I decided to write this blog thanks to a recent blog thought over on CBC’s website. CA authored an article called “Genetic Diseases: Why Inbreeding is Bad” (http://colorblindcupid.wordpress.com/2008/06/17/genetic-diseases-why-inbreeding-is-bad/). After making a few comments about genetic predispositions that some ethnicities seem to be prone to, I got to thinking about how some inbreeding populations have also helped us out. Genetics is a double-edged sword. It allows for those genes best fit to survive and be passed onto the next generation. HOWEVER, it also allows interbred groups to pass on recessive genes and mutations. Those mutations may be good or they may be bad, it is up to the coin toss that genetics does. This led me to thinking about The Plague aka Black Death aka Bubonic Plague. For those of you who do not know what that was, it was a time during the Middle Ages of Europe when a great disease spread thanks to rats and fleas. Basically, rats were infected by the bacteria Yersinia pestis. When fleas bit the rats, they contracted the disease, passing it onto anyone or thing they bit. I have a theory that if you trace your genealogy back to Europe, you probably directly descend from someone of noble/royal birth. Why you ask? Well, fleas do not like the scent of horses. It is common knowledge that people during that age bathed only once or twice a year, making them quite smelly. Those that were around horses in turn would smell like them as well. The ones that could afford stables full of horses had to be wealthy or work for the wealthy, so they were fortunate enough to have a natural flea repellant. Unfortunately, when the plague was contracted in the lungs, called pneumonic plague, it became an aerosol that no one seemed to be immune to. It wiped out at least 2/3 of the population of Europe, but there were survivors. There were some lucky souls who happened to contract the Plague and survive it, and these people passed on their genes to their descendants. It was discovered that the plague might have actually allowed for the inheritance of a GOOD mutation within the population. During the 1980’s, there were many blood transfusions, and most of those were not tested for the HIV virus until it was too late. During the notification to recipients that they had been given contaminated blood, only one recipient tested negative for the HIV virus. For years, the man continued to test negative for the deadly virus. This got geneticists curious. For HIV to invade the cell, it has to fit a lock-and-key mechanism. What this means is that the virus acts like a key that fits a lock (receptor) on the cell. Obviously the receptor is not there for the virus but for some other important function. Unfortunately, the HIV virus fills up those receptors, infesting the cell, spreading its own genes. As it turns out, genes come in pairs, and apparently, the man that received the transfusion lacked both copies of the gene that produced these receptors. Therefore, geneticists started tracing the man’s ancestry along with others, trying to determine just WHERE this genetic mutation first appeared. They decided to run a DNA analysis once the technology was available a few years back. They determined he was of European descent and that he carried a double mutation. The mutation was because he inherited a mutated copy of the gene from each of his parents. This got genecists to searching for a time period where someone’s genes could have allowed for such mutations among people of certain populations. They searched the outbreaks of diseases and traced the mutation back to the Great Plague that happened in Europe during the Middle Ages (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/previous_seasons/case_plague/clues.html). The geneticists discovered that people of English, Scandinavian, and Germanic heritage seemed to have higher frequencies of this genetic mutation. They then decided to test the blood of a population that had not changed much in the last 500 years, so they tested that of an isolated village in England. Most of the people were the same descendants of people who had lived there hundreds of years ago. Through much DNA analysis, they discovered that almost everyone living in that village was RELATED, and had a common ancestor. This ancestor happened to have a history recorded because she SURVIVED the Black Death. She then passed her genetic mutation onto her descendants, and so on down the line. Those descendants that received TWO copies of the gene mutation are simply IMMUNE or RESISTANT to the HIV virus. Therefore, those that actually survived the plague due to mutation passed on a gene that allows for immunity to the horrible HIV virus (http://www.darwinawards.com/science/bubonic.html) along with immunity/resistance to the Bubonic Plague. Thanks to this great discovery, scientists are testing use of drug analogs to treat HIV and AIDS. An analog basically is a mimic. In this case, it blocks up all the specific receptors that HIV can fit into or causes a change in the cell, mimicking the double genetic mutation. So far, the clinical human trials have been successful. Those that actually HAD full-blown AIDS tested negative to the entire HIV virus after therapy using these new drugs. This could be the breakthrough that the world has been waiting for…all simply to an inbreeding population that passed on a good gene mutation.
