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Crocodile's Immune System Kills HIV

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the bites-not-bytes dept.

ASEville writes "In an ongoing effort to stop the spread of HIV, scientists in Australia have discovered that crocodiles can fight off HIV and kill the virus. This is a major boon to medicine because the crocodile serum can also fight things that are penicillin resistant such as staphylococcus aureus."

6 of 628 comments (clear)

  1. just wait.. this'll be buried by big pharma.. by plasmacutter · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    This opens the door for genetic enhancement of the immune system using crocodile DNA, but big pharma would go under of people were able to fight off those diseases which would otherwise turn them into "drug addicts" for life.

    Trust me.. this'll go the same way as cancel did.

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    1. Re:just wait.. this'll be buried by big pharma.. by halcyon1234 · · Score: 0, Flamebait
      Is this sort of like how (I assume) these companies make much more money selling lifetime treatments for the symptoms than trying to cure the cause?

      Curing the cause is very simple, actaully. All what needs to happen is for every single person* with AIDS were to spontaniously combust and incinerate themselves right now.

      Wait for it... wait for it...

      *and animal and test tube

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  2. Re:Mod down yet Another Misleading Slashdot commen by Thaelon · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Excuse me?! MARKET?

    If you find the fucking cure for AIDS you'd best not be trying to fucking profit from it.

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  3. Re:Mod down yet Another Misleading Slashdot commen by nosphalot · · Score: 1, Flamebait
    Why not? I'm all for charity, but why exactly is the time and efforts of the scientists who found the vaccine worth nothing in your opinion? Do you profit from your job, or do you donate all your work to charity?

    If you find the ***extrememly useful product goes here*** you'd best not be trying to fucking profit from it.

    I'd rather someone profits from a cure to a disease, than no one profits from no cure to a disease that continues to kill people.

  4. Re:Mod down yet Another Misleading Slashdot commen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    The research has already been done???

    So, where's the cure? Oh, not there yet. Maybe it'll take MONEY to actually get there.

    You are re-fucking-tarded.

  5. Think of the crocs by 0xABADC0DA · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Since you are the actual researcher doing this, do you ever think it's sad that we may take something as ancient and successful as the crocodile's immune system and essentially popularize it to the point where bacteria and other germs basically have to evolve ways to conquer it?

    It seems like the essential result of successful research is that crocodile's will be far more susceptible to pathogens due to our meddling. I just think it's sad that we might end up saving masses of chickens in some agricultural jiffy-pop factory and at the same time killing off 'monsters' that have survived since basically forever.

    So while there is nothing wrong per-se with your individual research, do you ever consider the moral implications of how your research will be used?