Cinco de Mayo

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/01/health/ticks-mosquitoes-diseases.html
This is an article from the NYT reporting the CDC recommendations for protection against tick-bearing diseases now that the hot weather is upon us. There are new tickborne diseases such as the Heartland virus and the number of cases of Lyme disease is growing. The CDC study did not attribute the increase in these and other diseases like dengue and Zika (in island territories) to climate change.  To protect yourself wear long pants, long sleeves, pants tucked into socks, hat and bandana, use DEET on feet and insect repellent on exposed skin.




https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/23/climate/rice-global-warming.html
This is a NYT article reporting the results of a study published in Science Advances by plant physiologists at the USDA that concluded that 18 varieties of rice grown in experimental rice fields which were exposed to the elevated levels of CO2 that are expected  to occur later on this century contained fewer nutrients than rice that is grown today. The nutrients examined were protein, iron, zinc, Vitamin B1, B2, B5, and B9. For people in wealthier countries who consume a diverse diet this may not matter but for people who rely on rice as a primary food source, this is a significant decrease. Although this seems counterintuitive, higher levels of CO2 may cause plants to produce more carbohydrates, diluting other components.





https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/25/opinion/sunday/meat-antibiotics-organic-farming.html This is a link to a NYT article about the use of antibiotics in the meat industry, in animal farms, and ultimately in our food.  Antibiotics are added to animal feed not just to prevent microbial diseases but also to improve rates of growth. In 2017, the FDA enacted legislation to ban the use of human antibiotics for growth promotion due the the increase in the numbers of humans infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. According to the CDC, more than 400,000 people in the US become ill due to infection with food-borne antibiotic resistant bacteria every year. Recent studies of gut microbiota have determined that antibiotics were take as medication can disrupt our native microbiota and lead to the increase in chronic diseases and allergies. Antibiotic misuse in livestock and people may be destroying our ability to fight certain diseases and infections. Handwriting on the wall department.


A book the solipsistssoiree wants to heartily recommend is "She Has Her Mother's Laugh" by eminent science writer Carl Zimmer. Mr. Zimmer writes amusingly, personally and elegantly about the history, understandings and, more frequently, misunderstandings of heredity in a way that moves genetics out of the Punnet Square realm into the force it has become in modern society since the deciphering of the human genome.





https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/26/opinion/sunday/insects-bugs-naturalists-scientists.html?login=email&auth=login-email This opinion piece in the NYT is by a professor of natural science about the reduction in biomass of flying insects. A recent study of 63 locations in Germany over the past four seasons concluded that there was 76% decline in the total biomass of insects.  Why should we care? Insects are pesky critters. The author, a "lake scientist", who examines sediment cores from lake bottoms and has published about the loss of plankton communities, suggests that agricultural chemicals may be poisoning aquatic organisms such as plankton and insects that begin their lives as aquatic larva.

April Finally

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/31/opinion/sunday/nazi-history-asperger.html This is a link to the NYT article about the German researcher who the disorder Asperger Syndrome is named for. Hans Asperger has contributed to the diagnoses and ideas around people who have :limited social skills and narrow interests", similar to autism, but also was seen as a resister to the Third Reich and its ideas. The writer of the article practiced psychiatry at the University of Vienna in the Nazi era and introduced the diagnosis of "autistic psychopathology" for some of the disturbed children he treated. Some of his categorizations of their behaviors would result in their being euthanized. Children who were classified as "drains on the state", were killed in special wards and Asperger worked closely with the top figures in Vienna's euthanasia program. In 1994, Asperger disorder was added to the American manual of mental disorders to be reclassied in 2013 as autism spectrum disorder.

