Peculiar Sex Lives of Bacteria Cause Antibiotic Resistance

The strange sex lives of disease-causing bacteria called pneumococcus may be the reason they become resistant to antibiotics, according to a new study by Imperial College London. Pneumococcus bacteria cause pneumonia and bacterial meningitis, killing about a million people every year.

From Science Daily:

Dr William Hanage, the lead author of the study from Imperial College London, said: “Bacteria have very peculiar sex lives. When humans have kids they mix up their DNA with that of their partner, but bacteria can pick up DNA from all sorts of places, even other species. Our research shows that bacteria which do this, that is undergo sex, with their own and other species are more likely to develop resistance to antibiotics, protecting them from being killed by these drugs.”

Bacteria reproduce asexually, by splitting in two to produce identical ‘daughter’ cells. Sometimes, however, they can take up DNA from other bacteria or the environment, and incorporate it into their own genome. This mixing process, called recombination, is what happens in animals during sexual reproduction. It is most common between bacteria of the same species but, unlike animals, bacteria can sometimes undergo recombination with different species of bacteria, which means the daughter cells end up with DNA from those species.

Some combinations of DNA help bacteria to survive better. It appears that antibiotic resistant strains of pneumococcus are more likely to mix up their DNA in this way, and so are more likely to hit upon the adaptation which helps them resist antibiotic treatment.

Researchers are hoping they can use this knowledge to fight the development of drug-resistant bacteria. And it’s a good thing, too – when it comes to those tough little suckers, we need all the help we can get before we have some massive problems on our hands.

Link [Science Daily]
Photo credit: National Library of Medicine

Exposure to Pesticides Linked to Parkinson’s Disease

If you live near a farm sprayed with a combination of pesticides, you may be at greater risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. New research has found that, when mixed, two common pesticides called maneb and paraquat have ill health effects that may explain the increased rates of Parkinson’s among farmers and rural residents.

From The Daily Green:

The scientists found that people who live within 500 meters of a field sprayed with the pesticides maneb and paraquat in combination, but not individually, had a 75 percent higher risk of Parkinson’s disease relative to controls. Being exposed to the mixture at a younger age resulted in an even higher risk. Individuals potentially exposed to these pesticides when they were 60 years old or younger were 5 times more likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

These results are predicted by studies which showed that exposing rodents to maneb and paraquat together resulted in reduced motor activity, nerve cell loss and decreased levels the neurotransmitter dopamine in certain areas of the brain as observed in Parkinson’s patients. Animal studies also predicted Costello’s finding that effects of these pesticides would be more important when exposure occurred at a younger age. (See trade names and other information about maneb and paraquat. Maneb is sold as Manzate among other brand names. Paraquat is sold to consumers as Ortho Weed Killer among other brand names; its use is banned in several Scandinavian countries.)

If you’ve ever known someone with Parkinson’s disease, you know how devastating it can be. Studies like this really make you wonder about all of the chemicals we’re surrounded by on a daily basis. As the study points out, current safety evaluations are performed on chemicals individually, not when they’re combined – but we’re exposed to a combination of all kinds of different chemicals. Who knows what other modern health ills can be attributed to such chemical cocktails.

Link [The Daily Green]

Aborigines of Australia will Feel Global Warming Most

Australia’s Aborigines will suffer the effects of climate change more than other Australians, according to a report by the Medical Journal of Australia. Aborigines typically live in remote outback homes and due to factors like high rates of unemployment, substance abuse and domestic violence, their life expectancy is already 17 years shorter than the rest of the population.

The authors of the study warned that climate change would bring dangerously high temperatures and create ideal breeding conditions for diseases like malaria and dengue fever.

From Reuters:

“Elevated temperatures and increases in hot spells are expected to be a major problem for indigenous health in remote areas, where cardiovascular and respiratory disease are more prevalent and there are many elderly people with inadequate facilities to cope with the increased heat stress,” they wrote.

Other diseases such as bacterial diarrhoea, common in hot, dry areas like Australia’s desert interior and north, could rise by 18 percent among aboriginal communities, they said.

The report said Aborigines were also more at risk because of their close ties to traditional lands, where the health of people was often tied to the health of the environment around them.

“If the community-owned country (land) becomes “sick” through environmental degradation, climate impacts, or inability of the traditional owners to fulfill cultural obligations through ongoing management and habitation of their land, the people of that land will feel this “sickness” themselves,” it said.

Australia is already the world’s driest inhabited continent and is experiencing an accelerated form of climate change. Temperatures in the tropical north are expected to rise by 3 degrees celcius by 2050, making the already nearly unbearable summer heat even worse. The authors of the report are urging the Australian government to improve aboriginal health and housing, and broaden the focus of global warming efforts beyond western scientific methods.

