Surviving the Circus of Life

I look at the theory of evolution for mankind sort of like a made for TV movie that is fictionalized, but based on factual structure for the basic theme and outcome of the story. Why? Because we still have too many missing steps to conclude that man indeed is evolved from an ape-like creature. One of the logical problems I have with this theory is that the ape-like creatures remain, pretty much in tact from their origins. Other species have tended to evolve in order to survive, abandoning their former form completely. In the study of human origins, paleoanthropology stares in frustration back to a dark age from three million to less than two million years ago. The missing mass in this case is the unfound fossils to document just when and under what circumstances our own genus Homo emerged. The fact is that no homo fossils have been found that conclusively prove the evolution theory as it pertains to mankind. The Homo doesn't appear until about 200,000 years ago. Hmmm... So why d

Polar bears are doomed to extinction in Alaska. Global warming is causing their demise. It's too late to stop it but hopefully, we will still try. By the year 2050, government scientists predict that their population will be decreased by two thirds. That's a moderate guess. The White House has no comment. "As the sea ice goes, so goes the polar bear," said Steven Amstrup, lead biologist for the survey team. The report was released as President George W. Bush was in Australia meeting with Asian leaders to try to agree on a strategy to address global warming. Bush will be host to major industrial nations in Washington this month to discuss the framework for a treaty on climate change. Even in the unlikely event that all the major economies were to agree to rapid and drastic reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, the floating Arctic ice cap will continue to shrink at a rapid pace for the next 50 years, wiping out much of the bears' habi

Fat people are poor. Can you believe it? Now they've done a study to compare the obesity rate to the neighborhood you live in. Result? The most deprived neighborhoods had a rate of 30% obesity, while the rich neighborhoods only had a 5% rate of obesity. This distinction was more apparent in the south. So how does this income level affect children? I guess it depends on the age of the child, but my children didn't notice things like money until they were at least 11 or 12, and even then the acknowledgement was minimal. Whatever the reason, two-thirds of adults and 25 million children are obese or overweight in the US. Full Story

Yep, you read it right. They have discovered that one of the reasons some people become obese is due to a virus. Lab tests showed that exposure to adenovirus-36 (Ad-36), which causes respiratory and eye infections, also causes stem cells to develop into fat cells. Ad-36 stimulates human adult stem cells to become pre-fat cells and store more fat. Not only do they store fat, but they actually do it faster! And... Ad-36 is much more prevalent among obese people than thin people. This could be HUGE (no pun intended)! Imagine what a difference a vaccine or antibiotic could make for those who are affected by this virus, which causes them to gain weight through no fault of their own. The researchers also identified a gene in the Ad-36 virus known as E4Orfl, that appears to be directly responsible for the promotion of fat growth. The identification of this gene provides a target for future anti-obesity therapies, the team said. Oh happy day! Full Story.

Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise? Not so, according to a recent study which showed that those who rose early were at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension and stroke. This same study also concludes that sleep deprivation puts additional stress on the heart, also leading to cardiovascular disease and even death. Full story at Yahoo. Another study found that people with depression are generally in worse health than those suffering from chronic diseases such as arthritis, asthma, angina and diabetes. Plus, if the depressed person has another chronic condition, the depression will make it worse. Depression effects health more than the chronic conditions. Interesting, since our government now only allows mental health benefits to those who are suicidal or psychotic, posing a threat or danger to themselves or others. What does that mean for our future? Preventive medicine MUST become a priority in this nation. Full Story.