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World's Largest Medical Experiment
eldavojohn writes "Recently in the UK, a Biobank project has been rolled out to 'unpick' the genetic basis of diseases such as cancer on half a million volunteers. This is based on the success of a three-month pilot phase conducted on 3,800 participants. From the article: 'Over the next four years, blood and urine samples will be collected from volunteers aged 40 to 69, to help scientists unravel the genetic foundations of common diseases, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, dementia and joint problems. If you live in the UK, agreeing to this survey may involve a little more than you would expect."
Is a couple of scantilly clad nurses. Then they can collect DNA too.
It is called the HIV virus. AIDS can result from being infected with the HIV virus. And I don't think the military invented it. It's been recently shown to have definitely come from monkeys, probably in the 1930's.
Theres a project like this in Iceland called DeCODE. They've been given a lot of power over the data collected, enough to make some people wary. It's a fair assumption that this project will face similar problems, although the measures governing DeCODE seem to protect the company much more than the individual. It will be interesting to see how Biobank handles this.
"AIDS can result from being infected with the HIV virus. And I don't think the military invented it. It's been recently shown to have definitely come from monkeys, probably in the 1930's."
Both are true: the military invented it and it came from monkeys. One on the same.
Where were you when the voynix came?
Smoking i hardly a good way to control population, by the time smokers die they most likely already have children.
If...
they properly inform people about the program and its uses before having them volunteer.
they are rigorous in protecting privacy. (No AOL fiasco.)
they closely monitor different companies are doing with the data - no cross-referencing with their own data to identify people, no reselling of the data, etc.
they allow patients to "opt-out" even after they have volunteered.
they provide it for free to interested, responsible paries. (Or at least cheap enough that major pharmaceutical companies aren't the only customers.)
they follow the ethical standards of the profession, and not the ethical standards of the mighty dollar (or pound).
Reading code is like reading the dictionary - you have to read half of it before you can go back and understand it.
World of Warcraft on the other hand is pure genius!
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"they properly inform people about the program and its uses before having them volunteer."
/urine samples, always decide to give first and ask questions later.
Only for a problem that, when confronted by someone demanding blood / semen
Where were you when the voynix came?
Here's the link: Biobank (UK) http://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/
What about all the fluoride in the water? It's a conspiracy... a secret experiment that's been conducted for a generation. Who knows what effects that has on us? It might be turning us all into communist spies. Perhaps we'll all wake up one day under the influence of a massive KGB mind control beam. Anything could happen! We must protect our precious bodily fluids at all costs!
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...a species that historically procreates before 30 years of age is kept alive until their 80s by improved hygiene and medicine. Your body was never designed to last as long as it usually does nowadays, and the systems break down. Cancer isn't a "manmade virus;" it's the end result of a lifetime's worth of minor genetic insults.
We need people to die..
Fine. You first.
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What are you smoking? Over population hasn't been a problem for years now. The new bogeyman is overconsumption; aka, SUVs, $3 gas, plastic+paper packaging, disposable diapers, etc.
Don't believe me? Look at the CIA factbook for Japan, US, and China:
Japan's birthrate is lower than it's deathrate. It's fertility rate is only 1.4.
China's birthrate is higher than it's deathrate for now, but it has a below 2.1 fertility rate. That means they too will have a smaller population in the future.
The US also has a below 2.1 fertility rate (at 2.09), so it too will be seeing population decline were it not for immigrants.
See Overpopulation.com for more about the fertility rate and population growth.
GPL Deconstructed
...blood and urine samples will be collected from volunteers...
Just go down to any chav-infested town centre on a Friday or Saturday night. Plenty of blood and urine around then...
Of course, if you live anywhere other than the UK, you'll find it involves far more than you'd expect.
The UK government has made no small secret that it thinks having the DNA of every person on file to run through each time they stop your car/arrest you to fish for other crimes would be a jolly swell idea.