{June 24, 2008} Genetic Alterations…
I decided to write this blog thanks to a recent blog thought over on CBC’s website. CA authored an article called “Genetic Diseases: Why Inbreeding is Bad” (http://colorblindcupid.wordpress.com/2008/06/17/genetic-diseases-why-inbreeding-is-bad/). After making a few comments about genetic predispositions that some ethnicities seem to be prone to, I got to thinking about how some inbreeding populations have also helped us out. Genetics is a double-edged sword. It allows for those genes best fit to survive and be passed onto the next generation. HOWEVER, it also allows interbred groups to pass on recessive genes and mutations. Those mutations may be good or they may be bad, it is up to the coin toss that genetics does. This led me to thinking about The Plague aka Black Death aka Bubonic Plague. For those of you who do not know what that was, it was a time during the Middle Ages of Europe when a great disease spread thanks to rats and fleas. Basically, rats were infected by the bacteria Yersinia pestis. When fleas bit the rats, they contracted the disease, passing it onto anyone or thing they bit. I have a theory that if you trace your genealogy back to Europe, you probably directly descend from someone of noble/royal birth. Why you ask? Well, fleas do not like the scent of horses. It is common knowledge that people during that age bathed only once or twice a year, making them quite smelly. Those that were around horses in turn would smell like them as well. The ones that could afford stables full of horses had to be wealthy or work for the wealthy, so they were fortunate enough to have a natural flea repellant. Unfortunately, when the plague was contracted in the lungs, called pneumonic plague, it became an aerosol that no one seemed to be immune to. It wiped out at least 2/3 of the population of Europe, but there were survivors. There were some lucky souls who happened to contract the Plague and survive it, and these people passed on their genes to their descendants. It was discovered that the plague might have actually allowed for the inheritance of a GOOD mutation within the population. During the 1980’s, there were many blood transfusions, and most of those were not tested for the HIV virus until it was too late. During the notification to recipients that they had been given contaminated blood, only one recipient tested negative for the HIV virus. For years, the man continued to test negative for the deadly virus. This got geneticists curious. For HIV to invade the cell, it has to fit a lock-and-key mechanism. What this means is that the virus acts like a key that fits a lock (receptor) on the cell. Obviously the receptor is not there for the virus but for some other important function. Unfortunately, the HIV virus fills up those receptors, infesting the cell, spreading its own genes. As it turns out, genes come in pairs, and apparently, the man that received the transfusion lacked both copies of the gene that produced these receptors. Therefore, geneticists started tracing the man’s ancestry along with others, trying to determine just WHERE this genetic mutation first appeared. They decided to run a DNA analysis once the technology was available a few years back. They determined he was of European descent and that he carried a double mutation. The mutation was because he inherited a mutated copy of the gene from each of his parents. This got genecists to searching for a time period where someone’s genes could have allowed for such mutations among people of certain populations. They searched the outbreaks of diseases and traced the mutation back to the Great Plague that happened in Europe during the Middle Ages (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/previous_seasons/case_plague/clues.html). The geneticists discovered that people of English, Scandinavian, and Germanic heritage seemed to have higher frequencies of this genetic mutation. They then decided to test the blood of a population that had not changed much in the last 500 years, so they tested that of an isolated village in England. Most of the people were the same descendants of people who had lived there hundreds of years ago. Through much DNA analysis, they discovered that almost everyone living in that village was RELATED, and had a common ancestor. This ancestor happened to have a history recorded because she SURVIVED the Black Death. She then passed her genetic mutation onto her descendants, and so on down the line. Those descendants that received TWO copies of the gene mutation are simply IMMUNE or RESISTANT to the HIV virus. Therefore, those that actually survived the plague due to mutation passed on a gene that allows for immunity to the horrible HIV virus (http://www.darwinawards.com/science/bubonic.html) along with immunity/resistance to the Bubonic Plague. Thanks to this great discovery, scientists are testing use of drug analogs to treat HIV and AIDS. An analog basically is a mimic. In this case, it blocks up all the specific receptors that HIV can fit into or causes a change in the cell, mimicking the double genetic mutation. So far, the clinical human trials have been successful. Those that actually HAD full-blown AIDS tested negative to the entire HIV virus after therapy using these new drugs. This could be the breakthrough that the world has been waiting for…all simply to an inbreeding population that passed on a good gene mutation.
