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Do Parasites Make You Dumber?
ScienceNOW ^ | June 29, 2010 | Cassandra Willyard

Posted on 07/01/2010 8:55:14 PM PDT by neverdem

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The abstract links a FReebie.
1 posted on 07/01/2010 8:55:15 PM PDT by neverdem
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To: neverdem

Or does stupidity make you unhygenic and therefore a host to parasites?


2 posted on 07/01/2010 8:58:00 PM PDT by Uncle Miltie (0bama calls us "Tea Baggers", so we can call Kagan a "Carpet Muncher," right?)
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To: neverdem

I thought the thread topic was about Democrats. ;^)


3 posted on 07/01/2010 8:58:41 PM PDT by Red Steel
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To: neverdem
"distance from sub-Saharan Africa explained some of the variation"

Cue the "That's Racist!" gif.

4 posted on 07/01/2010 9:00:09 PM PDT by Uncle Miltie (0bama calls us "Tea Baggers", so we can call Kagan a "Carpet Muncher," right?)
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To: Red Steel

They better check the water supply to Capitol Hill/s;)


5 posted on 07/01/2010 9:02:24 PM PDT by Frank_2001
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To: Red Steel

I think it is and San Fran Nan has a tapeworm the size of Rhode Island.


6 posted on 07/01/2010 9:02:34 PM PDT by abigailsmybaby ( I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did. Yogi Berra)
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To: Red Steel

I think it is and San Fran Nan has a tapeworm the size of Rhode Island.


7 posted on 07/01/2010 9:03:16 PM PDT by abigailsmybaby ( I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did. Yogi Berra)
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To: neverdem

This is the stupidest “science” I’ve seen in a long time.

Causality is not shown. Only association.

Parasites may be causing stupidity. Or, stupidity may be causing poor hygiene and parasites. Or, some third factor may be causing both stupidity and parasites.

Have these “scientists” ever heard of control groups?

Geez. This is a High School science FAIL, not even College 101.

Look at the same demographic and cultural population having been moved from its original locaiton. For example, look at Somalis in the U.S. versus Somalis in Somalia.

Or, look at the difference in intelligence among differing racial groups both inhabiting a parasite infested location, say South Africa. If both whites and blacks have the same level of parasites, but differing IQs, that would tend to disprove the hypothesis (but might be politically incorrect, to say the least.)

Come on, boys, this is REALLY SIMPLE. You’re supposed to be SCIENTISTS. Use the Scientific Method, for cryin’ out loud. Or at least some semblance thereof.


8 posted on 07/01/2010 9:06:33 PM PDT by Uncle Miltie (0bama calls us "Tea Baggers", so we can call Kagan a "Carpet Muncher," right?)
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To: Uncle Miltie

Bingo


9 posted on 07/01/2010 9:09:55 PM PDT by dila813
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To: Red Steel
I thought the thread topic was about Democrats. ;^)

No, Democrats, aka so-called "liberals" are the parasites.

There are people who work for a living, and would like to keep the fruits of their labors, spending or disbursing said fruits as they see fit. These people are generally known as conservatives. One of the hallmarks of successful conservatives is that they may voluntarily choose to share their time/talent/treasure with those less fortunate. The key here is the voluntary nature of the act.

Then there are those that feel they, and others, are somehow entitled to the fruits of your labor, and the fruits of others labor. These people are generally Democrats and identify themselves as "liberal" or "progressive." Although there is nothing liberal about taking away someone's freedom, property, and money. Nor is there anything "progressive" about going back to Neanderthal tribal sharing.

10 posted on 07/01/2010 9:11:04 PM PDT by ThunderSleeps (obama out now! I'll keep my money, my guns, and my freedom - you can keep the change.)
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To: Uncle Miltie
Causality is not shown. Only association.

Correlation is the most abused means of statistical analysis in existence. Everyone repeat - most correlations are spurious and/or non-causal. Pay little attention to them unless followed up by sound methodology in causality.