Here we are; it's March

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/05/science/mutant-crayfish-clones-europe.html
A NYT article by Carl Zimmer about marble crayfish, a species that didn't exist before about 1993. The marbled crayfish species is the result of a single mutation. The mutated version is larger than the garden-variety (these are not found in gardens, however) and one can produce hundreds of eggs at a time without mating, and the offspring are all female,  (maybe Crawmoms instead of dads?) Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center who sequenced the genomes of the mutant marmorkrebs, and other species, determined that one parent of the mutant had a mutation in a sex cell (egg or sperm) and the female crayfish embryo wound up with three copies of each chromosome instead of the normal two. Since these crayfish are genetically identical, they are clones of one another and could be taken down by a pathogen which "gets their number."



http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/pheramor-dating-app-dna-matches-dates-men-women-partners-relationships-a8131316.html From the independent (UK) a report about a company called Pheramor that has a special dating app based on submission of a DNA cheek swab which matches people based on attraction and identity, It isolates the genes for pheramones, chemical signals that are believed to spark sexual attraction. Genetic data is combined with personal information in the prospective daters' profiles using a proprietary algorithm.




https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/14/health/scott-kelly-dna-nasa-twins-study/index.html This is a report from CNN about findings from the NASA Twins Study, which compared Scott Kelly with his identical twin, who had not spent time in space.7% of Scott''s DNA had changed. Some of the mutations may have been due to the stresses of space travel, including hypoxia (low oxygen) and high amounts of carbon dioxide. Scott's telomeres, caps at the end of chromosomes which are thought to be involved in aging, also increased in length.

Happy New Year- Entering Third Year of SoSo (Solipsist's Soiree)

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/02/upshot/us-health-care-expensive-country-comparison.html Article from the NYT business section about the percentage of the country's economy spent on health care- 17.9% of the GNP, twice as much as other industrialized countries. A Princeton University health economy study concluded that people in the US use the same amount of health care as in other wealthy countries, but may a lot more for it. In a recent study in JAMA  researchers looked at the breakdown for 155 different health conditions and found that American personal heath spending grew by $930 billion between 1996 and 2013 (adjusted for inflation). They also found that this didn't have primarily to do with the increase in population size and the aging of the population. After accounting for these demographic factors, spending grew by about $574 billion during those years. The conclusion from this study is that more is done for patients during hospital stays and doctor visits and that patients are charged more for these services. The author conlcudes that an all-payer system (like Maryland) or a single payer system is the solution.





https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/01/business/energy-environment/climate-change-enzymes-laundry.html  In this NYT artles, "Rooting in the Rot for Clean Ideas", the author mentions a Danish biotech company is trying to discover a more environmentally friendly detergent and is testing oyster mushrooms, which contain enzymes that speed up chemical reactions or natural processes like decay.
Enzymes are also well-suited to cut energy consumption, and because they are found in cool environments like forests and oceans, they don't require the heat and pressure used by washing machines. In face, lowering the temperature on a washing machine to cold water reduces energy consumption by at least half. New enzymes are also attractive to consumers in fast-growing economies like China.




https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/29/climate/google-search-climate-change.html Another article from NYT about how Google's algorithms many times display climate change deniers' results at the top of searches. The fact that the denialists' ads pop up with such frequency and prominence, shows that the climate change deniers are able to "game the system". But Google also claims that many ads are removed and violators punished for policy violations. Google doesn't want users to be misled by their ads or information, according their published policies. But somehow by the practice of allowing bidding for terms, DefyCCC wound up owning the climate change term.


https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/06/opinion/sunday/diabetes-shouldnt-bankrupt-you.html?_r=0 An article from the NYT about the costs of chronic disease. People with long term or chronic medical conditions often owe their lives to medical innovations that allow them to continue living long and productive lives but also live those lives in fear of financial ruin, bancruptcy or the inability to get good coverage. Dialysis patients are actually an exception due to a 1972 act of Congress allowing people with end-stage kidney failure who are on dialysis to get automatic Medicare coverage. This same coverage should be provided to other chronic disease sufferers, such as the coverage provided for German citizens who can pick a "sickness fund" to contribute to, with a 15% of their income contribution from the individual's income, half from their employer and half from their paychecks. This is based on the principle of "solidarity", not "individuality".


