Words about science and hiking
The short answer is no. Although nearly all plants contain antimicrobial compounds, these compounds are present only at low concentrations. Diet certainly influences microbiome composition. But this influence works through the availability of foods that different bacteria prefer. “Food antibiotics” are not a thing. Sloppy health journalists are responsible for the confusion. They often call Read More …
As a lifelong devotee of fermented malt beverages it pains me to say that this is not a great idea. Why? Because: All drugs are poisons Alcohol is also a poison Mixing two poisons is never going to lead to a good outcome. More specifically, the same enzymes that break down alcohol in the liver often either Read More …
Until the end of the 19th century, nearly all science was done by amateurs. The first modern research university was Johns Hopkins, founded in 1876. Up until that time, universities were vehicles for transmitting established knowledge – divinely revealed wisdom at first, the humanistic classics later. They were not seen as engines for creating and Read More …
A leisurely morning spent watching the sun slowly light up Telescope Peak. I had only 8 or so miles to go by 4pm. That shouldn’t take too long. I would be netting a big downhill. My camp was at 4000 feet, and Badwater is of course below sea level. I did start off going downhill Read More …
This article gives an overview of the Harvest Right home freeze-dryer, you can read it here.
High contagion in a world of low trust The death of Dr. Li Wenliang was not just a human tragedy. The man was a genuine hero, a doctor felled by a disease contracted from a patient. The practice of medicine can be overly transactional, more focused on the acquisition of wealth than the relief of suffering. Read More …
I awoke to a still, clear morning, anxious to get up and get hiking. Another 13 miles or so and I would reach the end of my hike at I-40, meet up with my brother, and begin to wallow in the comforts of civilization once again. I enjoy long hikes. That’s why I keep doing Read More …
From Quora: Viruses have not evolved to become “resistant” to vaccines the way that bacteria have evolved to become resistant to antibiotics. Vaccines don’t attack viruses directly, they just prime our immune systems to do so. Our immune systems and viruses have been battling it out for hundreds of millions of years, and the likelihood Read More …
It’s not unusual to see headlines like this in health journalism: Antibiotic Resistance Is Now as Big a Threat as Climate Change To be fair, the article itself is not nearly so hysterical; in fact it doesn’t even mention climate change. Yet some editor thinks that this nonsense is an appropriate way to summarize the Read More …
I admit to doing a spit-take when I saw the title of this article: Aptamers as Therapeutic Agents: Has the Initial Euphoria Subsided?. At this stage in the game, with only one aptamer therapeutic cleared and it having perennially weak sales, that question mark in the title seems more than a bit out of date. Read More …