11 posted on 07/01/2010 9:13:13 PM PDT by garbanzo (Government is not the solution to our problems. Government is the problem.)
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To: Uncle Miltie
"Or does stupidity make you unhygenic and therefore a host to parasites?"

Maybe it's a vicious circle, seriously.

I believe it is reasonably well-accepted science that population groups with reduced access to sufficient (or minimal) quantities complete proteins in their diet, suffer from compromised brain function. I'm thinking of the research done for another controversial book called Guns, Germs & Steel by McNeil. If diet can affect your IQ, why not parasites or viruses?

12 posted on 07/01/2010 9:15:17 PM PDT by OldDeckHand
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To: Uncle Miltie
There have been several studies which have shown that parasites in animals can affect the behavior or physiology of hosts so that the new or odd behavior, or new physiological environment favors the transmission or development of the parasites. Humans are animals, so I don't see any reason why this wouldn't be true for us, too.

I could see where it would be more likely that having parasites makes you dumber and thus more unhygenic, which would increase transmission of parasites.

13 posted on 07/01/2010 9:15:20 PM PDT by VanShuyten ("a shadow...draped nobly in the folds of a gorgeous eloquence.")
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To: neverdem

I see they gots some smart folks in Mongolia. Reckon your ‘Tilla the Huns and your Jeng-gus Khans gotta come from somewheres.


14 posted on 07/01/2010 9:15:36 PM PDT by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: abigailsmybaby

Not to ruin your joke but with all of the nationalities crossing our Borders at alarming rates as they have been for many years Our physicians are foolish to continue to believe that parasites stop at the border. Those medical texts were written prior to us being over run
by third worlders (Thanks Uncle Teddy.. hope you are rotting in the hot place!)

Have a friend who almost died of “rare” tick borne disease called babesiosis
last week, I am taking care of her at home, healthy person prior. Can’t walk 4 steps and is completely debilitated.

The CDC doesn;t know “jack” regarding parasitoligy, we have very few smart folks still working on these diseases.

Don’t think all these folks are alarmists, there some bad stuff that’s here already.

Stay Safe re:ticks and lyme disease.. very bad stuff.


15 posted on 07/01/2010 9:17:50 PM PDT by acapesket
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To: Uncle Miltie

Or does stupidity make you unhygenic and therefore a host to parasites?


Beat me to it Unc.

It makes me laugh to see the certainty of the various hypotheses, all to avoid the most obvious one.

Oh well.


16 posted on 07/01/2010 9:21:02 PM PDT by DontTreadOnMe2009 (So stop treading on me already!)
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To: neverdem
A completely erroneous conclusion.

The whiter and more Asian the population, the higher the IQ.

Any other explanation is hogwash.

17 posted on 07/01/2010 9:24:33 PM PDT by Mariner (USS Tarawa, VQ3, Uss Benjamin Stoddert, NAVCAMS WestPac, 7th Fleet, Navcommsta Puget Sound)
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To: acapesket
Yes. Virginia had its first case of indigenous malaria in over 60 years a couple of years ago. An 11-year old kid got malaria by being bitten by a mosquito that had fed on an African malaria carrier. Gene science determined the part of the world the malaria came from.

Generally, malaria, TB and other chronic diseases disqualify a person from becoming a legal immigrant.

18 posted on 07/01/2010 9:26:34 PM PDT by VanShuyten ("a shadow...draped nobly in the folds of a gorgeous eloquence.")
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To: Uncle Miltie

My thoughts exactly. Chicken or egg.. Stupidity also renders the local culture unable to tackle the problem.


19 posted on 07/01/2010 9:33:00 PM PDT by historyrepeatz
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To: neverdem

So . . .

Subcontinent of India is the most parasite free large portion of the world eh?

Best nutrition too?


20 posted on 07/01/2010 9:33:27 PM PDT by Psalm 144 (The Democrats' mascot is a jackass. This is because they are asses who are in it for the jack.)
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