Call me crazy, but I feel kind of guilty myself about the idea that the world’s poorest people are going to suffer the effects of global warming before any of the rest of us – and we’re the ones that have caused it. Sitting here in my temperature-controlled home, with an abundance of healthy food and access to medicine, I’m all too aware of how good I have it and how my comfortable American lifestyle is worsening global warming. I would imagine that a lot of other people reading this feel the same way.

Link [Reuters]
Photo credit: Penny Tweedie via The Guardian

Global Warming Linked to Viral Epidemic in Europe

Thanks to global warming, disease-carrying pests are proliferating in Europe and spreading a viral epidemic called nephropathia epidemica (NE). New research shows that hotter summers, milder winters and increased production of seedcrop by broadleaf trees spurred an increase in the vole population which in turn resulted in the epidemic.

Researchers, including Dr. Jan Clement of the Belgian Hantavirus Reference Centre, began investigating in Belgium and found a 37.6% increase in NE cases between 2005 and 2007. The virus has spread to France, Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Science Daily has it:

He said, “This animal-borne disease, scarcely known before 1990, has been increasing in incidence in Belgium with a cyclic pattern, reaching epidemic proportions since 2005. The fact that the growing combined effect of hotter summer and autumn seasons is matched by the growth of NE in recent years means this epidemic can be considered an effect of global warming”.

NE is caused by infection with Puumala virus (PUUV), which is spread by the bank vole, a rodent common throughout most of Europe. The authors believe that warmer weather causes increases in the amount of ‘mast’, plant seeds from oak and beech trees, that forms the voles’ staple diet. This plethora of food results in increases in the vole population and warm summers raise the chances that people will visit the forests where the voles live. According to Clement, “Since 1993, each NE peak has been preceded by increased autumnal mast formation the year before, resulting in yearly NE numbers significantly higher than those during the mast years themselves”.

NE is a relatively mild hemorrhagic fever that causes flu-like symptoms often with renal complications, sometimes also with pulmonary problems, needing Intensive Care treatment, such as acute dialysis and/or mechanical ventilation. In some rare cases it can, moreover, cause the shock with internal haemorrhaging and death for which these infections are infamous. Clement said, “In 1997, more than 9,000 people in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan contracted the disease, of which 34 cases were fatal”.

What did we tell you? Global warming and epidemics will likely go hand-in-hand. Scientists have already warned that deadly diseases will spread more quickly as the world warms – malaria, dengue fever and encephalitis are just a few of the things we can look forward to. Science Daily previously went into detail about how scientists think this will happen.

That’s it, I’m convinced. I’m turning my basement into a bunker, landlord be damned. Pandemic, war, famine, zombies? I’m gonna be ready.

Link [Science Daily]
Photo credit: The Happening via Dark Roasted Blend

Global Warming May Spread Tick-Borne Disease

Warming weather may expose humans to disease through bites from brown dog ticks, which have previously far preferred dogs to people. Brown dog ticks became unusually aggressive around April 2007, which was abnormally warm.

Several cases of serious illness were reported in people who had been bitten, so scientists began investigating and found large numbers of brown dog ticks infected with varieties of Ricksettia bacteria, which causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Mediterranean spotted fever and other life-threatening diseases. The most recent outbreak was in France, where researchers collected 218 brown dog ticks in less than an hour from around the house of a woman who had been bitten.

From MSNBC:

To see how much the temperature, in particular, mattered, Raoult and two colleagues turned themselves into human guinea pigs. They incubated 500 brown dog ticks at 77 degrees Fahrenheit and 500 at 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, they placed the ticks on their own arms.

“They take a very long time to attach,” Raoult said, bravely. “It’s not like a mosquito. They don’t have time to bite you.”

After an hour, about half of the ticks incubated at 104 degrees tried to burrow in, Raoult said. None of those incubated at 77 degrees did. The results appeared in November in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Raoult suspects thirst drives the ticks to seek human blood at higher temperatures.

As global climate warms, dog ticks might be more likely to bite people, and tick-transmitted diseases might become more common, the researchers concluded.

The researchers say that the sudden surge from 77 degrees to 104 degrees is too extreme to mimic a realistic global warming scenario, so more testing is needed. But the scenario in France shows how quickly and unexpectedly ecosystems can react to changes in climate.

So, that’s another one to add to your list of global warming doomsday predictions – food shortages, disappearing coastal communities, malaria outbreaks, animals going extinct, extreme weather patterns and tick-borne diseases. Fun, fun, fun!

