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kwame k
01-11-2010, 05:33 PM
While natural selection is best known for weeding out the weak, it may also be partly responsible for the apparent rise of some disorders, such as autism, autoimmune diseases and reproductive cancers, according to researchers.
Since evolutionary factors play a role in disease, the two fields should have some crossover, say a group of scientists who have studied various aspects of the link between evolution and medicine.

"This work points out linkages within the plethora of new information in human genetics and the implications for human biology and public health, and also illustrates how one could teach these perspectives in medical and premedical curricula," said researcher Peter Ellison, an anthropologist at Harvard University.

The results, they say, could save lives.

"Evolutionary medicine got going in the '80s and early '90s, but it has been energized in the last decade by the discovery that it really makes a difference," researcher Stephen Stearns of Yale University told LiveScience. "In the last 10 years we have found out that taking an evolutionary perspective really helps to reduce suffering and to reduce the risk of death."
Evolution and disease

Stearns and a long list of scientists presented their findings on this evolution-medicine link at the Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium in the spring of 2009. The results, announced publicly today, are now published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For example, previous work in evolutionary medicine has helped to explain some reasons why disease is so prevalent and difficult to prevent: Natural selection favors reproduction over health; biology evolves more slowly than culture; and pathogens evolve more quickly than humans.
They describe these and other connections between evolution and sickness along with possible explanations. Here are the highlights:
Humans evolved alongside beneficial bacteria and parasitic worms, and so our ancestors built up immunity to such bugs. But nowadays with increased hygiene, we've eliminated the bacteria and worms. The result: Since our immune systems aren't used to these good bugs, our bodies fight them as foreigners. That can result in allergies, asthma and autoimmune diseases, such as Graves' disease in which a person has an overactive thyroid.

Humans have higher rates of cancer than other species. One reason: We aren't adapted to the new risk factors of modern society, including tobacco, alcohol, a high-fat diet and contraceptives, researchers have found.
Certain adaptations that once benefited us might be helping several ailments to persist in spite of, or perhaps because of, advancements in modern culture and medicine, according to researchers.

With respect to evolution and culture, here's a case in point: Harmful mutations are often recessive, and so both parents must pass on the gene in order for the disease to show up in offspring. And while natural selection has supported outbreeding (breeding with people other than close relatives), culture hasn't always followed suit. Across the globe, about 10 percent of spouses are second cousins or closer, the researchers say, with the prevalence ranging from 1 percent to 50 percent in different cultures.
The inbreeding can cause recessive genes that should only have a small effect on mortality to have a much larger impact.

Autism and evolution

Autism and schizophrenia also have ties with evolutionary science. Essentially, they boil down to a battle of the sexes.
Past studies beginning in the 1960s have built on one another to suggest mom and dad are in evolutionary conflict over investment of resources to their offspring. A mother knows all of her babies are hers and so should give evenly to all. But fathers only want to invest in their biological kids (not offspring from another male) and so a father's genes will pressure mom to skew investment toward those offspring.

Studies in genetically engineered mice have shown that when certain paternal genes get expressed, the baby mice are 10 percent heavier than normal.
The results should translate to humans and carry into early childhood, affecting children's behaviors, the researchers suggest.
For instance, when the paternal form of a gene on chromosome 15 gets expressed, and not the mother's, the resulting offspring will be more demanding, sleep poorly, want to suckle frequently and have a 40 percent to 80 percent chance of having autism as an adult. (Humans normally have 46 chromosomes in each cell.) While scientists think genes play a role in developing autism, the complex causes of this disease are still unknown.
Similar findings have shown psychoses such as schizophrenia can develop when the maternal form of certain genes gets expressed.

Educating physicians on evolution

Stearns suggests evolutionary perspectives should be integrated into curricula as early as undergraduate school for students planning to attend medical school. The knowledge, Stearns said, would complement traditional studies undertaken in medical school.
We're trying to design ways to educate physicians who will have a broader perspective and not think of the human body as a perfectly designed machine," Ellison said. "Our biology is the result of many evolutionary trade-offs, and understanding these histories and conflicts can really help the physician understand why we get sick and what we might do to stay healthy."
The take-home message: "Evolution and medicine really do have things to say to each other, and some of these insights actually reduce suffering and save lives," Stearns said.

