~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/zombie-caterpillar-fungus-could-heal-humans.html#ixzz2EoC8jAh2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its
full capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not
mean that I agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL"
means that I believe it is important for the people of this planet to
know about what people think or do, even when what they think or do is
completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected articles
in the past about stupid Christian fundamentalists in America praying
for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was stupid enough to believe
that I was supporting praying to change the weather. So, when I select
articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish, racist,
revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or religion, or any
other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It just
means that it is important for all human beings to know about them.
Common sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good
enough to understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug
decriminalization, it is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment,
which in this case was very clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs,
as it is stupid to throw depressed and sad people (as only depressed and
sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin their life with a criminal
record. That does not mean that there is any change to the Message which
says clearly that we must not use any drug except for medical purposes.
The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be absolute.
That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews,
anti-Semites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your
enemies or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight
them. With love and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence
of the French philosopher Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you
say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
--
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.
There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history,
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.
On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.
Rael
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tell your friends that they can subscribe to this list by sending an email to:
subscribe@rael-science.org
- - -
To unsubscribe, send an email to:
unsubscribe@rael-science.org
- - -
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zombie Caterpillar Fungus Could Heal Humans
- http://www.care2.com/causes/zombie-caterpillar-fungus-could-heal-humans.html
- December 10, 2012
- 6:00 pm
A fungus that attacks caterpillars’ brains could (it is a bit mind-boggling) benefit humans.
As Care2 previously reported, this fungus brings a gruesome death to all caterpillars:
with their last bits of strength, they did something that would be out of the question if they were healthy: they climbed out onto the very highest leaves of their tree in the middle of the day. There, their diseased bodies split open, raining infected caterpillar guts onto the leaves and branches below.
Scientists have found that a chemical in the caterpillar fungus, cordecypin, has anti-inflammatory properties that could lead to the development of new drugs to treat cancer, asthma, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease. Not bad for a parasitic fungus that turns caterpillars into zombies.
For all of its lethal powers, cordyceps is highly prized in traditional Chinese medicine where it is known as the “Tibetan mushroom” and the “golden worm” and believed to treat a host of ailments, including erectile dysfunction and cancer. A pound of the fungus can fetch $50,000 in markets, says National Geographic. Patients either brew the fungus into a tea or — one wonders what they know of what it does to the caterpillars? — chew it raw.
Numerous substances, including many taken at great pain from animals such as bile from bears, are used in traditional Chinese medicine, though evidence for their healing properties is often highly anecdotal. Scientists from the University of Nottingham have actually tested cordyceps and found that it inhibits swelling at the genetic level, by blocking a process called polyadenylation.
As study co-author Cornelia H. de Moor says in National Geographic, “Inflammation is normally a beneficial response to a wound or infection, but in diseases like asthma it happens too fast and to too high of an extent. When cordycepin is present, it inhibits that response strongly.”
Most of us are unlikely to encounter cordecypin unless we visit the high Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayan range where 96 percent of the world caterpillar fungus originates. The fungus that Tibetans call yartsa gunbu (“summer grass, winter worm”) only grows at elevations of 10,000 to 16,500 feet and cannot be farmed; one fungus-attacked caterpillar carries a price of $30.
Another rare caterpillar fungus, Cordyceps militaris, can be farmed and made available for scientific study. An increase in demand for yartsa gunbu could be dangerous, as would people trying it.
De Moor indeed cautions against people trying the “golden warm” to heal any ailments. No prescription medicine contains the fungus, whose benefits can currently be only gained from consuming it. As De Moor says, “each sample could have a completely different dose, and there are mushrooms where [taking] a single bite will kill you.” Traditional healers would not “notice a 10 percent mortality rate resulting from herbal remedies” but such would be “completely unacceptable” in the scientific world.
In other words, what’s deadly for caterpillars could be a lifesaver for humans — a pretty explosive thought on its own.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/zombie-caterpillar-fungus-could-heal-humans.html#ixzz2EoC8jAh2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its
full capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not
mean that I agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL"
means that I believe it is important for the people of this planet to
know about what people think or do, even when what they think or do is
completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected articles
in the past about stupid Christian fundamentalists in America praying
for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was stupid enough to believe
that I was supporting praying to change the weather. So, when I select
articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish, racist,
revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or religion, or any
other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It just
means that it is important for all human beings to know about them.
Common sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good
enough to understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug
decriminalization, it is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment,
which in this case was very clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs,
as it is stupid to throw depressed and sad people (as only depressed and
sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin their life with a criminal
record. That does not mean that there is any change to the Message which
says clearly that we must not use any drug except for medical purposes.
The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be absolute.
That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews,
anti-Semites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your
enemies or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight
them. With love and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence
of the French philosopher Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you
say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.
There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history,
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.
On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.
Rael
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tell your friends that they can subscribe to this list by sending an email to:
subscribe@rael-science.org
- - -
To unsubscribe, send an email to:
unsubscribe@rael-science.org
- - -
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