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No link between prenatal mercury exposure and autism-like behaviors found
The potential impact of exposure to low levels of mercury on the developing brain — specifically by women consuming fish during pregnancy — has long been the source of concern and some have argued that the chemical may be responsible for behavioral disorders such as autism. However, a new study that draws upon more than 30 years of research in the Republic of Seychelles reports that there is no association between pre-natal mercury exposure and autism-like behaviors. (Credit: © Yoram Astrakhan / Fotolia)
“This study shows no evidence of a correlation between low level mercury exposure and autism spectrum-like behaviors among children whose mothers ate, on average, up to 12 meals of fish each week during pregnancy,” said Edwin van Wijngaarden, Ph.D., an associate professor in the University of Rochester Medical Center‘s (URMC) Department of Public Health Sciences and lead author of the study which appears online today in the journal Epidemiology. “These findings contribute to the growing body of literature that suggest that exposure to the chemical does not play an important role in the onset of these behaviors.”
The debate over fish consumption has long created a dilemma for expecting mothers and physicians. Fish are high in beneficial nutrients such as, selenium, vitamin E, lean protein, and omega-3 fatty acids; the latter are essential to brain development. At the same time, exposure to high levels of mercury has been shown to lead to developmental problems, leading to the claim that mothers are exposing their unborn children to serious neurological impairment by eating fish during pregnancy. Despite the fact that the developmental consequences of low level exposure remain unknown, some organizations, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, have recommended that pregnant women limit their consumption of fish.
“The Seychelles study was designed to follow a population over a very long period of time and focus on relevant mercury exposure,” said Philip Davidson, Ph.D., principal investigator of the Seychelles Child Development Study and professor emeritus in Pediatrics at URMC. “While the amount of fish consumed in the Seychelles is significantly higher than other countries in the industrialized world, it is still considered low level exposure.”
… lends further evidence to an emerging belief that the “good” may outweigh the possible “bad” when it comes to fish consumption during pregnancy. Specifically, if mercury does adversely influence child development at these levels of exposure then the benefits of the nutrients found in the fish may counteract or perhaps even supersede the potential negative effects of the mercury.
“This study shows no consistent association in children with mothers with mercury level that were six to ten times higher than those found in the U.S. and Europe,” said Davidson. “This is a sentinel population and if it does not exist here than it probably does not exist.”
Read entire article at ScienceDaily.
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‘Most Threatened’ Tribe Sees No Relief from Illegal Loggers | LiveScience
“A deadline to remove illegal loggers and settlers from the lands of one of the most threatened tribes on Earth appears poised to pass without action in Brazil.
The Awá, a tribe of about 450, have won multiple legal battles granting them the rights to their territory, which are also guaranteed in the Brazilian constitution. But enforcement of those rights has been lacking, with reports of illegal logging camps operating only 3 miles (5 kilometers) from one Awá settlement.
“It’s a complete joke, really,” said Sarah Shenker, a Brazilian campaigner for Survival International, a group that advocates for the rights of indigenous people.
A judge, in a declaration published in March 2012, ordered the eviction of illegal loggers, settlers and ranchers from Awá land within a year. Even with the March 31 deadline approaching, no one has been removed.”
Read more @ ‘Most Threatened’ Tribe Sees No Relief from Illegal Loggers | LiveScience.
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Nanoparticles Made From Bee Venom Can Kill HIV
“For the experiment, Wickline’s team prepared free melittin and melittin-loaded nanoparticles and set them against various strains of HIV…”
“… researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that nanoparticles infused with a toxic bee venom can kill HIV. The researchers hope to take this new compound and develop a vaginal gel that can prevent the further spread of the disease.
The key to this discovery, which was made by Samuel A. Wickline and his team at Washington University, involves cytolyic melittin peptides. Melittin is found in bee venom, and it has the fortuitous trait of being able to degrade the protective envelope that surrounds HIV.”
via Nanoparticles Made From Bee Venom Can Kill HIV.
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Dolphins Have Their Own Names For Each Other | Care2 Causes
These findings, along with the newfound realization that dolphins have names for each other, offer further evidence for why, as some scientists argue, they should be considered “non-human persons,” in the spirit of the Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans, drafted by a group in Helsinski, Finland.
It also makes one wonder, what do many captive dolphins think about having names like “Flipper” given to them — what if we called them by their names instead and attempted to learn their forms of communication?
via Dolphins Have Their Own Names For Each Other | Care2 Causes.
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Last Week In ‘The Universe’ – Feb. 11-17, 2013
The Universe normally does an overview of ‘space news’ each month. But after the events of last week, we thought it would be a good idea to re-cap!
This is a selection of breaking news stories, all covered by The Universe, from February 11-17, 2013.