{June 14, 2008} Friday the 13th
I simply despise Friday the 13th’s. I know that many people consider 13 to be an unlucky number, and normally, I am not superstitious. However, when it comes to Friday the 13th, no matter how much I ignore it, it always comes back to bite me in the @$$. Today was no exception, in fact, I think it will hold a special day for me..the Friday the 13th from Hell..
Over the years, I have tried to simply hide out when I see a Friday the 13th on the calendar. I’ve even been known to ask for that day off, and simply not leave my home. Things seem to be safer that way..generally, anyway. Several times I have turned my ankles, not both at the same time luckily, on these infamously freaky days. Those times I was hobbled for weeks due to severe sprains that were near breaks. So, I do try to be a little extra careful, such as wearing good, solid shoes…my feet stay a little more firmly planted that way. As it was, I did not turn my ankles today…that being a good thing.
That’s about the ONLY thing good that happened today. I guess everyone was just simply having a bad day. Before I made it to work today, my mom called and told me she was taking our nearly a year old cat to the vet. I dearly love that little critter. I lost her momma last year after a wonderful 14 years. Her momma surprised us with a litter of kittens last year, after not having a little in several years. Unfortunately, we lost 2 of the 4 early on. Then, once the other two were weaned, my dearly beloved ca’lico passed on us. We finished raising her two kittens, a male and a female, and decided to keep both. Last Halloween, the neighbor’s dogs got a hold of the little male and caused his horrible death. He was such a wonderful little guy, I miss him very much. I tried my best to save him..running through the woods barefoot, chasing the dogs to make them stop hurting him. I miss my little buddy. Well, while at work, my mother called. She had some bad news for me. She took our little girl to the vet because she was having a LOT of trouble breathing besides having a horrible runny nose. Mom and the vet discussed the prognosis, and decided to run a blood test. Her liver function was triple what it should have been, she had a horrible respiratory infection, was severely dehydrated, and her kidneys were shutting down. She asked if there was any hope of saving her, and the vet honestly told her it was slim to none. The vet and my mom think she got a hold of a rat that had ate poison to destroy her system so quickly. Out of kindness, mom made the heart-rendering decision to have her put out of her misery by letting her take that final, peaceful rest.
Mom called me at work to first tell me that her OWN doctor had called and said her own MRI showed that her tibia was broken, instead of having broken cartiledge in her knee. She has to see an orthopedic surgeon on Monday AND stay off her feet. She had also just found out last week that she has a severe case of gallstones and is scheduled to have her gallbladder removed at the beginning of next month. Then mom gave me the heartbreaking news about my little kitty. It didn’t help that rude customers acting like jerks abounded in the pharmacy today. I just fell apart. I had to go to the backroom and just sit down and cry. I am positively feeling overwhelmed with grief, sadness, and worry right now.
Tomorrow, I will be taking a breather, and going to the lake. None of my friends can go, but it will be okay. I need to be alone to grieve, and I will do part of that through sketching and drawing. It is a major stress reliever for me… so if I am MIA again for a few days, now you know, the rest of the story…
Well, I just had a really crazy thought. It is about some Ancient Civilizations and global warming/ice ages.
Think about it, scientists said the last major little ice age was about 8000 years ago. Well, that means there were HUGE glaciers all over the earth. If there were ancient civilizations 10,000 years ago, and archeologists keep looking for evidence of this. They will not find it except in places like Peru, Egypt, India, etc, along the equator where the glaciers did not make it because it was a bit too warm even for them. Glaciers would have chewed up and spit out any buildings they had come into contact with in the northern/southern part of all of the continents. There would be NO evidence left behind of the ancient civilizations in those regions.