Original Story: Ongoing Evolution May Explain Mysterious Rise in Diseases

Link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100111/sc_livescience/ongoingevolutionmayexplainmysteriousriseindiseases )

kwame k
01-11-2010, 05:38 PM
Humans have higher rates of cancer than other species. One reason: We aren't adapted to the new risk factors of modern society, including tobacco, alcohol, a high-fat diet and contraceptives, researchers have found.

So we haven't evolved enough to handle the fucking bullshit they're putting into the products we consume. Fuck the tobacco one, the food or genetically altered shit they pass off as food, is our fault because we are not evolved enough to handle it and not the producers of the toxic stuff:umm:

ThrillsNSpills
01-11-2010, 06:21 PM
What the fuck is evolutionary medicine?

kwame k
01-11-2010, 06:24 PM
What the fuck is evolutionary medicine?

No idea but I'm sure it'll cost us $$$$$$$$$

Anonymous
01-11-2010, 06:33 PM
Look, the reason the world is fucked up as it is, it's because natural selection just doesn't play a part on human society anymore.

Many will call me an asshole for stating this, but it's the truth:

With all the advances in medicine, the weak who would die in their first months will survive, and will add their own genes to the pool.

And that's only the beginning.

REALLY stupid people, people who though healthy really would not stand a chance of survival in more backwards times - some even do manage to kill themselves nowadays, in of course really stupid ways - will always have a place on our societies, thus contributing to the overall lowering of, uh... intelligence, if such a thing even exists nowadays.

Man has created a society that allows the free spreading of disease, stupidity, and general weakness. Evolution got bitch-slapped in the face.

It's gonna end badly... very, very badly...

Cheers! :bottle:

Baby's On Fire
01-13-2010, 09:12 PM
How can anyone disagree with you? You're living proof of it.

chefcraig
01-13-2010, 09:24 PM
REALLY stupid people, people who though healthy really would not stand a chance of survival in more backwards times - some even do manage to kill themselves nowadays, in of course really stupid ways - will always have a place on our societies, thus contributing to the overall lowering of, uh... intelligence, if such a thing even exists nowadays. Man has created a society that allows the free spreading of disease, stupidity, and general weakness.


Well...duh. More or less the exact same paragraph you cited is written directly beneath the "Welcome To Florida" greeting posted as you enter the state.

Anonymous
01-14-2010, 09:58 AM
How can anyone disagree with you? You're living proof of it.

Well, look... the bitter little bitch is back!

You know, you really should be thankful how society is so permissive to protect & allow shit like you to actually go on "living"...

You can repay said favours by NOT spreading your shitty genetics any more. No children deserve such a parent, anyway.

Cheers! :bottle:

Anonymous
01-14-2010, 09:59 AM
Well...duh. More or less the exact same paragraph you cited is written directly beneath the "Welcome To Florida" greeting posted as you enter the state.

I never entered the state of Florida, at least not yet... care to enlighten me?

Cheers! :bottle:

chefcraig
01-14-2010, 10:17 AM
I never entered the state of Florida, at least not yet... care to enlighten me?

Cheers! :bottle:

If there is some sort of scandal, or some form of despicable behavior taking place in the United States, a surprising portion of the time the event has it's roots in Florida. The transient nature of the state, along with it's permanent populace (that possesses a dubious nature when it comes to rational thought) makes this so.

And yes, I'm perfectly aware of the irony in pointing this out while continuing to live here. http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/smileys/free-confused-smileys-327.gif (http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/Free-Tongue-Smileys/)

Anonymous
01-14-2010, 10:43 AM
And yes, I'm perfectly aware of the irony in pointing this out while continuing to live here. http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/smileys/free-confused-smileys-327.gif (http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/Free-Tongue-Smileys/)

Dude, I still live in Portugal...