https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/04/opinion/trump-disdain-science.html  This is from the NYT OP-ED page written by a former science advisor to President Clinton and a physics professor at UC Santa Cruz about the fact that after a year in office President Trump hasn't named a science advisor and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The job of this individual would be to pull up the necessary information for the president and cut through any conflicting advise from senior secretaries and other cabinet officials.  The writers make the point that, absent a science advisor, the president and his administration have still made decisions on health and environmental policy and national security issues involving science that amount to assaults on existing laws, including the decision to pull the nation out of the Paris climate agreement.  Scott Pruitt is the administrator of the EPA, a lawyer without any real understanding of climate science.




https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/science/native-americans-beringia-siberia.html This NYT article discusses the recovery of DNA from the skeleton on a 6-week old girl at Upward Sun River in Alaska. This girl lived 11,500 years ago and her DNA belongs to a population of early Native Americans called Beringians, which was revealed in a new study done by the University of Copenhagen and the University of Alaska. This infant is believed to have descended from a previously unknown population of Native Americans which diverged genetically from the ancestors of modern Native Americans about 20,000 years ago. Ancient Beringia refers to Alaska, the eastern tip of Siberia and the land bridge that joined them during the last ice age. The land bridge is suspected to have been the route that humans took from Asia to the Western Hemisphere.


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/26/science/protein-design-david-baker.html This is an article in the NYT about the building of cellular proteins. How do proteins take their final shapes? There is an organization called the Institute for Protein Design dedicated to researching this question. Dvid Baker and colleagues in papers published in 2017 have solved the question and the answers will enable scientists to construct molecular tools such as proteins to fight flu viruses, break down dietary gluten and detect opioid drugs, according to the article.A community of scientists known as the Rosetta Commons at the University of Washington designed software for studying complex proteins. They have been improving the software for twenty years and also recruited volunteers using their home computers and Android phones. With increasing confidence in their work, scientists began designing proteins from scratch for particular jobs, such as combating the flu, which they did by engineering yeast.


https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/health/adhd-drugs-women.html  This is an article in the NYT about the increase in the numbers of younger women being prescribed AHDH drugs, which has increased more than 5-fold since 2003. These drugs, including Adderall and Vyvanse are prescribed at rates that, according to the article, far outstrip the prevalence of the disorder. These drugs have some appeal among students as study aids and among adults as work performance enhancers. This study, done by the CDC, raises specific concerns for women with the notion that there are underlying issues causing the women to resort to these drugs, such as depression or drug abuse.

Christmas Week (almost)

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/19/health/epa-toxic-chemicals.html This is a NYT article about the EPA's postponement of bans on the use of TCE (trochloroethylene), NMP (N-methylpyrrolidone) and methylene chloride. These substances are found in paint strippers and dry cleaning agents and are toxic. The Toxic Substances Control Act (AKA Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act) is being reviewed for loopholes. TCE is "carcinogenic to humans by all routes of exposure" and causes developmental and reproductive damage.  Methylene chloride is toxic to the brain and the liver and NMP poses reproductive hazards. But the EPA,postponing the review, has no set deadline and is back-burnering health protections from these and other toxic chemicals, which is unnecessary and dangerous.



https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/19/health/lethal-viruses-nih.html This is a NYT article about the removal of the ban on funding research geared at altering germs to make them more lethal. Francis Collins, the head of the NIH announced that a scientific panel (are there still scientists in the government?) must decide that the benefits override the risks. In 2014 all federal funding to projects designed to make MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) more dangerous was halted. The CDC in 2014 accidentally exposed lab workers to anthrax and shipped a deadly flu virus to a lab that had asked for a benign strain. Opinions vary on whether such research is worth the risk to the public, contributing little scientific knowledge but creating the possibility of an accidental pandemic.

