We should all heed this report which seems to confirm a long-held suspician that at least one strain of the enterovirus (the common cold) may be the cause of type 1 diabetes.
Combine this with the knowledge that 4 strains of the human papilloma virus (hpv) are the major cause of cervical cancer (now presumably prevented by the Gardasil vaccine), and that several other strains of the same virus causes cancer in various other parts of the body, including the anus and bowel.
HPV is also a common virus with more than 100 strains and carried by up to 50% of the population. As such it was never thought to pose much risk to human life, merely presenting itself in the form of warts in the affected part of the body.
Both discoveries should raise an obvious question to any logical thinker; Are common virii the blame for all our life-threatening ailments? If so, what does that mean for the future of human health, longevity and the future success of pharmaceutical vaccines?
Showing posts with label science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science. Show all posts
More cancers found to be caused by a common virus
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor!
And with that out of the way, I can confidently express my long held theory that many cancers of today are caused, directly and/or indirectly, by viruses. it seems that science is just starting to unravel the evidence to back it up!
I first developed this inkling of a theory when researchers from Western Australia uncovered the gob-smacking truth that most stomach ulcers were caused by a bacteria. They went on to develop a simple antibiotic treatment for this debilitating condition. It also stemmed from the knowledge that viruses are known to cause mutations in our genes - much of our DNA is actually redundant viral DNA (conspiracy theorists would believe it to be extraterrestrial DNA) from generations of infection.
In more recent years, a Queensland scientist has invented a vaccine for the variants of the human papilloma virus (HPv) that are known to be responsible for approximately 90% of cervical cancers.
What is not so widely known is how widespread the infection of HPv is across the human race. Some studies have shown that around 50% of western civilisation have been infected with the virus at some point in their life. It is literally as common as the cold!
What sparks me to write this post today is reading two articles that appeared in my Google Reader. The first, from the ABC, indicates that the new HPv vaccine might be useful in warding off other cancers. The second, from New Scientist, warns of the risk of cancer stemming from oral sex.
How are these two articles related? They both talk about HPv as being a cancer causing virus. In the second article, scientists discovered that:
Here are some little known facts:
Quite the opposite - those are well proven factors associated with risk of cancer. however we are now starting to explain why a healthy non-smoker can end up with throat cancer and that will mean a great deal when it comes to preventative measures such as vaccinations.
5 years ago, cancers were known to be caused by environmental conditions and exacerbated by diet, lifestyle or genetic factors.
Today, we know that HPv is the likely cause of several common cancers including that of the cervix, vulva and vagina in women, and potentially tonsils, throat in the wider populace. Previous studies have shown that the risk of bowel cancer does not increase through anal intercourse per se, however it is known that some variants of HPv can lead to cancer of the bowel, anus, penis and testes. Do your own risk assessment.
Given what we know today compared with what we knew yesterday, I think the medical world still has some surprises left for us. it won't come as a surprise to find that we have an all-purpose cancer vaccine within the next 20 years.
And with that out of the way, I can confidently express my long held theory that many cancers of today are caused, directly and/or indirectly, by viruses. it seems that science is just starting to unravel the evidence to back it up!
I first developed this inkling of a theory when researchers from Western Australia uncovered the gob-smacking truth that most stomach ulcers were caused by a bacteria. They went on to develop a simple antibiotic treatment for this debilitating condition. It also stemmed from the knowledge that viruses are known to cause mutations in our genes - much of our DNA is actually redundant viral DNA (conspiracy theorists would believe it to be extraterrestrial DNA) from generations of infection.
In more recent years, a Queensland scientist has invented a vaccine for the variants of the human papilloma virus (HPv) that are known to be responsible for approximately 90% of cervical cancers.
What is not so widely known is how widespread the infection of HPv is across the human race. Some studies have shown that around 50% of western civilisation have been infected with the virus at some point in their life. It is literally as common as the cold!
What sparks me to write this post today is reading two articles that appeared in my Google Reader. The first, from the ABC, indicates that the new HPv vaccine might be useful in warding off other cancers. The second, from New Scientist, warns of the risk of cancer stemming from oral sex.
How are these two articles related? They both talk about HPv as being a cancer causing virus. In the second article, scientists discovered that:
"After controlling for other risk factors for throat cancer, such as drinking and smoking, the analysis revealed that people who had prior infection with HPV were 32 times as likely to have this cancer as those with no evidence of ever having the virus. And those who tested positive for a particularly aggressive strain of the virus, called HPV-16, were 58 times more likely to have throat cancer."I said earlier that I am not a doctor, and I will also state that mathematics is not my forte and that I almost failed statistics at university. But even George W Bush should be able to see an obvious correlation the more you learn about HPv.
Here are some little known facts:
- HPv is a virus responsible for causing common warts as well as sexually transmissible (or genital) warts
- that's right! A variant of the virus that causes genital warts is responsible for the wart on your toe or your nose!
