Don’t miss Philosophers’ Carnival #33.
Take a stroll through the garden of Grand Rounds 2:44 for the best from the medical blogosphere. There’s quite a bit of news and opinion for your perusal.
More disturbing news about cats contracting the H5N1 avian flu strain, this time from Turkey and Iraq. And more research in this area seems to indicate the cats can spread it to each other, which raises serious questions about them spreading it to humans, not to mention offering the virus the means to interact in new environments which could assist the pathogen with mutating into more dangerous strains. To wit: “These findings support the notion that cats may be broadly susceptible to circulating H5N1 viruses and thus may play a role in reassortment, antigenic drift, and transmission.” I’ll say it again: people need to bring their cats indoors and keep them there from now on. Doing otherwise is not only deadly for the cat (and not just from avian flu), but it can also play a roll in helping the H5N1 strain learn new tricks and spread more easily. Because cats spend so much time around people, infected felines could well offer the avian flu an important opportunity to mix with a human flu, and that would be the realization of our greatest concern.
Herein lies the problem with GM crops. As China learned, modifying a plant to address one issue often gives rise to something completely different. In this case, the modified cotton plants did in fact stop the bollworm larvae from destroying the crops, but that created a vacuum for new pests, so mirids moved right in and wiped out every bit of the financial incentive to use the GM crops. It’s a slippery slope that you can’t escape once you start tinkering with genetics this way: every problem you fix will certainly generate a whole different set of problems simply because life is diverse enough to get around the obstacle.
A fish was caught in Texas that has human-like teeth. No one is certain what species it is (although there are some guesses, none of which are normally found in North America, let alone little ol’ Texas). Very odd… And there are reports others like it are in the same lake, so there is a reward for anyone who can catch another specimen. Be sure to look at the photo. [via FrinkTank]
Today’s Day by Day cartoon is a hoot. And don’t tell me “nuh-uh”.
How can the government pay for all the tax cuts the Republican Congress and administration enacted that mostly benefited big business and the rich? It seems the government itself says they must do one of two things: raise taxes or cut spending. Huh. Seeing as how our federal government now treats spending as though it all happens on a limitless credit card…
I think this is more than worthwhile: Act Now to Help End Japanese Dolphin Drive Hunting
Texas becomes top U.S. producer of wind energy. Yes, we even produce more wind power than California. So there!
Something everyone should know: Why Rice Krispies Go Snap, Crackle, Pop! [via Biomes Blog]