Link [MSNBC]
Photo credit: Animal Diversity Web

Global Warming Will Cause Malaria Epidemic in Australia and Pacific Islands

Malaria and dengue fever will spread across Australia and the Pacific Islands from south and southeast Asia as climate change allows mosquitoes to travel to areas that were once too cold for them to survive, according to a new report.

Though Australia has been free of malaria since 1962, rising temperatures could make areas as far south as Gladstone on the mid-Queensland coast hospitable for mosquitoes. Outbreaks of dengue fever could reach Rockhampton, 100 kilometers further north.

From The Telegraph:

The report, The Sting of Climate Change: Malaria and Dengue Fever in Maritime Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, predicts that in countries where the mosquito-borne diseases are already present, the situation will worsen as temperatures climb.

“Mosquitoes are very sensitive to changes in climate. Warmer conditions allow the mosquitoes and the malaria parasite itself to develop and grow more quickly, while wetter conditions let mosquitoes live longer and breed more prolifically,” it said.

“The sting of climate change is an international public health crisis being felt on Australia’s tropical doorstep. It may soon be pressing on Australia’s northern shores as well.”
Malaria is already a big problem in the lowlands of Papua New Guinea, but the research indicates that global warming will allow mosquitoes to travel into the country’s western highlands, affecting up to another two million people.

This is a serious warning; hopefully the governments of these countries will take immediate action. I’m not familiar with the Australian government’s viewpoints on global warming and whether or not they’re likely to do something about this – any Australians want to weigh in? Seeing as malaria already kills two million people – mostly children – every year, and this number will likely rise dramatically if the events we’re being warned about come to pass, there’s certainly no time to waste.

Link [The Telegraph]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Climate Change Helps Spread Deadly Diseases

The Wildlife Conservation Society said Tuesday that a “deadly dozen” diseases including avian flu and yellow fever are likely to spread more due to climate change.  Closer monitoring of wildlife health is urged by the society in the hopes of getting an early warning of how pathogens might spread with global warming.

From MSNBC:

It listed the “deadly dozen” as avian flu, tick-borne babesia, cholera, ebola, parasites, plague, lyme disease, red tides of algal blooms, Rift Valley fever, sleeping sickness, tuberculosis and yellow fever.

“Even minor disturbances can have far reaching consequences on what diseases (wild animals) might encounter and transmit as climate changes,” said Steven Sanderson, head of the society.

“The term ‘climate change’ conjures images of melting ice caps and rising sea levels that threaten coastal cities and nations, but just as important is how increasing temperatures and fluctuating precipitation levels will change the distribution of dangerous pathogens,” he said.

William Karesh of the Wildlife Conservation Society pointed out that, for thousands of years, people have known of a relationship between health and climate.  The diseases named are already killing millions of animals annually, and all pose a major threat to human health.

It just goes to show the far-reaching effects global warming is having on the earth, and will continue to have in the future.  The time to act is yesterday.

Link [MSNBC]
Photo credit: National Geographic

Get Ready To Die: 7 Reasons You Should Be Losing Sleep Tonight

Global warming, nuclear war, global pandemics, drug-resistant microbes, asteroids hitting earth and a water crisis of epic proportions – these may all be worst-case scenarios, and scary ones at that, but they’re entirely possible and they’d probably kill a huge chunk of the human race. Think our elected officials won’t let these things happen? One of the most important things the people of America should have learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is that we can’t count on the government to protect us, no matter how bad things get. If any of these things happen, we’re screwed.

If you’re reading this within a few hours of going to bed, maybe you’d better leave it for the morning. It’s no lullaby.

7- Global warming is real, and we’re screwed.

Image via 20th Century Fox

Some people would have you believe that there’s nothing to worry about – global warming isn’t real, isn’t happening as fast as scientists say or isn’t caused by our actions. For the average person, the reality of global warming hasn’t set in; the furthest they’ve gone in response to the idea is to start using CFL light bulbs. We’ve got some tough news, guys: covering your eyes and ears isn’t going to stop it from happening.

Flicks like The Day After Tomorrow may be totally cheesy and based on pseudo-science, but they do provide some idea of how serious a total collapse of our environment could be. Some global warming deniers trumpet the idea that the climate has gone through radical changes before man-made influence made it worse, but don’t let that lull you into complacency. Man-made or not, if the average temperatures rise or fall by even a little, we could be toast.

To make things even worse, the frightening reality is we most likely aren’t going to do anything serious to address the problems before it’s too late. Politics in the US and across the world don’t often allow for making big sacrifices. Global warming is going to kill thousands of species and make our planet a very different place -–one that, perhaps, will not sustain human life.