Thanksgiving Week

 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/11/17/opinion/sunday/What-if-You-Knew-Alzheimers-Was-Coming-for-You.html?_r=0 An article from the Sunday Review section about a blood test for the ApoE4 gene variant that has been associated with Alzheimers Disease. A person who's genotype includes two copies of this variant is likely to develop late-onset Alzheimers. Since this blood test is not available yet, to determine your potential to develop AD would require a (PET) brain scan or a spinal tap (not the rock group). Scientists putative goal is to develop tests for the disease prior to the development of symptoms. Bill Gates, who has AD in his family, has devoted $100 million dollars to the cause of early diagnosis. If an individual has one of the gene variants instead of two, what does that mean? AD is also linked to many factors such as poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, chronic inflammation, exposure to chemicals in the environment and genetics.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/26/us/politics/alex-azar-senate-confirmation-hearing-hhs.html?_r=0 Article from the NYT about the former Lilly pharma executive who is Trump's picl to head the Health and Human Services agency, Alex Azar.  He raised prices on Insulin and other drugs but says that he would "take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry." He is against the ACA and has experience privatizing the Medicare drug benefit under contract with the government. He joined the Bush administration as general counsel to the Department of HHS. He thinks that patients are paying too much for drugs; example is the price of insulin which has tripled in the last decade (as it also became cheaper to produce, author's statement.) Good money has it that drug prices will increase.



https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/19/us/retro-report-evolution-science.html
An article in NYT about new tactics being used by organizations including the Seattle-based Discovery Institute to put evolution under examination in the classroom (again.) Groups like this have become emboldened in the Trump administration.In addition to rejecting evolution, climate change and the human contribution to global warming are also being presented as questionable and not supported by facts.The most recent court case in which the teaching of Intelligent Design was rejected was "Kitzmiller v. Dover", in the Kansas schools. The Discovery Institute in Louisiana is another one of these backward-thinking groups that influenced the Science Education Act of 2008 which permits teaching of "the controversy." Tennessee passed a comparable law to the Louisiana law.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/23/health/bacteria-colon-cancer.html This is an article from NYT about a report in the journal Science about fusobacerium nucleatum, a bacterium found in up to half of colon tumors, which travels with its spread. These bacteria normally inhabit the mouth, but looking at colon cancers that had metastasized to liver, they found the bacteria, but not when they looked at liver cancer that had metastasized to colon. Questions that could be raised: could a vaccine directed against these bacteria cure colon cancer? Bert Vogelstein, a hero of mine, suggests that the bacteria might be altering patients' immune responses.

 

Daylight Savings

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/04/opinion/sunday/relax-you-dont-need-to-eat-clean.html?_r=0
This is an opinion piece about food prohibitions "in the guise of science." Written by a Pediatrics professor who talks about the poorly substantiated arguments behind such things as the demonization of salt, and now the gluten-free frenzy. 1 in 5 Americans routinely chooses gluten-free foods according to a 2015 poll even though fewer than 1% of people in the USA have wheat allergies and fewer than 1% have celiac disease. Besides this, gluten sensitivity is not well-defined and most people who claim the distinction don't meet the criteria.




https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/obituaries/isabella-l-karle-dead-findings-on-molecules-helped-husband-win-nobel.html  This is an obit from the NYT announcing the death of Isabella L Karle, an xray crystallographer and chemist. Her husband Jerome Karle along with  Herbert Hauptmann, won the Nobel Prize for extending the crystallographic interpretations to large, 3-dimensional biological molecules like drugs, steroids and toxins, helped substantially by Isabella Karle, who was self-taught in cystallography.




http://www.philly.com/philly/health/health-news/ancestry-dna-genes-23andme-genetics-20171012.html This is a Philly Inquirer piece about people who buy kits for analyzing their DNA. The writer reports that he and his sister had their DNA analyzed and different ancestry was reported for each of them. The results are conveyed via charts and graphs as percentages which, according to the writer, cannot be determined with certainty. Most companies compare snippets of a person's DNA to the company's database of DNA markers from people in various regions of the world. This is where the inaccuracy comes in because in order to find otu where your ancestors lived 500 years ago you would need to compare your DNA to a data base of DNA from people who lived 500 years ago, according to the article.