Rodent Conspiracy

O'Regan, Emlyn (Emlyn.ORegan@actew.com.au)
Mon, 7 Jun 1999 14:27:45 +1000

Has anyone noticed the anti-human plot inherent in these studies? When was the last time you saw one of these which said "XYZ restores mobility to old humans"? Not frequent when compared to rodents...

There is a rodent-sympathist, anti monkey-kin conspiracy to take over this planet! Here we are, all talking about transhumans, jupiter brains, and pet universes of our own, and the rodents are streaming ahead. The singularity? That's the point where rats or mice (or possibly ferrets, you can never count them out) finally exceed human intelligence - then its payback time.

We already have strains of rats who live longer due to telomere replacement therapy, are regenerated in old age as below, they've been cloned, some of 'em even glow in the dark...

You see, we have occupied similar niches in our evolutionary past, as scavengers. We have had a symbiotic relationship in recent time, but this is just a subtle mousey plot to keep in our faces - please, stomp us, exterminate us, even do experiments on us - ESPECIALLY DO EXPERIMENTS ON US.

When you see the post with subject "First transhuman mouse model", it'll already be too late. Unless you want to be scavenging through the transrodent rubish dumps, hiding in the nooks and cranies of a post-ratty jupiter brain, spreading from world to world by hiding in the cargo holds of interstellar ferret ships, then ACT NOW!

Stop the complicity, stop the aquiesence! Put your hand up as an experimental subject, while you still can. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and what does kill you nevertheless keeps our furry would-be overlords weak and powerless.

Emlyn
Ratboy
> ----------
> From: Doug Skrecky[SMTP:oberon@vcn.bc.ca]
> Reply To: extropians@extropy.com
> Sent: Sunday, 6 June 1999 20:41
> To: extropians-digest@extropy.com
> Subject: lipoate restores mobility to old rodents
>
> Authors
> Hagen TM. Ingersoll RT. Lykkesfeldt J. Liu J. Wehr CM. Vinarsky V.
> Bartholomew JC. Ames AB.
> Institution
> Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at
> Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
> Title
> (R)-alpha-lipoic acid-supplemented old rats have improved
> mitochondrial function, decreased oxidative damage, and increased
> metabolic
> rate.
> Source
> FASEB Journal. 13(2):411-8, 1999 Feb.
> Abstract
> A diet supplemented with (R)-lipoic acid, a mitochondrial
> coenzyme, was fed to old rats to determine its efficacy in reversing the
> decline in metabolism seen with age. Young (3 to 5 months) and old (24
> to 26
> months) rats were fed an AIN-93M diet with or without (R)-lipoic
> acid (0.5% w/w) for 2 wk, killed, and their liver
> parenchymal cells were isolated. Hepatocytes from untreated old rats vs.
> young controls had significantly lower oxygen consumption (P<0. 03) and
> mitochondrial membrane potential. (R)-Lipoic acid
> supplementation reversed the age-related decline in O2 consumption and
> increased (P<0.03) mitochondrial membrane potential. Ambulatory
> activity, a
> measure of general metabolic activity, was almost threefold lower in
> untreated old rats vs. controls, but this decline was reversed (P<0.005)
> in
> old rats fed (R)-lipoic acid. The increase of oxidants with
> age, as measured by the fluorescence produced on oxidizing
> 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin, was significantly lowered in (R)-lipoic
> acid supplemented old rats (P<0.01). Malondialdehyde (MDA)
> levels, an indicator of lipid peroxidation, were increased fivefold with
> age
> in cells from unsupplemented rats. Feeding rats the (R)-lipoic
> acid diet reduced MDA levels markedly (P<0.01). Both
> glutathione and ascorbic acid levels declined in hepatocytes
> with age, but their loss was completely reversed with (R)-lipoic
> acid supplementation. Thus, (R)-lipoic acid
> supplementation improves indices of metabolic activity as well as lowers
> oxidative stress and damage evident in aging.
>
>