What will WE leave behind when the next ice age hits? Global warming usually triggers ice ages, although at this point, I really do not believe that global warming exists. If you look at the evidence over the last recorded 150 years for most temperatures throughout the world, a LOT of places have actually COOLED off by a degree or two. The normal weather pattern is eradict, not predictable like it has been, so people look out when mother nature decides to be moody!
Back to the thought about what will we leave behind. One of the history channels was discussing ice ages on TV the other night, and it said what would New York City have looked like with the last ice age. Well, it would look like NOTHING. The glaciers would pick up, grind up, and spit out in random places ALL of the great buildings. That is what gave me this idea of how all our ancient civilizations left very little behind for us not by choice, but by eradication by mother nature and the weather of the planet. Even the subways will be eradicated because the glaciers obviously grind deep gouges into the ground. Don’t believe me? Well, just what did you think made the Great Lakes, which are some of the largest lakes in the world. It was glaciers, which is a proven FACT.
So all we have to show from old, ancient civilizations is a few pyramids, a few great temples, a sphynx, some crystal skulls, ancient computers discovered buried in the mud of the Mediterranean seas, etc. It has been hypothesized by scientists that perhaps we are only just NOW rediscovering what we once knew. Think about it, whatever greatness is in store for us in the future may simply be a re-discovering of our OWN great past. What if our own ancestors were actual star people..that is, WE created our own technology to travel to far off galaxies, and when some of them returned, what they found is the remnants of THEIR/OUR people.
The current civilizations find it hard to believe that perhaps what we are now is what we once were….
{June 5, 2008} 6 Quirks of Mine….
Well, I was tagged by NK to list 6 quirks of mine, and like her, I have NO idea how to tag others, so I’ll list some people…and they can participate if they choose…or not. Let the countdown begin…
6. Notoriously apologizing for EVERYTHING. I have tried to break this habit, but so far, to no avail. I have to be a bit empathetic in my job, so the easiest way to get around customers is to say sorry for this or that…or I understand.. unfortunately, it has run its dyes into my everyday life as well.
5. Vacuuming only after I have dusted ALL of the furniture, used the lint roller/furminator to remove all cat fur particles on any of my furniture, and changed the litter box.
4. Not inviting people over to my apartment because I am afraid the carpet is a bit dirty or I haven’t had a chance to make sure cat fur isn’t everywhere, plus, what if the trash started smelling although I just changed it the day before… yes, I am a clean freak..but do NOT confuse that with a neat freak.
3. Making very blunt comments unconsciously. I have a tendency to open my mouth and say what I am thinking…regardless of the situation. I am just a very blunt and honest Sagittarius, and I tend to fit the profile for my Zodiac sign, although I do tend to let people run me over a bit. Most people that know me well enough just tend to ignore my blatent comments, or pardon me once I’ve apologized over an hour later, when I realize what I said might have been construed as rude or mistaken.
2. Not letting friends pay for my meals or giving me gas money when I’ve been doing all of the driving. I am getting better at this though, since the price of gasoline is now nearly $4 per gallon. I figure, if I am driving since some of my friends do NOT have vehicles, then it is only fair that they do chip in in some sort of fashion. I never say anything, but if they offer now, I try not to turn it down.
and drumroll please….
Numero UNO – Letting my food touch on my plate. I CANNOT tolerate my food mixing or touching on my plate. I am notorious for getting down small bowls to put peas, corn, beans or any other foodstuff that might let its succulent juices run over into something else. If the bowls aren’t available, a slice of bread will work..but of course, I won’t eat the bread..it is wasted.. somehow.. I find it contaminated at that point, unless it is cream style corn or red beans. Guess I am more like NK’s R on this one than we knew 
My tag list will be…
Mirchi
WhiteyMcWheatBread
Enreal
ColorBlindCupid
ChineseAmbassador
and whoever else would like to participate….
sorry if I missed anyone, but the clause above will include you if you so choose to accept..especially since nearly everyone has already been tagged previously.. it makes it difficult to find NEW people to tag
