spend money seems to be the sine qua non of environmental health advocacy these days. The Environmental Working Group — the group whose stated mission is to protect human health — most recently used the Flint water crisis to remind people to buy EWG-recommended water filters.
The constant message seems to be spend money to save your family from risks that are either unlikely or don’t exist at all (hello, fluoride). Meanwhile, do nothing to help the poorest Americans (in Flint and elsewhere) who are actually at risk.
After Gant concluded his talk, we left the room and my son pressed me to answer whether of any of that was true. I told him he should read more about lead poisoning and make up his own mind about Charles Gant, but he’s in middle school and he just said, Noooo that’s boring. Just tell me!
..."
--------------------------------------------------------
March 2, 2016
"Children with autism have no unique pattern of abnormal results on endoscopy or other tests for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, compared to non-autistic children with GI symptoms, reports a study in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (JPGN), official journal of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.
The study finds no evidence of cellular intestinal inflammation, lactase deficiency, or "leaky gut" specific to autistic children with GI symptoms, according to the new research, led by Timothy Buie, MD, Rafail Kushak, PhD, and Harland Winter, MD, of MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Boston. The results raise questions about previous scientific and non-scientific reports linking GI abnormalities to autism and autistic behaviors.
Similar Findings in Autistic versus 'Neurotypical' Children with GI Symptoms
The researchers analyzed the results of diagnostic tests in 61 children with autism being evaluated for GI symptoms, such as abdominal pain or constipation. The findings were compared with those in 50 non-autistic, or "neurotypical," children undergoing similar tests. All tests were performed as part of routine clinical care--not solely for the purposes of the study.
..."
-------------------------------------
FYI.
Tests show no specific gastrointestinal abnormalities in children with autism
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160225153612.htm"Children with autism have no unique pattern of abnormal results on endoscopy or other tests for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, compared to non-autistic children with GI symptoms, reports a study in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (JPGN), official journal of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.
The study finds no evidence of cellular intestinal inflammation, lactase deficiency, or "leaky gut" specific to autistic children with GI symptoms, according to the new research, led by Timothy Buie, MD, Rafail Kushak, PhD, and Harland Winter, MD, of MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Boston. The results raise questions about previous scientific and non-scientific reports linking GI abnormalities to autism and autistic behaviors.
Similar Findings in Autistic versus 'Neurotypical' Children with GI Symptoms
The researchers analyzed the results of diagnostic tests in 61 children with autism being evaluated for GI symptoms, such as abdominal pain or constipation. The findings were compared with those in 50 non-autistic, or "neurotypical," children undergoing similar tests. All tests were performed as part of routine clinical care--not solely for the purposes of the study.
..."
-------------------------------------
FYI.
March 2, 2016
"I was not going to write about the recent “Naturopathic Chat” forum leak. But then, while having dinner tonight, I had a dark thought: What if my hypothetical naturopath (or real doctor) were talking about me, my medical history, family, and other personally identifiable information in a web forum with a readership of 3,300 members? And what if this so-called private venue had a known spy–someone who was lurking, reading, and sharing these posts with others across the Internet?
If you are a naturopathic patient, the likelihood that your naturopath is chatting about you online is high. You are at risk of being a victim of a HIPAA violation.
The patients of real doctors, that is medical doctors, do not need to worry as much, if at all, about this kind of regular breach of privacy because chatting online about patients is considered highly unethical and is vehemently discouraged by any legitimate medical profession. For naturopaths, however, who have little sense of what is ethical, let alone legal, online forums are places where they engage in melees of transgression and ineptitude.
...
Having said that, what bothers me the most about the NatChat leaks is that naturopaths display an utter disregard for preserving patient anonymity. Now that I am aware of how other medical professionals conduct themselves, naturopaths seem entirely in violation of health privacy laws. The naturopaths in this online forum know, for certain, that someone is sharing their messages. And yet, they continue to ask questions with inappropriate details that can lead to compromising the identity of those under their care.
..."
------------------------------
The utter lack of professionalism among Naturopaths just never seems to end.
Is your naturopathic “doctor” talking about you on the Internet?
http://www.naturopathicdiaries.com/is-your-naturopathic-doctor-talking-about-you-on-the-internet/"I was not going to write about the recent “Naturopathic Chat” forum leak. But then, while having dinner tonight, I had a dark thought: What if my hypothetical naturopath (or real doctor) were talking about me, my medical history, family, and other personally identifiable information in a web forum with a readership of 3,300 members? And what if this so-called private venue had a known spy–someone who was lurking, reading, and sharing these posts with others across the Internet?
If you are a naturopathic patient, the likelihood that your naturopath is chatting about you online is high. You are at risk of being a victim of a HIPAA violation.
The patients of real doctors, that is medical doctors, do not need to worry as much, if at all, about this kind of regular breach of privacy because chatting online about patients is considered highly unethical and is vehemently discouraged by any legitimate medical profession. For naturopaths, however, who have little sense of what is ethical, let alone legal, online forums are places where they engage in melees of transgression and ineptitude.
...
Having said that, what bothers me the most about the NatChat leaks is that naturopaths display an utter disregard for preserving patient anonymity. Now that I am aware of how other medical professionals conduct themselves, naturopaths seem entirely in violation of health privacy laws. The naturopaths in this online forum know, for certain, that someone is sharing their messages. And yet, they continue to ask questions with inappropriate details that can lead to compromising the identity of those under their care.
..."
------------------------------
The utter lack of professionalism among Naturopaths just never seems to end.
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