-CJ
Meteor explodes over Russia – Image: AP (Nasha Gazeta Newspaper http://www.ng.kz/AP)
More Information: http://www.facebook.com/photo.phpfbid=475602839171560&set=a.433415610056950.106382.334816523250193&type=1&theater
2012 DA14 Flyby – Image: Dave Herald, Murrumbateman, Australia
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Highlights/2012_DA14_nears
More Information: http://www.facebook.com/photo.phpfbid=475124325886078&set=a.433415610056950.106382.334816523250193&type=1&relevant_count=1
Landsat Data Continuity Mission Launch –
Image: United Launch Alliance
More Information: http://www.facebook.com/photo.phpfbid=473579899373854&set=a.371203752944803.89148.334816523250193&type=1&relevant_count=1
Hubble Images Interacting Galaxies:
Image: ESA/Hubble & NASA
More Information: http://www.facebook.com/photo.phpfbid=476314879100356&set=a.455520841179760.110988.334816523250193&type=1&relevant_count=1
Comet Lemmon
Image: Peter Ward, Barden Ridge Observatory
More Information:
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This Week in Science | 3-10 Feb. 2013
Gold nugget forming bacteria: http://bit.ly/14C1QIK
Bionic eye: http://bit.ly/WTitKo
Sea urchins: http://bit.ly/WbLZNl
Mammal ancestor: http://bbc.in/YZKkie
Stem cells: http://bit.ly/Y3s94C
Earth like planets: http://hvrd.me/12iA29h
For more on what happened in the world of science this week, check out TWIST (This Week In Science and Technology), ScienceAlerts new series with Carin Bondar and Phil Plait: http://bit.ly/XzHago
via I fucking love science .
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My Year Of Blogging – 2012
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 3,600 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 6 years to get that many views.
Click here to see the complete report.
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Heavy Metal: the Black and Silver
into the whirlpool, where matter vanishes
degenerate star
arm of orion
an iron sun
the forbidden circle
it’s a mountain, it’s a black horizonheavy metal, black and silver
falling matter of the sun
pulls itself into the past
where there was never, never oneby starlight, the heaviest will rise up
magnetic mirror, scattered body slow
a chaos of metal, river of fire
unlighted crossing the countless blue and glowsheavy metal, black and silver
falling matter of the sun
pulls itself into the past
where there was never, never onefalling matter, from the cross
freedom that was never lost
beyond the end, we’ll be coming
beyond time, space and controldirection – sun light
creation – done right
foundation – before the einstein splits the night
spans a river – star light
become tired – stars bright
world – light up darkness
without end – light up nightheavy metal, black and silver
falling matter of the sun
pulls itself into the past
where there was never, never, never, never one
–‘heavy metal: the black and silver‘, blue oyster cult
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A Simple Fix for Farming – NYTimes.com
Image Credit: Rosie Gainsborough
IT’S becoming clear that we can grow all the food we need, and profitably, with far fewer chemicals. And I’m not talking about imposing some utopian vision of small organic farms on the world. Conventional agriculture can shed much of its chemical use — if it wants to.
This was hammered home once again in what may be the most important agricultural study this year, although it has been largely ignored by the media, two of the leading science journals and even one of the study’s sponsors, the often hapless Department of Agriculture.
The study was done on land owned by Iowa State University called the Marsden Farm. On 22 acres of it, beginning in 2003, researchers set up three plots: one replicated the typical Midwestern cycle of planting corn one year and then soybeans the next, along with its routine mix of chemicals. On another, they planted a three-year cycle that included oats; the third plot added a four-year cycle and alfalfa. The longer rotations also integrated the raising of livestock, whose manure was used as fertilizer.
The results were stunning: The longer rotations produced better yields of both corn and soy, reduced the need for nitrogen fertilizer and herbicides by up to 88 percent, reduced the amounts of toxins in groundwater 200-fold and didn’t reduce profits by a single cent.
In short, there was only upside — and no downside at all — associated with the longer rotations. There was an increase in labor costs, but remember that profits were stable. So this is a matter of paying people for their knowledge and smart work instead of paying chemical companies for poisons.
…
And though critics of this path can be predictably counted on to say it’s moving backward, the increased yields, markedly decreased input of chemicals, reduced energy costs and stable profits tell another story, one of serious progress.
via A Simple Fix for Farming – NYTimes.com.
Related articles
- Big, Smart and Green: A Revolutionary Vision for Modern Farming (wired.com)
- Africa Economy: Cheaper organic fertilizers key in Africa maize farming (nzweek.com)
- Documentary Investigates Our Current Food System and the Solutions to World Hunger (articles.mercola.com)
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