- there are over 100 known variants of HPv, only a handful of which are known to cause cervical cancer
- specific variants of the virus are known to affect specific areas of the body - such that, one variant will cause face warts, while another will cause warts on the feet, and yet another on the hands etc
- external warts are relatively easy to remove by chemical treatment or burned off with liquid nitrogen, internal warts usually require surgical removal
- HPv is highly contagious - it can be transmitted simply by touching an infected area even if there are no warts visible.
- the majority of HPv carriers will show no signs of infection and can transmit the virus to anyone they have close contact with.
Quite the opposite - those are well proven factors associated with risk of cancer. however we are now starting to explain why a healthy non-smoker can end up with throat cancer and that will mean a great deal when it comes to preventative measures such as vaccinations.
5 years ago, cancers were known to be caused by environmental conditions and exacerbated by diet, lifestyle or genetic factors.
Today, we know that HPv is the likely cause of several common cancers including that of the cervix, vulva and vagina in women, and potentially tonsils, throat in the wider populace. Previous studies have shown that the risk of bowel cancer does not increase through anal intercourse per se, however it is known that some variants of HPv can lead to cancer of the bowel, anus, penis and testes. Do your own risk assessment.
Given what we know today compared with what we knew yesterday, I think the medical world still has some surprises left for us. it won't come as a surprise to find that we have an all-purpose cancer vaccine within the next 20 years.
Science can be stranger than fiction
I came across a story in New Scientist this month that struck me as some bizarre plot for a b-grade Sci-Fi movie. In short, it describes a parasite that infects rats and mice brains, thus eliminating their fear of cats to ensure that they get eaten, so as to complete their life cycle through the cat.
You have now entered ... the Twighlight Zone! ! !
And today a friend points me to an equally strange account of the life cycle of a particular fluke. This just reinforces my doubt in the ability of any "intelligent designer" coming up with such random lunacy!
On a lighter note, I just don't get this report from the ABC that a material resembling the fictitious Kryptonite (of Superman fame) has been found by researchers in Siberia.
What has me concerned is that apparently ...
Now, I may not be a scientist, geologist or a chemist, but one thing I do understand is the english language and, in this instance, the word "matched" and I fail to see how any fool could consider these two items to be a match.
The fictitious kryptonite used to thwart Superman glows green and is of a metallic or crystalline makeup, whereas the item discovered in Siberia is white and chalky and will "fluoresce pinkish-orange" when subjected to UV light.
What the ... ?
But seriously, what stunned me the most was that "scientists" actually made the effort to compare their find with a fictitious rock from a DC comic for no apparent reason! Go figure!
You have now entered ... the Twighlight Zone! ! !
And today a friend points me to an equally strange account of the life cycle of a particular fluke. This just reinforces my doubt in the ability of any "intelligent designer" coming up with such random lunacy!
On a lighter note, I just don't get this report from the ABC that a material resembling the fictitious Kryptonite (of Superman fame) has been found by researchers in Siberia.
What has me concerned is that apparently ...
Scientists from the Natural History Museum in London, who studied its chemical composition, found it matched the description of kryptonite in the film Superman Returns.
Now, I may not be a scientist, geologist or a chemist, but one thing I do understand is the english language and, in this instance, the word "matched" and I fail to see how any fool could consider these two items to be a match.
The fictitious kryptonite used to thwart Superman glows green and is of a metallic or crystalline makeup, whereas the item discovered in Siberia is white and chalky and will "fluoresce pinkish-orange" when subjected to UV light.
What the ... ?
But seriously, what stunned me the most was that "scientists" actually made the effort to compare their find with a fictitious rock from a DC comic for no apparent reason! Go figure!
Climate Conspiracy ... rebuttal
Further to my previous post on Climate Conspiracy comes news that the warming of Mars is probably caused by .... dust!
And a good thing it is too ... with temperatures on the red planet ranging between -107°C to -17°C (on good days), we may need some massive climate change before it can host Club Med style tourist resorts ;-)
And a good thing it is too ... with temperatures on the red planet ranging between -107°C to -17°C (on good days), we may need some massive climate change before it can host Club Med style tourist resorts ;-)
History haunts future anthropology
The skeletal remains of an ancient form of hominid found on the island of Flores, east of Java has created excited ripples around the globe, especially among anthropologists. No doubt the find is also creating a bit of annoyance for creationists of varied religions. Good!
Reports in Nature and National Geographic raise more questions than they answer. But there is one question that haunts my mind and the answer makes me fear for the future of any such people.
I question how modern humanity could cope with ever finding another living species of hominid in some secluded location. Imagine the excitement, the rush, the challenge! Scientists, governments, religions, linguists, human rights activists, the media, lawyers and agents of all kind would be high-tailing it to a remote destination. They would all demand to be part of the scoop, the deal, the dollars, the advocacy ... each proclaiming to be working in "the best interests" of the newfound species.
While the probability of such a discovery is less than a three-legged donkey winning the Melbourne Cup, the way some scientists are talking it would be the holy grail of paleoanthropology. I fear that greed, power and ego would take priority over empathy, conservation and human rights. I honestly don't believe that 21st century humanity is any more likely to have respect for such a species than they had for any indigenous humans of the last century and we are still unable to acknowledge such wrongs to many indigenous in this century.