Volunteers in medical studies often (nearly ALWAYS) recieve medical advice and consultation, possibly free medication, and follow-through care. It sounds like you do not want to volunteer -- please don't. Some people, however, feel that participating in a worthy endeavor is payment enough. If it leads to improved health care, great. If you are concerned about pharma companies making money, go into politics. These issues do not belong in science.
Your post is so full of crap. Wild animals get cancer as well. I can only hope you're kidding, and the mods are just high as usual.
Ah, the "frankenfood" arguement. The idea that genetic manipulation of foodcrops can create foods that will turn us all into gibbering zombies.
Apparantly, the parent poster doesn't realize that we've been doing this since time immemorial, through a process called "selective breeding". Different DNA in the corn doesn't make a difference once its in your system, all of it will still be broken down for individual sugars and proteins, etc. The DNA won't suddenly become hostile and start mutating you. Its still just corn. Genetically modified? Certainly. Just like any corn you could buy from anywhere, but this modification was done in a lab instead of through several generations of selective breeding. Also, its great with butter and salt!
There is no mod option "-1: Disagree" for a reason. "Overrated" is not an acceptable substitute. Post something instead.
If people stop consuming they will go back to fucking.....
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Just a pity that they don't follow the subjects for a longer period of time. Although one can certainly learn a lot by tracking people for 4 years, I wonder if it is long enough for certain diseases which are, sadly enough, far too common.
As a comparison:
Full Story
Interesting projects in general though, precisely because of their scope.
I get your point, but since when has profit sharing or payment been a pre-requisite for volunteering?
What I'd rather see happen is the NHS get subsidised drugs that are developed as a result of this study.
Don't forget the unintentional "experiments" that tested things like:
Will the thinning of the ozone layer result in more cancer?
Will increased pollution cause health problems?
Will increasing the average air temperature over time have health consequences?
Will advertising cigarettes on television lead to more lung cancer?
Will not promoting condoms lead to an increase in HIV transmission?
and many more.
Yes, I know, technically those aren't "medical experiments" but we still have an opportunity to learn from them.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
What I'm saying is, without an explicit mechanism for either our digestive systems to start reading the rapidly-decaying DNA floating outside its protective cell walls, or for that DNA to suddenly and spontaneously exhibit bacterial or viral infection vectors, there is no place where things can go wrong on a genetic level. The rest of the plant matter that we can't absorb at that stage of digestion is passed on for further break-down, or excreeted at the final stage. I'm sure you've seen those bits of corn that you couldn't digest, and they're no more dangerous now than before.
There's a great deal of unwarranted fear-mongering going on behind the anti-GM food movement. They're scared of change, and of the pace that change comes at. They yell and scream loudly about it, and stick to their "organic" foods (which is a rather misleading title in itself, as the title of "organic" technically means that it need only contain carbon to be accurate - there's no regulation on this label in most places). Meanwhile, they offer no evidence that anything is wrong, just a lot of FUD. If you wish to say that something is dangerous, that's fine. Give me proof that its dangerous, and I might start listening to you. No "maybe"s or "what if"s. Solid facts, statistically relevant samples, and long term studies. GM foods have been around for roughly 12 years, and in that time over 100 studies have been done and no health risks have been found. I'll source this if you want, although I'm certain you have access to Google too. Until you can show me a reason to be concerned, stop crying wolf. Meanwhile the benefits such as increased yields, decreased maintenance and pesticide reliance, decreased irrigation requirements, and many others are here, real, tested and shown.
There is no mod option "-1: Disagree" for a reason. "Overrated" is not an acceptable substitute. Post something instead.
Curing diseases isn't profitable. Treating symptoms with very expensive drugs is.
Depending on who the research group really is - if they are a pharm corporation they are in no way funded to find a "cure" for anything - but if they are truly independent they may be looking to cure something....
I work with a ton of medical researchers at the university where I work, and many of the research volunteers are doing it just for the sake of science. Yes, it is surprising, but there still are some folks out there motivated by other things than greed. As the earlier poster pointed out, they are compensated for travel time, given free medical treatment and/or drugs, etc. Some even get compensated for their time...
"But this one goes to 11!"
statistically the rich won't participate at all, no matter what.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on