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Meet the Scientist Who Injected Himself With 3.5 Million-Year-Old Bacteria (vice.com)
Press2ToContinue writes with this profile of Anatoli Brouchkov, a scientist who isn't afraid to take an extremely hands-on approach to science. Vice reports: "Anatoli Brouchkov is a soft-spoken guy with silver hair, and when he lets out a reserved chuckle, his eyes light up like he was belly laughing. If you met him on the street, you'd never guess that he once injected himself with a 3.5 million-year-old strain of bacteria, just to see what would happen. According to Brouchkov, Bacillus F has a mechanism that has enabled it to survive for so long beneath the ice, and that the same mechanism could be used to extend human life, too—perhaps, one day, forever. In tests, Brouchkov says the bacteria allowed female mice to reproduce at ages far older than typical mice. Fruit flies, he told the Siberian Times, also experienced a 'positive impact' from exposure to the bacteria."
According to Brouchkov, Bacillus F has a mechanism that has enabled it to survive for so long beneath the ice, and that the same mechanism could be used to extend human life, too—perhaps, one day, forever.
Nutter.
Watch this Heartland Institute video
Sounds like it's gonna make a good Marvel comics.
Russian roulette, vodka, communism, zombie bacteria, Vladimir Putin -- Russians really know how to take risks.
> If you met him on the street, you'd never guess that he once injected himself with a 3.5 million-year-old strain of bacteria...
Well, I wouldn't guess this for anybody.
I always wondered what is the purpose of spreading the disease, that the humanity is, further and further - there is none except our need to keep alive and for some to reproduce as much as the available vaginas hold.
Fuck dude, stay away from razorblades and balconies on tall buildings.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
To disguise the fact that the rest of it is inconsequential shit...
Similar to Sirius Cybernetics Corp products - their fundamental design flaws are completely hidden by their superficial design flaws.
Found the mopey goth teen who can't get laid.
I always wondered what is the purpose of spreading the disease, that the humanity is, further and further
That is what all life does. Why should we be any different?
And why do you think it needs to have a purpose? It simply is.
No generalized health insurance - Good. Why should I, someone who takes good care of his body, fund the risky behaviours of others who don't? Although I agree that congenital disorders should be
Why you should ? For two reasons: 1) You, too, may become the victim of a gruesome disease or a bad accident 2)Because it is a moral thing, for the stronger, to help the weaker.
the NRA - Like it or not, there are too many guns in the USA to get rid of them. Of you try, the police and criminals will be the only ones with guns, and that's certainly not a good thing. Also, the NRA's existence means we have great freedom of speech laws, unlike Europe, which is going the PC censorship route
This is a classic argument against change: "Proposed change is not perfect, so let's rather do nothing". Moreover, here in Europe, with strict gun regulation, indeed only "police and criminals" have guns, and we have no school shootings. As for the NRA's existence guaranteeing "great freedom of speech", I won't even bend over the edge of such bottomless stupidity in order to try and see a rational argument there.
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
No generalized health insurance - Good. Why should I, someone who takes good care of his body, fund the risky behaviours of others who don't? Although I agree that congenital disorders should be
Because you're a moral person?
Or you believe in a religion that says you should care for those less fortunate then you?
Or you are completely self-interest driven and are so full of yourself to be sure sure bad things can't happen to you but would prefer not to be mugged for money by someone who happens to be less lucky then you and is willing to risk his life to get enough cash to pay for his treatment?
Or because you believe in living longer. Here's a link to look at: http://theincidentaleconomist.... - spoiler alert: The US spends the most in health care and gets a life expectancy equivalent to Czechoslovakia.
One of those reasons?
Min
On the whole, I find that I prefer Slashdot posts to twitter ones because I don't get limited to 140 chars before
The bacteria in question is a strain of Bacillus Cerus. Some strains of Bacillus Cerus cause food poisoning, but others are used as a probiotic to reduce the incidence of salmonella in farm animals intestines. We already know that the intestinal biome of animals can have a serious affect on the animals' health, so the idea that this strain could be beneficial is completely plausible.
As far as this bacteria being an extremophile? Not so much. Baccilus Cerus undergoes sporulation when conditions are unfavorable. Spores are difficult to kill. Leaving behind spores when you die so that a new generation can arise when conditions are more favorable isn't the same as thriving in an extreme environment. If it was, humans would have to be classed as extremophiles too because we can freeze an embryo and implant it later.
There can be only one.
The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
but how did he manage to inject exactly 3.5 of them?
Low population growth typically indicates an educated populace, low infant mortality, and a high cost to rear children because of a high cost of living caused by a luxury economy.
Can't he just rub his penis just to see what would happen, like everybody else?
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
We must be in trouble because the last time I viewed a video on human reproduction, the males were trying to reproduce in all the holes of the female.
I'm not slightly medically knowledgeable, but I'm wondering if this guy thought through that he could have infected the rest of us from stuff our bodies had no defenses? Like smallpox and the indigenous tribes in the Americas. I'm fine with him killing himself in the name of science (think Curie), but this strikes me as a little too cowboy.
Here you are. As an intelligent person, you'll certainly not fail to notice that, after most Central- and South American countries, the USA tops the list - by far.
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
Actually I very much doubt that since almost all the elements above helium and up to iron were formed in the hearts of stars and so are a lot younger than the Big Bang. For the trace elements above iron in your food we actually have evidence that they were created in a supernova about 6 billion years ago. So other than the hydrogen, which makes up only a tiny proportion of your food by weight, most of the atoms are likely to be considerably younger than 14 billion years and formed in the hearts of stars not in the Big Bang.
Low population growth typically indicates an educated populace, low infant mortality, and a high cost to rear children because of a high cost of living caused by a luxury economy.
More like population density without resource constraints.
In mice, and other animals who don't have either the means nor the motive to rationally plan their families.
Humans have rather different dynamics, and the GP's statement is correct. It's very easy to show that as infant mortality declines and wealth rises, parents choose to have fewer children and invest much more in them. This is why the first world is already at negative population growth. In some parts of northern Europe the population decline is becoming a problem, to the degree that, for example, the Danish government has been running an advertising campaign to encourage people to have children.
The population of the US would be shrinking, but immigration is keeping it growing by about 2M people per year. There are only about 1M immigrants per year, but first-generation immigrants tend to have larger families which props up the birth rate. However, the net growth rate is declining and assuming current trends remain unchanged the US will hit zero growth in about 30 years and then population will begin to decrease. The assumption that current trends continue is a pretty big one though, given the massive changes we have coming in that time frame, as automation increases dramatically. Climate change may have some effect as well.
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
I'm with you, both are stupid stunts with little scientific value. However, a manned mission to Mars would spur on development of technology which is likely to be of some value here on earth and have very little potential for worldwide risk. Injecting oneself with some old strain of bacteria, risking your life and the lives of others should it prove to be contagious and fatal was very STUPID.
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101