History is riddled with examples of how we have ruined indigenous civilisations, even to the point of their extinction. Contact with modern humans invariably runs huge risks of death through contracting disease, not to mention the cultural corruption of money, alcohol and drugs, religion, education and more.
Could we actually sit back and watch such a powerful discovery from afar without interfering? Could humanity place the rights of these people above the quest for knowledge? I wish I could believe in our ability to not intrude on something so beautiful and rare. I wish I could hope for something more than our shameful precedents offer.
Reports in Nature and National Geographic raise more questions than they answer. But there is one question that haunts my mind and the answer makes me fear for the future of any such people.
I question how modern humanity could cope with ever finding another living species of hominid in some secluded location. Imagine the excitement, the rush, the challenge! Scientists, governments, religions, linguists, human rights activists, the media, lawyers and agents of all kind would be high-tailing it to a remote destination. They would all demand to be part of the scoop, the deal, the dollars, the advocacy ... each proclaiming to be working in "the best interests" of the newfound species.
While the probability of such a discovery is less than a three-legged donkey winning the Melbourne Cup, the way some scientists are talking it would be the holy grail of paleoanthropology. I fear that greed, power and ego would take priority over empathy, conservation and human rights. I honestly don't believe that 21st century humanity is any more likely to have respect for such a species than they had for any indigenous humans of the last century and we are still unable to acknowledge such wrongs to many indigenous in this century.
History is riddled with examples of how we have ruined indigenous civilisations, even to the point of their extinction. Contact with modern humans invariably runs huge risks of death through contracting disease, not to mention the cultural corruption of money, alcohol and drugs, religion, education and more.
Could we actually sit back and watch such a powerful discovery from afar without interfering? Could humanity place the rights of these people above the quest for knowledge? I wish I could believe in our ability to not intrude on something so beautiful and rare. I wish I could hope for something more than our shameful precedents offer.
What to do with nuclear waste?
href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200409/s1208387.htm">Claims
have resurfaced that the Federal
Government has a secret list of up to 22 sites for a nuclear waste
dump.
NO KIDDING?
Honestly, what do people expect the government to do about nuclear waste?
With disposal methods href="http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=nuclear+waste+disposa
l+sun+rocket&btnG=Goo gle+Search&meta=">(like sending it off to the sun)
currently too expensive it has to be stored somewhere!
The href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/campaigns/intro?campaign_id
=3940">debate about whether we should be producing nuclear waste in the
first place is an entirely different matter and not applicable to this
issue. The facts are that we DO utilise href="http://www.iaea.or.at/">nuclear energy, medicine and related
research. Australia's Lucas Heights
reactor is a real and necessary part of our lives and href="http://www.brendannelson.com.au/">Brendon Nelson is spot on
(that's a rare thing) when he says:
Federal Education, Science and Training href="http://www.dest.gov.au/ministers/index1_cp.htm">Minister Brendan
Nelson told Sky News that the states would have to find their own sites to
store waste and that the Federal Government was still looking for a site.
Clearly there needs to be more thought put into HOW and WHERE nuclear waste
should be stored. And not just for Australia, but the entire world.
Contrary to my fellow Greens and href="http://www.democrats.org.au">Democrats I support the establishment
of a world class href="http://www.uic.com.au/Pangea-TOPSEAL99.htm">facility based in
Australia to handle domestic and international nuclear waste. I firmly
believe that producers of nuclear waste should be required under
international law to ensure the highest standards for safely (as much as is
technically possible when we are taking half-lives of thousands of years)
and securely storing (disposing is not feasible) of the material.
IMHO the best opportunity lies in Australia.
- we are unique in having a stable democratic government for the last two
centuries - our nation is geologically stable with few earthquakes and no live
volcanoes to present a danger to an underground facility - Australia has an expansive area of desolate and remote land that is
relatively easy to secure - we have the resources and the ability to receive international support
for the concept
On top of all this is the financial rewards that will flow from charging
the international community for the safest and most secure solution the
world has yet seen. We are talking billions of dollars a year in revenue!
That would easily give us a world class health and education system and
partially solve our growing welfare crisis.
Food for thought, my fellow homo sapiens!
[+/-] show/hide this post
The Cause of Sexuality
We should be wary about trying to find a "cause" for sexuality, be that homo-, heter-, bi-, or even asexuality!
It is not relevant whether sexuality is genetic, randomly natural, or caused by environmental influences. We simply are!.. and therefore we should be respected and treated equally before the law.
There is a big push from some sectors to try and find the "gay gene". I sincerely hope they do not succeed as it would lead to genetic screening or gene therapy to overcome the "condition". Similarly if it was discovered that another theory, that sexuality was linked with levels of hormones during gestation, held true medical science would step in to provide a preventative measure.
It is a dangerous road to enter this debate, even to try and dispel such arguments is raising the visibility of this spectre.
In this case I suggest that abstinence is _most_ definitely the best policy.
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