My Be Time To Stop

[teacake44]

Listening to a virus scientist this morning on TV their research on the corona virus code/DNA is also very close to the exotic Pangolin ( endangered spices) that china use in traditional medicines, and also eat the very expensive meat off them, along with many other exotic animals. Their traditional medicines seem to be having the opposite affect of curing.
As for street food who knows what their eating.

China is the biggest polluter on the planet and have now given us all one of the biggest virus on the planet of the modern day. How many more rare viruses have they got bottled up on their shelves in their so called traditional medicines.

[ladybirder]

EDDIE, CHINA is the biggest polluter, you are contradicting yourself. Per capita they may not be but there are more Chinese than USA citizens so that makes them the biggest polluter.
HIA, so true, it's heartbreaking.

[hereIam]

It is indeed lb.

[melv16]

There'd be far more tigers, monkeys, elephants, rhinos and pangolins in the world if it wasn't for Chinese'traditional' medicine!

[Old_Geezer]

Criticism of traditional Chinese medicine aside, I think it paranoia to think it carries the disease since surely the virus would need a host to survive for a decent length of time.

(And hands off the pangolin, they're cute.)

[teacake44]

OG, without to longer story, the South China Agricultural University have identified the ( heavily trafficked Pangolin) as they put it, as being an intermediary host of the virus.

China have a lot to answer for, the decimation of thousands of sharks year after year, along with Japan, just for the sake of fin soup. its playing a big part in upsetting the eco system of our oceans. They don't seem to care! May be this is nature biting back at them.

[woofgang]

I belive that the japanese have started whaling again too :(

[ladybirder]

Yes they have I'm truly sorry to say.

[Old_Geezer]

Live pangolins maybe. Not boxes of "medicine".

[Peter Pedant]

// We share 50% of our DNA with bananas. //
I thought it was higher
but that is only because that amount of DNA is reqd to run a cell - dont ask me why there is so much rubbish DNA and certainly dont ask me why there isnt more

this isnt the evolution/ God thread - is it?

I hang my hat on the horseshoe bat myself
as species jumping origin/host

[Peter Pedant]

whaling ?
lets er nuje the japs !

[woofgang]

PP (and anyone interested) This is an interesting and readable book about evolution and DNA. The science is a bit old now as the book was published in 2006 but I think the basics are still thought to be correct, including the junk dna thing. Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation