Mystery of the Dying Bees Solved 347
jamie points out news of a study attempting to explain the decline of honeybee populations across the US. As it turns out, the fungus N. ceranae that was thought to be killing off bee colonies had a partner in crime — a DNA-based virus that worked in tandem with N. ceranae to compromise nutrition uptake. From the NY Times:
"Dr. Bromenshenk's team at the University of Montana and Montana State University in Bozeman, working with the Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center northeast of Baltimore, said in their jointly written paper that the virus-fungus one-two punch was found in every killed colony the group studied. Neither agent alone seems able to devastate; together, the research suggests, they are 100 percent fatal. 'It's chicken and egg in a sense — we don't know which came first,' Dr. Bromenshenk said of the virus-fungus combo — nor is it clear, he added, whether one malady weakens the bees enough to be finished off by the second, or whether they somehow compound the other's destructive power. 'They're co-factors, that's all we can say at the moment,' he said. 'They're both present in all these collapsed colonies.'"
Don't sting me bro' (Score:0, Funny)
The cure (Score:2, Funny)
So let me get this straight all the bees need is some athletes foot powder and some chicken soup?
Humanity (Score:1, Funny)
This is why you have to keep people alive.
Anyone of us could hold the DNA to be resistant to anything. It doesn't matter what someone did or who they are*, you must keep everyone alive. Apparently there was a massive killing of humanity with a volcano, so we're not very versatile except for the different ethnic groups.
Clearly the bees that are alive were partly immune to at least one.
* People like Murderers, rapists. Then people who cannot take care of themselves like those with extreme learning difficulties. You have NO idea what the incapability of their genes could actually immune to. If they're too dangerous to keep around, stick em in a freezer.
Cure (Score:2, Funny)
God's Vengeance (Score:5, Funny)
I'm fairly certain that God killed the Bees (Score:2, Funny)
After all, since He created the Earth in seven days, he figured why mess with biology and science and not do a little Divine Intervention to keep Bees from ruining his Picnic.
Every time He holds a picnic, after all, Jesus always complains about his dinosaurs getting stung by them.
Re:God's Vengeance (Score:1, Funny)
And does this mean we can start using our cell phones again?
Re:Answer (Score:3, Funny)
I fact, I like them better.
Re:God's Vengeance (Score:2, Funny)
Yes it is. In this case, God smited them with a pair of plagues. A lot like what he did to the Egyptians for picking on the Jews.
It took ten plagues for the Egyptians to catch on, and only two for the bees? Are you mocking the Egyptians?
Re:Now to bring them back (Score:4, Funny)
First we build a second Earth...
Re:Now to bring them back (Score:5, Funny)
You know who else liked experiments?
Hitler!
Re:Now to bring them back (Score:5, Funny)
I'm also going to say, the whole "RF/Secretgovernment testing/out to destroy us all" conspiracy theories have once again proven to what they are. Bullshit.
Are you kidding? This so-called "paper" was "co-written" by some Army chemists. If anything, it PROVES the conspiracy theories!
*adds yet another layer of tinfoil to an already heavy hat*
Re:Now to bring them back (Score:5, Funny)
Granted, when you develop a drug for bees you are less worried about side-effects than you are with humans, but it's still not that easy.
Damned straight. I find that I get stung roughly once for every 12-15 bees I try to force feed medicine. Even when I explain how it's for their own good, they buzz and scream and kick up a fuss and somebody always ends up getting stung.
I hate my job.
Re:Nice study, now what? (Score:5, Funny)
> As a practical beekeeper I feel it is my duty to take this one step further and speculate on how to apply this finding to saving my bees.
You should leave the speculation to the theoretical beekeepers.
Re:God's Vengeance (Score:5, Funny)
Put down Xenocide and walk away.
Re:Too bad, do we help them...? (Score:3, Funny)
golf clap.
Re:Too bad, do we help them...? (Score:3, Funny)
"We do not have the man power to pollinate our crops by hand, without bees no fruit."
We can solve two problems with a single stroke. With 20 million Americans out of work, let's get them out in the fields, woods, orchards and gardens with little paintbrushes, pollinating like crazy.
Re:Just do a comparison (Score:5, Funny)
> it isn't like you go through a honey bottle a week or something.
Speak for yourself.
Signed,
The Bears.
Re:Now to bring them back (Score:1, Funny)
Tinfoil-hat protection is an aluminum-industry conspiracy.
I manufacture a latex anti-conspiracy suit you can purchase for the low low price of only $20. By two (in case the first one rips) and tell your friends!
Re:Now to bring them back (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Now to bring them back (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Now to bring them back (Score:3, Funny)
Ack, I can't decide between funny and insightful, so I'll just comment instead!
Combo Dual Win ! (Score:5, Funny)
What a magnificent example [wikipedia.org] of both critical research failure [tvtropes.org] and Godwin law, all rolled together in a single flamebait. Brilliant !
Chicken and Egg again? (Score:3, Funny)