GMOs bad effects on animals

GMOs cause animals to lose their ability to reproduce, Russian scientists discover

(NaturalNews) A study presented at the Days of Defense Against Environmental Hazards in Russia has unveiled once again the implicit dangers associated with the consumption of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). According to Voice of Russia, scientists from the National Association for Gene Security and the Institute of Ecological and Evolutional Problems discovered that animals fed GMOs as part of their normal diet eventually develop the inability to reproduce.

A shocking revelation; the study is one of several that has identified a link between GMO consumption and infertility in recent years. And because it was conducted independently of the biotechnology industry, it came to far different conclusions than have most of the studies offered up for mainstream consumption in defense of GMOs.



Using hamsters as the test subjects, scientists observed that consumption of GM soybeans, which have never been a part of these creatures' normal diets, tended to slow sexual maturity and gradually eliminate the ability to reproduce. After several generations, hamsters consuming the "Frankensoy" eventually lost their innate ability to reproduce.

"We selected several groups of hamsters, kept them in pairs in cells and gave them ordinary food as always," said Dr. Alexei Surov, one of the authors of the study. "We did not add anything for one group but the other was fed with soya that contained no GM components, while the third group with some content of Genetically Modified Organisms and the fourth one with increased amount of GMO."

Dr. Surov and his team then monitored the various groups of cubs, including their rates of growth and birthing frequencies, and compared their findings to the cubs' diets. After several generations of cubs breeding with each other, the team observed that those cubs who ate GMOs as part of their diet eventually became completely sterile.

"[W]e noticed quite a serious effect when we selected new pairs from [the] cubs and continued to feed them as before," added Dr. Surov. "These pairs' growth rate was slower and reached their sexual maturity slowly. When we got some of their cubs, we formed the new pairs of the third generation. We failed to get cubs from these pairs, which were fed with GM foodstuffs. It was proved that these pairs lost their ability to give birth to their cubs."

Will widespread GMO consumption make future generations of humans infertile?

An Austrian study uncovered similar harm in mice that consumed GM corn. An immediate consequence among the mice eating the "Frankencorn" was that their offspring weighed less than normal, and overall litter size became smaller. After three or four generations, mice who came from GMO-eating parents and grandparents became completely infertile. (http://www.naturalnews.com)

Farmers across the U.S. have also reported infertility among pigs and cows that consume GM feed. And in India, an investigatory team observed infertility and other serious problems among buffalo that were consuming GM cottonseed.

Sources for this article include:

http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/04/16/6524765.html

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/036710_GMO_animal_experiments_infertility.html#ixzz22pJ5yXuX

Role of Skin Microbiota

Protective Role of Skin Microbiota Described

ScienceDaily (July 26, 2012) — A research team at the National Institutes of Health has found that bacteria that normally live in the skin may help protect the body from infection. As the largest organ of the body, the skin represents a major site of interaction with microbes in the environment. Although immune cells in the skin protect against harmful organisms, until now, it has not been known if the millions of naturally occurring commensal bacteria in the skin -- collectively known as the skin microbiota -- also have a beneficial role.

Using mouse models, the NIH team observed that commensals contribute to protective immunity by interacting with the immune cells in the skin. (Credit: © Vasiliy Koval / Fotolia)

Using mouse models, the NIH team observed that commensals contribute to protective immunity by interacting with the immune cells in the skin.

Their findings appear online on July 26 in Science.

The investigators colonized germ-free mice (mice bred with no naturally occurring microbes in the gut or skin) with the human skin commensalStaphylococcus epidermidis. The team observed that colonizing the mice with this one species of good bacteria enabled an immune cell in the mouse skin to produce a cell-signaling molecule needed to protect against harmful microbes. The researchers subsequently infected both colonized and non-colonized germ-free mice with a parasite. Mice that were not colonized with the bacteria did not mount an effective immune response to the parasite; mice that were colonized did.

In separate experiments, the team sought to determine if the presence or absence of commensals in the gut played a role in skin immunity. They observed that adding or eliminating beneficial bacteria in the gut did not affect the immune response at the skin. These findings indicate that microbiota found in different tissues -- skin, gut, lung -- have unique roles at each site and that maintaining good health requires the presence of several different sets of commensal communities.

This study provides new insights into the protective role of skin commensals and demonstrates that skin health relies on the interaction of commensals and immune cells. Further research is needed, say the authors, to determine whether skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis may be caused or exacerbated by an imbalance of skin commensals and potentially harmful microbes that influence the skin and its immune cells.

The study was led by investigators in the laboratories of Yasmine Belkaid, Ph.D., at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in collaboration with Julie Segre, Ph.D., at the National Human Genome Research Institute, and Giorgio Trinchieri, M.D., and Heidi Kong, M.D., at the National Cancer Institute. All three Institutes are NIH components.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided byNIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. S Naik et al. Compartmentalized control of skin immunity by resident commensals. Science, 2012 DOI:10.1126/science.1225152

link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120726153947.htm

Pets

Pets are good for child health

(NaturalNews) TheNew York Timescame up with an article recently entitled "Can Fido and Whiskers Enrich Children's Lives?" Different medical researchers and scientists were consulted for this article, which begs the question: Does research money really need to be spent on this type of question?




It's one thing to write an essay on the topic, especially one coming from real experience. But asking scientists and medical professionals, who are doing research on child and pet relationships, for their opinion as if the facts aren't entirely visible to anyone who bothers to look is rather far-fetched.

Here's a real life anecdote illustrating that absurdity. A young family residing in a large college town had a pre-teen daughter, a dog, and two cats. The father was a college professor while the mother ran a small political fund raising operation out of their home. The daughter asked, "Mom, do animals have feelings?" After a short pause, the mother answered, "I don't know dear, science hasn't figured that out yet."

Relying on science or any authority to determine what should be observable or perceived through experience is indicative of our cultural dysfunction.

Help an animal survive well and that animal can help you emotionally

This is one good reason among others that children should have a pet or pets. Animals, especially dogs, actually bond with human family members. Children can not only learn caretaking responsibility but compassion, as they perceive that indeed, dogs (and yes even cats) have feelings.

One of the doctors consulted in the above-mentioned article did comment that having a pet offers emotional support to children. When children come home from school or play, the dog is there to happily greet them. This is observed as a real event by anyone who has a dog that is treated decently, especially one rescued from an animal shelter or the mean streets.

However, this doctor couched such behavior cynically with the implication that the pet is happy because you may have a food treat for it. That's just not usually true. This author has dealt with different animals from horses to parakeets, and dogs and cats. They do show gratitude for help given and good company shared. They do not "mimic" body language, as most "experts" claim,solely for expected favors.

Of course, some dogs and cats can be a little out of sorts, just like humans. Allowing vets to drug or vaccinate them to the fullest extent can exacerbate such behavior and worsen your pet's health. Dogs especially need to exercise or they'll get grumpy.

It takes a calm, even-tempered effort to channel pets into agreeable habits or coax them out of any bad ones. Allowing a child to be involved with caring for and training of the family pet can help that child develop character by practicing kindness and patience with appropriate firmness.

Many scientists who research animals and sometimes even animal trainers assume other living non-human creatures are out of touch with real emotions or feelings because they're out of touch themselves. It's their own closed hearts that influence animals in their charge to clam up.

Animals can often sense where humans are coming from emotionally even as they deceive fellow humans. Children can develop a finer sense of empathy by showing their open hearts to directly bond with a pet dog, cat, or other animal. Pets sometimes attempt to comfort humans who are sad or upset. Children can use that break from stress when they're having issues with other humans.

Pets aren't appropriate for all kids. But for many they're fun to play with, interesting to observe, and a pleasure to have around. That's healthy, and you don't need a research team to figure that out.

Sources for this article include:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/kids-and-pets/

http://www.petloveshack.com/kids.html

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/035600_pets_children_health.html#ixzz1sUAatwx0