Shaw's Eco-Logic

This HND piece discusses the fiendishly clever world of retroviruses—those microbes that actually work their way into your own DNA genome for reproduction. They are "retro" because they turn the usual DNA/RNA/protein model on its head. We start off with an intro on viruses in general, before venturing into those nasty retros.

We then segue into HERVs: Human Endogenous Retroviruses. These are ancient retros that are now a permanent part of our genome, and are likely responsible for multiple sclerosis, ALS, and schizophrenia. There is more ancient virus in us than you might like to believe.

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This HND piece provides more evidence that low carb/high fat is the best diet for most people, even though some "experts" still insist on the inverse—high carb/low fat.

We focus on two important studies coming out of Scandinavia. It seems that those Nordic types are leading the way on low carb. We also feature some good commentary from paleo guy Mark Sisson, of Mark's Daily Apple.

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This HND piece describes crumb rubber, its applications, ASTM standards, and alleged health effects. Many studies have been run on this material, and it continues to get a clean bill of health. Recent concerns focus on possible effects related to its use on athletic fields and playground surfaces. Be prepared for some shoddy and silly "links" to diseases.

EPA has just released Part 1 of a major study on crumb rubber, and the material continues to look good. Apparently, though, that will not suffice for the doom profiteers, fear entrepreneurs, and those desperately looking for the "cause" of their illness. Sort of reminds me of the mega-overblown radon scare, which I had mocked years ago. One advocate did hit me with his unassailable argument, though:

"I know you're wrong, and I can prove it! The house of this guy down the street had radon...and he died!"

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This HND piece explains the Linear No Threshold Model (LNT), as it is applied to radiation and chemical exposure. This model has been consistently disproven based on practical experience, and—as we describe—ending up being a sort of "fruit of the poisonous tree." That's because when the guy behind this theory was starting to advance it, he already knew that it was bogus.

Neat, huh, especially considering that LNT was advanced during his Nobel lecture, and people who have studied the matter are quite confident that even then he was lying through his teeth. We cite examples of how LNT cannot possibly be true, and evidently, EPA's Science Advisory Board agrees. This bodes well for the future. Or putting it another way, better late than never.

Read the complete article.