The nice folks over at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have gone through and screened over five thousand samples of frozen baby poop dating back to 1974 in an effort to find out how fast norovirus (the bug responsible for stomach flu) is evolving.
The stool samples have been maintained in a unique collection by NIAID's Albert Z. Kapikian, M.D., the doctor responsible for identifying norovirus back in 1972. What the researchers discovered about this group of rapidly evolving and mutating bugs could help them to eventually develop antiviral drugs or even a vaccine against this "very unpleasant" and "sometimes deadly" disease.
Dr. K must be pretty excited that his baby poo collection is finally going to good use, but can you imagine all the muttering and dirty looks he must have endured from his lab assistants for all those years? Kudos to you, Dr. Kapikian, for your foresight and thick skin. Emetophobes, school teachers and cruise ship passengers around the world will join together in songs of your praise when they no longer have to fear the wrath of stomach flu.
Frozen Assets: Decades-old Frozen Infant Stool Samples Provide Clues To Norovirus Evolution.
RSS Feed
Hi.
Really don't give a hoot about baby poo, just got back from a week of vacation and having trouble finding a link where I can gripe about the shiny new, less enticing to read, slightly confusing and a little too much like Wired, BB format.
Anybody?
"your foresight and thick skin"
thick foreskin!
/ducks
You would be wanting to go here:
http://www.zog.net.au/dbb/index.php?http://www.boingboing.net/2009/10/06/boing-boing-the-worl.html
You're late. Everyone else loves it!
It seems embarrassingly rude to welcome Connie with these two posts. Unfortunately my day already includes way to much baby poo for me to muster any interest in it, but welcome anyway!
Apologies to Connie, whom I welcome with open arms. I'm sure she'll be a fantastic guest moderator.
I posted my query in a fit of confused angst. It was a little disconcerting, like coming home from work and finding your house had been repainted in your absence.
And yes, in retrospect I was too hasty in disrespecting the poo. A collection dating back to 1974? Now that's dedication.
I posted my query in a fit of confused angst.
There's been quite a lot of that....
Scatological fun for all!
Must be a great conversation starter, so doctor what is your specialty?
>"Well, you see... I collect decades worth of dirty diapers and pick through them for days at a time."
>"... stay away from my kids"
Thank you, THANK you for not posting pix.
Cory would have posted an entire series through the first 2 years of life.
Well, BB commenters have once again proven they are more mature and erudite than the average. With that in mind, I apologize for the following, but someone has to say it.
What a crappy job.