Caffeine does what it does because it mimics and inhibits the effects of adenosine, a common neurotransmitter that itself acts as a CNS inhibitor, so it could be said that caffeine is an "inhibitor inhibitor". In humans, this has the pleasant effects that we've come to know and love. The nervous system of insects, however, employs adenosine somewhat differently, so the effects of caffeine are considerably more dramatic. Viva Wikipedia! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine#Mechanism_of_action
Furthermore, this experiment was performed on SCID (Severe Combined ImmunoDeficiency) mice, who have no adaptive immune system whatsoever. In such animals, it's relatively easy to perform gene therapy using viruses as vehicles because they don't have any immune response to the viruses.
As it stands, this therapy - as interesting as it is - cannot brought to bear on humans (or even normal mice) due to the primary roadblock inherant in the current state of gene therapy technology: the target will resist the viruses. It's useless until the technology upon which it rests overcomes some fundamental problems.
Time as we see/feel it is a temporal dimesion that, like a spacial dimension, stretches <gross-simplification>infinitely and without end</gross-simplification>. Of course, unlike a spacial dimension we only travel along it in a single direction: "forward".
However, only if time was the temporal equivalent of a spacial point would everything happen at once.
If time did not exist, no happenings would happen at all...
To sum up this article, Plum Island is mysterious, and it scares the daylights out of the author, especially since the strike.
To shore up this sense of dread, the author asserts that two events convince him that Plum Island is more dangerous than people commonly know:
Assertion 1: The first appearance of what we now call Lyme disease [was] a mere 13 miles Northeast of Plum Island.
Fact 1: The first record of a condition associated with Lyme disease dates back to 1883 in Breslau, Germany, where a physician named Alfred Buchwald described a degenerative skin disorder now known as acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA). (Lyme Disease Foundation).
Assertion 2: West Nile Virus made its first appearance near or around Plum Island.
Fact 2: In 1999 the radius of infection centered around New York City. West Nile Virus is very common virus (according to the CDC, it has been found in West Nile virus has been described in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, west and central Asia, Oceania (subtype Kunjin), and most recently, North America), that could easily been carried by any visitor to one of the world's most populated cities.
Assertion 3: Placing quotes around the word "coincidental" makes it sound conspiratorial.
Fact 3: It does make it sound conspiratorial, but it doesn't make it true.
Honestly, the fact the author was so frightened by the predictable rumors of frightened workers sealing rooms with duct tape (any biology student will tell you that would be useless against airborne pathogens) the he felt he had no choice but to "pack up the car, score some weed, [and] picked up my girlfriend and head to the Jersey Shore... wait for the imminent human die-off" shows me that the author is deeply paranoid and alarmist (too much weed, Alan?).
Maybe Plum Island leaked some kind of strange stupidity virus?
Every living organism on earth, plants and bacteria included, maintain their genome primarily in DNA, and use RNA during the process of converting the DNA source code into protein executables (see what a CS/Bio double major does for you?).
To note an exception, there are many viruses that carry their entire genome in RNA, but there is some debate as to whether or not viruses are even alive, as they're little more than *NA wrapped in a protein shell.
I never really thought I was one of the privileged few, but in reading the myriad of (very much correct) comments complaining about the detritus that passes as science on the Discovery Channel or The Learning Channel it occurs to me that most people don't get the Science Channel that I get on my handy-dandy digital cable.
Though it can be a bit repetitive after a few months (there seems to be alot less science programming available than there are reruns of Friends in the world - go figure), there is some truly facinating SCIENCE presented.
Here is a brief listing from tonight, a la tvguide.com (FYI - I live in United States ZIP code 11706, and use Hauppague Cable, if you want to lokk for yourself - it's channel 170)
Understanding - The human brain is examined. Included: how the brain develops, functions of brain anatomy, how cerebral chemicals affect thought, brain surgery to control seizures. Also: 3-D imaging charts the brain in action.
Paleoworld - Theories about dinosaurs raising their young.
Connections - "The Big Spin" - Segments include Helen of Troy; police blotters; insurance statistics; soda; oil; micro-fossils; and earthquake detection. James Burke hosts.
