View Full Forums : Nutty Sheep Syndrome and other Science News


Panamah
04-11-2004, 02:25 PM
Just as I was developing a taste for lamb there are concerns about BSE in sheep.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994869

And here's some good news for Jinjre. Less rain by 2050 in the pacific nw: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994856

Good news for guys: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994861

Why someday you might actually want to eat worms: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994852

Fairy Circles are still fey: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994833

Jinjre
04-11-2004, 08:10 PM
but but but....I LIKE the rain! It keeps everything green and washes the smog and pollen out of the air. Last year was one of the driest on record here, and my dirt turned into something resembling concrete. If it keeps getting drier each year, I'm going to have to relandscape with yuccas and Joshua trees ><

Gunny Burlfoot
04-12-2004, 02:05 AM
Wow. You would think they would have this problem contained by now, since you have the pressure cooking acid bath thing to remove prions.

Not sheep too! Well, I'm just going to have to hope that they get the problem under control, AND also that I am one of the 99.9% of the human population that can eat prion-laced meat and not have it "jump" to a human affecting strain.

Reading up on this every chance I get, and it seems England, during the late 80s, early 90s was finding thousands of cases each week for about 2 years. They estimate most, if not all, of the population of England was exposed to prion-filled meat at one point in the whole episode. Fortunately, it seems to be a very small percentage that actually contract nvCJD.

Also clicked one of the related articles from the page, and found this quote.

"They say that sheep offal, and sheep older than six months, should be banned from human consumption to try to prevent any such infection reaching people in the future."

Is that really a problem over in England? Is sheep offal really that popular as a tasty snack? Heck the very definition of offal means inedible waste.

offal - n : viscera and trimmings of a butchered animal often considered inedible by humans.

I guess some people will eat anything! :eek:

Jinjre
04-12-2004, 10:11 AM
haggis. 'nuff said.

Panamah
04-12-2004, 10:33 AM
I thought prions were virtually indestructable because they're just a protein, hard to break 'em down.

Do you have a source for the prion disease contagion? That's interesting. Never heard any statistic about before.

Jinjre
04-12-2004, 10:41 AM
All proteins can be broken down if you do enough damage to them. The problem is that to break them down, you have to do stuff that frequently makes the meat inedible.

With a good dose of urea, hydrogen peroxide, sulfuric acid, heat and pressure, you could turn just about any protein into a slurry of amino acids. Now doesn't that sound tasty? mmmMMMMMMmmm.

B_Delacroix
04-12-2004, 11:16 AM
Less rain? Hmm, we've had twice the rain we usually get this time of year. I like it actually.

Now, if they will just take up my idea of building a network of pipelines and pumping stations to ferry water from areas of the country experiencing an overabundance of precipitation to areas experiencing drought my plan would be complete.

Fyyr Lu'Storm
04-13-2004, 01:02 AM
"Now doesn't that sound tasty?"



Can I take your order please?

Ya, gimme 4 McMeat Shake Meals hold the pickles, no salt on the McSoy Fries, please.

Panamah
04-15-2004, 10:55 PM
In new news today there are some mice gettin' lucky! Science has discovered a way to improve mouse erections!

http://www.forbes.com/home/newswire/2004/04/14/rtr1332248.html