Lose more sleep because of global warming by reading State of the Science: Beyond the Worst Case Climate Change Scenario

6- Terrorists will get and use nuclear weapons.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

We live in a world where regular people routinely blow themselves up in order to take out a crowd and make a statement. Even if you aren’t worried about countries like Iran and North Korea, who we certainly can’t count on keeping their fingers off the button, it’s still entirely possible that nuclear technology could fall into the wrong hands and blow us all to hell as a result.

Imagine an innocent-looking cargo container pulling into, say, New York Harbor… or San Diego, or Baltimore, or one of the dozens of other port cities in America. Those containers don’t get inspected nearly as often as we’d like to think. Regardless of who does it, how or why, it’s coming. So grab your loved one and get that last kiss, because you never know which day will be your last.

Lose more sleep because of nuclear weapons by reading ‘Security Flaws, Terrorists & Nuclear Weapons’

5- A global pandemic sweeps across the world.

Image via MN National Guard

So, bird flu and SARS didn’t end up decimating a large percentage of the population across the world as feared. That doesn’t mean we won’t get hit by some kind Stand-like global pandemic at one point or another. It’s only a matter of time. Globalization and lifestyle changes have made the world a small place, and viruses travel a lot faster than they used to. The British House of Lords intergovernmental organizations committee estimates that the next pandemic will kill between 2 million and 50 million people.

The news reports would start trickling in: thousands of people are dying. It’s spreading fast. There’s no vaccine and no cure. Cases would start popping up in every country around the world – no one would be safe, but children, the elderly and the infirm would be the most susceptible. You can wear a mask if it makes you feel better, but you’d better go ahead and write up that will you’ve been putting off.

Lose more sleep because of a global pandemic by reading ‘Global flu pandemic “inevitable,” says top infectious disease scientist’

4- Antibiotic resistance means get a little cut, and you die.

Image via Flickr user Cape May

In the last decade or so, antibacterial products have become all the rage, and doctors have been over-prescribing antibiotics at alarming rates. Oh, you got a cough? Here’s some erythromycin. Too bad all of this stuff has caused microbes to become resistant to drugs that used to be very effective, and they’re getting stronger. So called ‘super bugs’ could evolve to the point where we can no longer treat infections at all.

That means staph, streptococcus, tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases would cause increasing rates of death, and longer periods of infection – hello, pandemic (guess that gets two hits on this list). It also means infections that were never previously considered serious could become gaping, festering wounds resistant to all forms of treatment. Never thought you could die from a cut, did you? So get rid of all of your antibacterial products, but it won’t necessarily save you. We’re all in on this one.

Lose more sleep because of antibiotic resistance by reading The World Health Organization Report on Antimicrobial Resistance

3- A big asteroid will hit the Earth and wipe us out.

Image via NewScientist.com

It might sound a bit far-fetched, but this is not just the premise of dozens of cheesy action movies. There is new and very compelling evidence that asteroid and comet impacts on the surface of the earth are more common than once thought. And instead of using our resources to guard against it – with telescopes and rockets and, y’know, technology – NASA is spending billions on things like sending a manned mission to Mars.

What kind of damage would an asteroid do? Well, 100 years ago a very small meteor or comet – about 40 meters across – hit Siberia. It apparently blew right under the radar of scientists, who don’t track meteorites under a certain size. So what did it do? It leveled more than 800 square miles! It exploded before it hit the ground and it had roughly 10-15 megatons of blast. This is about 1000 times as powerful as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. If it had hit Moscow instead of a forest, millions would have died.

So, imagine what would transpire if one just a little big larger hit a population center. Or, consider the effects of one hitting the ocean, which is more likely on our mostly ocean-comprised planet. The tsunami that it would create would do even more damage. Though the chances of an asteroid impact are low, they’re very real all the same. Feeling vulnerable yet? Time to start on that ‘bucket list’.

Lose more sleep about asteroids hitting us by reading ‘Impact Earth: Could we divert a giant asteroid?’

2- A global water crisis makes fresh water more valuable than gold.

Image via Sidney Morning Herald/Reuters

You might think we’ll never run out of water; after all, our planet is mostly ocean. But that doesn’t mean we have an endless supply of potable fresh water, and desalinating seawater is a difficult and energy-intensive process. Rampant economic and population growth is already putting a strain on our water resources, and climate change could cause it to dry up even more. That’s leading many to fear the privatization of water, where our water supply would be in private hands and sell for as much as demand allows.

Water shortages would beget food shortages, and wars would crop up across the world. Water is the oil of the not-so-distant future, and much blood will be shed over it. We’ve ignored the problem for too long, and we’re ill-equipped to deal with it. Obviously, we need water to live, so things aren’t lookin’ so good for people right about now.

