Illumination 2.0

 The response from plant biologists was a unified "YIKES!" Colchicine?  Really?  That's the stuff we use to wreck biology, or at least give its decedents too many chromosomes.  A recent press release exclaimed the therapeutic effects of this regent in the treatment of COVID19.  A clinical trial of 6000 planned individuals was performed in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multi institutional study. The study was piloted by the Montreal Heart Institute. Other international institutions are also examining its effect in separate clinical trials.  Colchine is derived from the crocus flower, and is best known for its ability to arrest cell division by disrupting the molecular cables that attach to chromosomes. These tiny fibers pull normally pull half of the chromosomes into each new daughter cell. Colchicine disrupts their formation, meaning one cell gets a heavy load of genetic material.  In plant biology that can be a good thing....

In a recent online event, a graphic was posted to introduce the speakers of a COVID19 vaccine panel. In the first 30 seconds a remotely-controlled cursor festooned the graphic with swastikas and grade-school-quality penis line art. The audio belched forth misogynist filth and racial epithets. The screen was commandeered with a pornographic video. A thought bubble over one the seminar’s presenters was stating, “I hate n — — rs.” Red ink is mine. Leaving the words is just so much more visceral, but I can’t do it Be disgusted. Understand the climate of thoughtful pandemic science communication in the Zoom Era. The presentation was arranged by Dr. Miriam Fein from the Science Advocacy of Long Island (SALI). I was one of the speakers. All of us volunteered our time in the interest in promoting better public health, and pushing back against copious disinformation around SARS-CoV2 and its impending vaccinations. The audience was good, over 50 at the start. Dr. Fein moved quickly and attempte...

  As the COVID19 vaccine rolls out it is critical to understand how it works, its efficacy, as well as its risks and benefits.  Actively opposing disinformation will be key in achieving broad public compliance and ultimately ensuring public health. What is the history of the mRNA vaccine?   How does this approach differ from previous vaccination strategies?  Is this really new technology?  These questions and many more will be answered, along with your specific questions.  Hosted by Dr. Kevin Folta, molecular biologist and host of the Talking Biotech Podcast.

Back before calling out disinformation was fashionable, I was busting biotech charlatans for lying about science to satisfy their personal agendas.    It was seven years ago today that Dr. Don Huber, Emeritus Professor of Purdue University, stood in front of a room of people and scared the hell out of them. I was in the room. His stream of disinformation was disgusting, deliberately and intentionally lying to an audience assembled to learn about food and new technology.  You can read about the event in detail here .  At the event he reiterated his claims of a new organism he had isolated from "GMO" crops-- a deadly "virus-like fungus" or "microfungus" that killed plants, caused disease in people and triggered spontaneous abortion in livestock.  The audience was aghast, with audible discomfort in the room.  Not "scientists" but one unscrupulous scientist that intentionally fabricated a story to influence public perception and sway federal policy. ...

One message that is not being shared about COVID19- It is 100% controllable with changes in our personal behavior. A virus is just a tiny collection of infectious chemistry that only spreads when we permit it to spread. This is why testing, tracing, staying home, washing hands, controlling your respiratory aerosols, and keeping distance are so important. We each, control its spread together. Australia did an excellent job at this and yesterday logged zero new cases. Life there is normal; their businesses can thrive. Hospitals can go back to treating the involuntarily ill and health care workers can know they are not risking their lives by treating someone that perhaps elected to become infected via their own negligence. How can we do reach zero in the States when we are turning the corner into increasingly unprecedented infections? If everyone were to assume they were infected and took their most extreme efforts to protect others, the numbers would plummet within weeks. Unfortunate...

  The use of ammonium nitrate in explosives is nothing new. It is a potent oxidizing agent that accelerates the combustion of fuels, instantaneously liberating the energy within their bonds. This is how explosives work. The Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 is an example of its devastating potential. A rental vehicle filled with about   4,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer prills (1–2 mm soluble beads) treated with diesel fuel   (47:1) was detonated in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, destroying the adjacent building and damaging 325 others in a substantial radius of the blast. Ammonium nitrate is a readily-available fertilizer, as plants thrive on the nitrogen present in both the ammonium and the nitrate moieties of the compound. Malicious use has decreased with stiffened regulations and availability. The use of ammonium nitrate to accelerate the combustion of fuel is common in industrial applications such as mining. The mixture is referred to as  ...

The interesting thing about COVID19 times is that whenever I sense we have hit the lowest low, society always seems to find a level lower.  At a time when we admire the work of physicians, nurses and other folks on the front line of the pandemic, there are equal magnitudes of disappointment from some that represent a significant mindset within our nation. Today someone I knew from high school posted this on Facebook: A new low in counter-protest swag endorses the recent trend of using vehicular violence to quash social movements.  Clearly the All Lives Splatter  is a play off of Black Lives Matter , and the car plowing into protesters depicts the increasingly frequent use of vehicles weaponized by those aggressively opposed to the requested social change.  Since the death of George Floyd in late May, there have been 66 vehicle attacks on protesters. The tactic typically employed by Islamic militant groups has now been adopted by those wishing to limit ...