I sometimes wish I didn't have two wonderful nieces, a fully paid house, a fully payed car & a good job... that way I'd have nothing to lose if I moved somewhere else, like Australia or Japan... as it is, stakes are pretty damned high.

Cheers! :bottle:

Seshmeister
01-14-2010, 10:48 AM
Why would you want to live in Japan?

blonddgirl777
01-14-2010, 11:20 AM
... It's gonna end badly... very, very badly...

Cheers! :bottle:

It's already bad as it is... And getting worst pretty fast.
Cancer statistics are predicting a "bad end" for many North Americans by 2012.

Thanks for the article Kwame!

Anonymous
01-14-2010, 11:23 AM
Why would you want to live in Japan?

Dude, what the fuck???

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http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/6140/kochikame1.jpg

Why wouldn't I want to live in Japan???

Cheers! :bottle:

Anonymous
01-14-2010, 11:26 AM
It's already bad as it is... And getting worst pretty fast.
Cancer statistics are predicting a "bad end" for many North Americans by 2012.

Thanks for the article Kwame!

Yeah, one way or another, Evolution will get its due... it will come back with a VENGEANCE!

Grate to see you, beautiful... you were missed around here. How are you these days? :)

Cheers! :bottle:

blonddgirl777
01-14-2010, 11:28 AM
... With all the advances in medicine, the weak who would die in their first months will survive...

The big trend among Doctors now is to deliver the smallest primie...
They save babies that are far from being ready to live on their own from misscariage.

Parents are being lied to, taken by the emotions and promised a healthy child. Many of those children will have to live as "freaks of nature" for the rest of their lives, even after many surguries and hopeless treatments.

Sometimes (sadly), it is best to let mother nature just do her job! :umm:

blonddgirl777
01-14-2010, 11:32 AM
Yeah, one way or another, Evolution will get its due... it will come back with a VENGEANCE!

Grate to see you, beautiful... you were missed around here. How are you these days? :)

Cheers! :bottle:

Well... you know...
In my case, I am glad I did fight the evolution of that fuck'n desease...
Mother nature and I had a talk... And I kicked her ass! :biggrin:

Anonymous
01-14-2010, 11:38 AM
Well... you know...
In my case, I am glad I did fight the evolution of that fuck'n desease...
Mother nature and I had a talk... And I kicked her ass! :biggrin:

Really good to hear, BG... and I'm sure I speak for everyone else when I say we're glad to have YOU around for many more decades to come.

How's the baby? Being a rascal, I hope? :biggrin:

Cheers! :bottle:

blonddgirl777
01-14-2010, 12:01 PM
... How's the baby? Being a rascal, I hope? :biggrin:

Cheers! :bottle:


The baby is soon to be 3, very strong and healthy and yes... a rascal!
The genetics in his case, has worked wonderfully... It's a blessing.

blonddgirl777
01-14-2010, 12:04 PM
Dude, I still live in Portugal...

I sometimes wish I didn't have two wonderful nieces...
Cheers! :bottle:

It's amazing what family can do...
Despite all that Japanese lifestyle!

Nitro Express
01-15-2010, 06:59 PM
Dude, what the fuck???

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/3687/sakemain3.jpg

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/2647/sushizq.jpg

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/7438/nyotaimorisushimodel.jpg

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/2002/nakedwomansushiplatter.jpg

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/5126/ramenu.jpg

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/3236/noodles2.jpg

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/9261/japaneseschoolgirl75123.jpg

JAVCentral : JAV IDOL Search : N (http://www.javcentral.com/ActressSearch.aspx?Search=N)

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/2981/nanaminanasebejean13.jpg

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/9572/nanaminanase.jpg

<object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PGuYojcmZpI&hl=pt_PT&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PGuYojcmZpI&hl=pt_PT&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object>

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/6140/kochikame1.jpg

Why wouldn't I want to live in Japan???

Cheers! :bottle:

Stop it! You've made me hungry and horny! Damn you!

