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US Army Develops Tooth Cleaning Gum
pryoplasm writes "To help deal with some of the hygiene issues on the battlefield, the US Army worked on a gum to take the place of brushing your teeth. This might be eventually released and marketed to the public. While there are many gums out there that aren't so detrimental to your teeth, this one promises actually to help them out."
A tooth cleaning gun would be way more cool, and would probably strike a lot more fear in the hearts of our enemies. God knows if I had a choice between a sit down with a military dentist and being waterboarded, I'd take the waterboarding as the more humane alternative (I'm an Air Force brat and the worst pain I've experienced in my 40 years of life so far was at the hands of an Air Force Dentist when I was 11 or 12.)
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Every time I see that quote attributed to Duke Nukem, I bristle. The original quote came from a 1988 movie called They Live, starring wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Keith David. I actually paid good money to go see that at a theater!
I guess Duke Nukem made the phrase famous, but still, it was blatantly stolen. The exact quote is:
In the movie, Roddy had just burst into a bank with shotguns looking to kill him some aliens. When he delivered the line, I thought I was going to die laughing, it was so over-the-top. Anyone who likes Duke Nukem should see the movie at some point to enjoy the original source of the quote in all of its glory.
"The report also explains that US Army researchers developed a protein that attacks the bacteria that causes plaque, which can lead to gum disease. This protein can easily be incorporated into the gum, making it a serious alternative to toothbrush and toothpaste, the researchers claim. "
Lets hope ingesting the protein doesn't have any harmful side-effects, like priapism.
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
I guess the researchers forgot to read the Wikipedia article on Xylitol Jenkki first.
Seriously, this has been invented over 35 years ago (in 1975). And to add insult to injury, the word "Jenkki" is derived from "Yankee" and means an American in Finnish.
Or is the problem that Xylitol is patent-free while this new molecule might not be? You can't charge $10 per piece for a nonproprietary gum...
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.
Why is a nearly 5 year old article making news just now?
"..One hosts to look them up, one DNS to find them, and in the darkness BIND them."
Ah, I just love it when the self aggrandized call others idiot on the Internet, especially when they can do it from behind relative anonymity.
As .... I .... said ... I thought that is what sugarless gum nee Xylitol has been used for years. Xylitol for the laymen out there inhibits bacteria, specifically mutans streptococci, one of the predominant bacteria involved in tooth decay.
I know a little something about proteins and chemistry as I had to take years of coursework in chemistry and biochemistry to get the Ph.D., so please... tone down the arrogance a bit, O.K.? It makes Slashdot a much more pleasant place.
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Yes. They were originally designed for killing people but were later found to have a wide range of household uses.
Brain surgery - it's not rocket science!