Lives of Stars - Deep-space astronomical phenomena include red giants, white dwarfs and black holes.
Note, that this is a listing from just today. Personally, I leave this channel on almost constantly when I'm home.
Contact your cable provider, and request the Science Channel!
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Caffeine does what it does because it mimics and inhibits the effects of adenosine, a common neurotransmitter that itself acts as a CNS inhibitor, so it could be said that caffeine is an "inhibitor inhibitor". In humans, this has the pleasant effects that we've come to know and love. The nervous system of insects, however, employs adenosine somewhat differently, so the effects of caffeine are considerably more dramatic. Viva Wikipedia! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine#Mechanism_of_action
Furthermore, this experiment was performed on SCID (Severe Combined ImmunoDeficiency) mice, who have no adaptive immune system whatsoever. In such animals, it's relatively easy to perform gene therapy using viruses as vehicles because they don't have any immune response to the viruses.
As it stands, this therapy - as interesting as it is - cannot brought to bear on humans (or even normal mice) due to the primary roadblock inherant in the current state of gene therapy technology: the target will resist the viruses. It's useless until the technology upon which it rests overcomes some fundamental problems.
Well - yes and no...
Time as we see/feel it is a temporal dimesion that, like a spacial dimension, stretches <gross-simplification>infinitely and without end</gross-simplification>. Of course, unlike a spacial dimension we only travel along it in a single direction: "forward".
However, only if time was the temporal equivalent of a spacial point would everything happen at once.
If time did not exist, no happenings would happen at all...
To sum up this article, Plum Island is mysterious, and it scares the daylights out of the author, especially since the strike.
To shore up this sense of dread, the author asserts that two events convince him that Plum Island is more dangerous than people commonly know:
Assertion 1: The first appearance of what we now call Lyme disease [was] a mere 13 miles Northeast of Plum Island.
Fact 1: The first record of a condition associated with Lyme disease dates back to 1883 in Breslau, Germany, where a physician named Alfred Buchwald described a degenerative skin disorder now known as acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA). (Lyme Disease Foundation).
Assertion 2: West Nile Virus made its first appearance near or around Plum Island.
Fact 2: In 1999 the radius of infection centered around New York City. West Nile Virus is very common virus (according to the CDC, it has been found in West Nile virus has been described in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, west and central Asia, Oceania (subtype Kunjin), and most recently, North America), that could easily been carried by any visitor to one of the world's most populated cities.
Assertion 3: Placing quotes around the word "coincidental" makes it sound conspiratorial.
Fact 3: It does make it sound conspiratorial, but it doesn't make it true.
Honestly, the fact the author was so frightened by the predictable rumors of frightened workers sealing rooms with duct tape (any biology student will tell you that would be useless against airborne pathogens) the he felt he had no choice but to "pack up the car, score some weed, [and] picked up my girlfriend and head to the Jersey Shore ... wait for the imminent human die-off" shows me that the author is deeply paranoid and alarmist (too much weed, Alan?).
Maybe Plum Island leaked some kind of strange stupidity virus?
Every living organism on earth, plants and bacteria included, maintain their genome primarily in DNA, and use RNA during the process of converting the DNA source code into protein executables (see what a CS/Bio double major does for you?). To note an exception, there are many viruses that carry their entire genome in RNA, but there is some debate as to whether or not viruses are even alive, as they're little more than *NA wrapped in a protein shell.
I never really thought I was one of the privileged few, but in reading the myriad of (very much correct) comments complaining about the detritus that passes as science on the Discovery Channel or The Learning Channel it occurs to me that most people don't get the Science Channel that I get on my handy-dandy digital cable.
Though it can be a bit repetitive after a few months (there seems to be alot less science programming available than there are reruns of Friends in the world - go figure), there is some truly facinating SCIENCE presented.
Here is a brief listing from tonight, a la tvguide.com (FYI - I live in United States ZIP code 11706, and use Hauppague Cable, if you want to lokk for yourself - it's channel 170)
Note, that this is a listing from just today. Personally, I leave this channel on almost constantly when I'm home.
Contact your cable provider, and request the Science Channel!