Lose more sleep because of the global water crisis by reading ‘US and Global Water Wars Loom’

1- ManBearPig will go on a bloody rampage and kill us all.

Image via South Park Studios

Al Gore has already warned us about ManBearPig, but not everyone is listening. He’s even called us in the middle of the night to warn us, but we insist on ignoring him and it will be our downfall. We’re just continuing to go about our business, taking walks through the woods and even camping knowing that ManBearPig is out there and ready to rip our throats out without a moment’s notice.

Once ManBearPig begins its rampage, it will be too late. It’ll get a taste for blood and all of us will be doomed. MBP is not just a desperate plea for attention on the part of Al Gore. It’s real, and it’s coming to get us. You might as well make peace with death now. We’re totally cereal.

Lose more sleep because of ManBearPig by reading Scientists successfully create human-bear-pig chimera (manbearpig)

If these scary scenarios have you all wound up, check back with us later in the week for ‘7 Reasons You Should Sleep Like a Baby Tonight’, detailing all of the good things we’re accomplishing in the war against ourselves.

Watch the Wal-Mart Virus Spread Across America

Walking through the crowded, narrow aisles of Wal-Mart, you may be inclined to keep your arms as close to you as possible and avoid touching most surfaces. After all, the place is so crowded at any given time, it wouldn’t be surprising if you took home more than just a $20 stereo. So, it stands to reason that Flowing Data’s map of Wal-Mart’s spread across America between 1965 and 2007 looks like a nasty green virus taking over the country.

It’s kind of mesmerizing to watch, really. It starts out slow and then picks up really quickly. I love that you can zoom, I just wish it had a play bar so you could pause, step ahead, go back, etc. Wal-Mart truly is a plague upon the land.

Visit Flowing Data to see it for yourself.

Link [Flowing Data]

Surfing May Help Cystic Fibrosis Sufferers

Talk about a natural remedy: researchers have found that cystic fibrosis sufferers who surf tend to have healthier lungs than their non-surfing counterparts. It might just be the key to prolonging the lives of those with cystic fibrosis, who used to die as children years ago but as of now can expect to live into their 30’s and beyond. Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited disease that affects the sweat and mucus glands, leading to lung and pancreas problems.

From Inventor Spot:

A few years ago, Australian doctors discovered that young surfers with cystic fibrosis had noticeably healthier lungs. The doctors determined that inhaling saltwater mist had a powerful effect on rehydrating the lining of the lungs and allowing cystic fibrosis patients to more easily eliminate bacteria-contaminated mucus. Knowing this, researchers then developed a hypertonic saline solution, which is now used daily by people with cystic fibrosis.

Called the “saltwater” breakthrough treatment, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation would like to raise more awareness and be able to continue research into a possible cure for this disease. A chapter of the foundation formed a “PIPELINE TO A CURE” campaign to raise funds and to bring about global awareness of the unique bond between the sport of surfing and those with cystic fibrosis.

Sweet, brah. Now you have a good excuse to move to Hawaii.

Get more info at Pipeline to a Cure.

Link [Inventor Spot] + [Pipeline to a Cure]

Photo credit: Flickr user afu007

The Banana is Heading Toward Extinction

Did you know that the variety of banana that we eat today isn’t as tasty as the one our parents and grandparents enjoyed prior to 1960? That’s right, we’re missing out on better bananas. Sad. Well, enjoy the variety we have left, because it’s next.

From The Scientist:

The banana we eat today is not the one your grandparents ate. That one – known as the Gros Michel – was, by all accounts, bigger, tastier, and hardier than the variety we know and love, which is called the Cavendish. The unavailability of the Gros Michel is easily explained: it is virtually extinct.

Introduced to our hemisphere in the late 19th century, the Gros Michel was almost immediately hit by a blight that wiped it out by 1960. The Cavendish was adopted at the last minute by the big banana companies – Chiquita and Dole – because it was resistant to that blight, a fungus known as Panama disease. For the past fifty years, all has been quiet in the banana world. Until now.

Apparently, Panama disease is back, and Cavendish bananas aren’t resistant to the new strain. There is no cure, and nearly every banana scientist says that although the disease is currently spreading through Malaysia and hasn’t yet hit Latin America, where our bananas come from, it’s only a matter of time. Dun dun dun!

Soon, the only choice we have left may very well be a genetically modifided (GMO) banana. In order to survive the Panama disease, it will have to be carefully created in a biotech lab.

What I think is most amazing about this story is that there are banana scientists. Who knew?

Link [The Scientist]
Photo credit: Flickr user Sister72