Nitro Express
01-15-2010, 07:11 PM
You make the best out of the life you are given. Too many people waste theirs or get caught up in the unfairness of it all. I believe we are just seeing a small part of what we are here. It's a game, a test, a learning experience. Maybe some people don't need to be here as long and maybe some of us have something to do or learn here. I don't think we ever die, we just go into other exhistances. We are here for ourselves but we learn more and have a better exhistance here if we do treat each other better and work together. One reason I think we need to respect life but not get too hung up when somebody dies either. It's part of the process. Our biggest challenge is we have more technology to interfere with the natural cycle of things and maybe our technology has surpased our ethical ability to use it.

Anonymous
01-18-2010, 12:10 PM
It's amazing what family can do...
Despite all that Japanese lifestyle!

I'm never happier than when I go home to see those two little hell kittens... there really is magic in watching children grow, watch them go through all those changes.

Every day there's something new, at their ages...

And the best of all? Since they're nieces, whenever they become too troublesome, I can always take them to their parents to take care of them. :biggrin:

You made them, you put up with them. :lol:

Cheers! :bottle:

Seshmeister
01-18-2010, 02:28 PM
Our biggest challenge is we have more technology to interfere with the natural cycle of things and maybe our technology has surpased our ethical ability to use it.

Fuck natural.

The natural cycle is that almost everyone that posts here should be dead already.

You can hope that if we lived to our natural lifespan without modern medicine of about 30 we would then move onto this other 'exhistence' but that doesn't make it necessarily true.

Anonymous
01-18-2010, 06:08 PM
Fuck natural.

The natural cycle is that almost everyone that posts here should be dead already.

You can hope that if we lived to our natural lifespan without modern medicine of about 30 we would then move onto this other 'exhistence' but that doesn't make it necessarily true.

That's not necessarily true.

Good hygiene - doesn't need to be excellent, just good (and even that is too much to ask to more people than you can imagine) - & a somewhat careful choice of foods can take you longer than any medicines & shit like that.

Don't forget that people lived less years before, but their nutrition & personal hygiene is something that you & me would find completely abhorrent.

Medicine CAN & WILL lengthen the lifespan of people who still live in the middle-ages when it comes to food & ESPECIALLY hygiene.

I can't stress hygiene enough. I have this friend who's cardiopneu... fuck it, I don't know the English word, so I'll just call him a doctor.

Again, you have NO Idea what many people are content to consider "hygiene". The stuff that guy tells me...

Fuck MEDICINE! Those people SHOULD NOT live over 30.

It's disgusting.

Cheers! :bottle:

blonddgirl777
01-18-2010, 09:33 PM
... Fuck MEDICINE! Those people SHOULD NOT live over 30.

It's disgusting.

Cheers! :bottle:


O.K. for the ones that don't care enough about themselves and just "let go" but think about it Slick;
If a loved one (God forbid) would be strucked with a deadly disease and only advanced medecine could save them... You would sign on the dotted line in a heartbeat!

I like to know that today, a child doesn't have to die of a cold and that they can transplant some organs to save lives. Most of the times, medecine is there to help...

Anonymous
01-18-2010, 09:49 PM
O.K. for the ones that don't care enough about themselves and just "let go" but think about it Slick;
If a loved one (God forbid) would be strucked with a deadly disease and only advanced medecine could save them... You would sign on the dotted line in a heartbeat!

I like to know that today, a child doesn't have to die of a cold and that they can transplant some organs to save lives. Most of the times, medecine is there to help...

Well, yeah... I do know what you're saying, BG... this really is a touchy subject.

Should advanced medicine be available only for children, who still have all their lives in front of them & no one knows what they'll become?

Should it be denied to those who obviously take absolutely no care of themselves & are obviously a waste of resources?

Money says no, of course.

Ach... my oldest niece was struck badly when she was less than a year old... along with many other children. It was traced back to some shit, I can't remember if it was a shot, or some bottled milk... well, something that wasn't "natural", per se... advanced medicine saved her... meaning that our civilization allowed doctors to save her from something that was caused by our civilization.

It's friggin' complicated.

Cheers! :bottle: