Morning News: Rare Baby Gorilla Born in D.C.

Shannon LC Cate — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:33:00 GMT

Upstaging the President-Elect and his little inauguration is an as-yet unnamed, as-yet, unsexed baby gorilla. Born to experienced mother, Mandara, the baby is a welcome arrival to a population of animals considered critically endangered. You know what I found odd about this story, though? Apparently, the zookeepers usually feed Mandara birth control pills. I can see that you wouldn't want babies born too close together, but her next one up is seven. Odd to me that they would use birth control for an endangered animal. But what do I know? Maybe gorillas nurse until they're six. Anyone out there a primatologist? More photos and a link to a video of mother and baby after the cut.

For that matter anyone out there a conflict-free doctor? It seems those are so few and far between that the FDA can't be bothered to sort them out when it comes to drug trials. Almost half of doctors participating in drug trials don't fill out paperwork indicating their conflicts of interest--their investments, for example, in the companies whose products they are supposed to be testing--and as for the doctors who do fill out the paperwork, the folks responsible for collecting the data don't bother to read about said conflicts.

That doesn't reassure me one bit about ethical quandries like the increasing "hope" for a prenatal autism screen. According to researchers, mothers who bear children later diagnosed with spectrum disorders tend to have higher than normal amounts of testosterone in their amniotic fluid. This leads them to think a screen for such disorders could be around the corner, as might in-utero treatment. If it's a matter of testosterone causing spectrum disorders, they might just block the hormone. Of course this is all completely dodgy guesswork at the moment. And autism advocates are concerned that selective pregnancy terminations could wipe out autism and its cousin, the autistic savant, which, as those of us who admire Albert Einstein can agree, can be pretty darned useful. As can folks with lesser gifts than Einstein's. Dare I say I'd rather have autism in the word than not have it, if it means I get to have the various autistic people in my life whom I love and enjoy--and who bring the human population a unique perspective on the meaning of our existence. Of course, the screen wouldn't only lead to terminations. And I'm sure parents of children with spectrum disorders would have been glad to have more knowledge, earlier on, so they could prepare the proper treatment and therapy for their children. And therein lies the ethical quandry.

Finally, as promised, Here's more of that baby gorilla. And here's the page with the video.Is it just me, or is this whole baby gorilla thing really awesome? I don't know about you, but I needed a bit of happy news.

images: washingtonpost.com and nationalzoo.si.edu

Prepare To Be Grossed Out: "Super Lice" Have Arrived

Amy S.F. Lutz — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:27:00 GMT

What's worse than having your kid sent home from school with a head crawling with vermin?

Finding out that head lice has grown increasingly resistant to the pesticides used to treat it.

Apparently, it only takes about three to five years for bugs to become resistant to new poisons. But doctors are still recommending prescription and over-the-counter shampoos because they will work for some people - and also because there are few alternatives. Although new treatments are in the pipeline - including gels that suffocate lice and hot air treatments that dry them out - these new solutions are still awaiting FDA approval.

What if you try a pesticide shampoo and it doesn't work? Experts recommend you try different brands of lice shampoos - Ovide, a malathion lotion, is the only product that generally works here in the U.S. If the lice are still alive following application, you might have to try experimenting with more traditional remedies, such as soaking your child's head in mayonnaise, or combing the nits out of the hair with a fine-toothed comb.

At any given point, about 1% of kids are suffering from head lice, causing parents to shell out an estimated $57 million in lice shampoos and other products. So I would bet those pharmaceutical companies are working overtime to build that better ~~mouse~~ lice trap.

Strollerderby : FDA approval

Morning News: Rare Baby Gorilla Born in D.C.

Prepare To Be Grossed Out: "Super Lice" Have Arrived