DailyDirt: Ugh. Can We Stop Getting Sick Already?

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The common cold is just annoying, and the annual flu season is even more so -- and can actually be deadly. The minor annoyances of allergies, headaches and stuffy noses seems like something we should be able to conquer. (Maybe if we just could all live in hermetically sealed bubbles until no one had a cold anymore?) If you're not looking forward to flu season (or kids sharing germs now that they're back in school), perhaps some of these links might lead to a remedy some day.

• Farm dust might be triggering an immune response in kids that protects them from developing allergies and asthma. Children raised on farms have a significantly lower rate of having allergies or asthma compared to kids growing up in more urban environments, and scientists have seen that farm dust exposure to mice can prevent induced allergic reactions. So... when are parents going to start buying artisanal farm dust for their kids? (Some parents are already organizing farm-located daycares.) [url]
• A brother and sister (but not their middle sibling) have a rare genetic mutation that makes them immune to many kinds of viral infections such as influenza, herpes, dengue fever, hepatitis C and HIV. Unfortunately, their mutation also seems to cause various developmental delays, fragile bones and an otherwise weakened immune system. However, since this mutation affects glycosylation, it doesn't prevent the common cold, either. But studying this disorder could lead to treatments, as well as other approaches for normal immune systems to avoid viral infections. [url]
• Helminthic therapy uses worms to treat autoimmune diseases, and it sounds really gross. Some people are so fed up with their allergies that they'll try anything -- including letting a few parasitic worms into their body. It seems to work for some people anecdotally, but clinical trials so far have had mixed results that don't point to a clearly recommended treatment. Sorry, allergy sufferers. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: allergies, asthma, flu, genetic mutation, germs, health, helminthic therapy, hygiene hypothesis, immune system, viral infections, worms

DailyDirt: Space Shuttle Stories

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

For some people, NASA's Space Shuttle program was almost a complete boondoggle. The shuttles never fully lived up to their original promises, and they were far more expensive than planned. But the design of a reusable space plane captures the imagination in a way that an acorn-shaped capsule doesn't. Here are just a few stories about the Space Shuttle that you might have missed.

• Wayne Hale, a retired Space Shuttle Flight Director, explains how Columbia was damaged by the loss of insulation foam -- by finding out that Discovery was almost damaged in the same way. It wasn't due to improper foam installation, but instead thermal cycling from filling and re-filling the cryogenic fuel. [url]
• On its way to a museum, Enterprise sustains damage to its wingtip after hitting a bridge. The NASA prototype spacecraft never flew in space, and it suffered only cosmetic damage while being transported to its final destination at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in Manhattan. [url]
• Caenorhabditis elegans worms actually survived the Columbia disaster, and their descendants flew into space in 2011 on the Endeavour. Worms on a m*********ing spaceplane! [url]
• To discover more links on space exploration, check out what's floating around in StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can also recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

Filed Under: caenorhabditis elegans, columbia, discovery, endeavour, enterprise, shuttle, space, spacecraft, wayne hale, worms
Companies: nasa

DailyDirt: Missions To Mars

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The future of manned spaceflight to other planets is a bit uncertain nowadays, but there are still plenty of people who are working on plans that could lead to people walking around on Mars before the end of the century. In the meantime, unmanned missions will have to suffice, but here are some quick links on traveling to Mars.

• Landing equipment on Mars that weighs anywhere near 40-80 tons (on Earth) is just out of the question using current technology. The Mars Science Laboratory weighs about a ton and it's about as big as we can go right now... and we'll see how it does later this year. [url]
• SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk wants to send people to Mars in 10-20 years. It would be interesting if a private company lands on another planet before any nation does. [url]
• Studying 12 generations of worms on the International Space Station could help us better understand how humans will survive indefinitely long trips in space. So Caenorhabditis elegans could be the first animals sent to another planet, instead of dogs or chimps. [url]
• To discover more links on space exploration, check out what's floating around in StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can also recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

Filed Under: caenorhabditis elegans, elon musk, international space station, mars, spaceflight, worms
Companies: nasa, spacex