Must have science to prove its worth

[mohoghead]

So the government is spending $37.5 million on research to prove what mankind has known for 5,000 years.


The National Institutes of Health has given five universities a total of $37.5 million for a five-year study exploring possible medical benefits of elderberries, wild yams and other herbal and dietary supplements. One of the recipients is the University of Missouri's Center for Botanical Interaction Studies, where researchers are in the early stages of studying the antioxidant-rich elderberry's effect fighting prostate cancer.

"You've got 5,000 years of human lore that says this plant is good for human disease," said biochemist Dennis Lubahn, who operates the center. "This is an extraordinarily rich area for research



Read more: http://www.dailyjournalonline.com/ne...#ixzz1yuH7Glx4

http://dailyjournalonline.com/news/s...78f913bc8.html

[fugacity]

So what is it that mankind has known? That these may be good or have some benefit? Good for what? In what dose?

I'm glad that science can answer these question. And in doing so maybe they learn something that opens new doors and leads us to major breakthroughs.

[Roadrunner]

Originally Posted by mohoghead

The National Institutes of Health has given five universities a total of $37.5 million for a five-year study exploring possible medical benefits of elderberries, wild yams and other herbal and dietary supplements.

I'm sure there's more to it than that. Besides, science must explore all things, including things that seem like common knowledge/sense. Some of our most important discoveries have proved so much of common knowledge as dead wrong. Probably the greatest example of this is the concept of time. Who, before Einstein would have guessed that time is not fixed, no one argued that before Einstein.

But there are many, many more examples. Recommend reading this book http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2004...ighereducation

It starts with a little experiment in which Ernest Rutherford delegates an experiment to one of his students, because he was sure of the results, basically just an exercise in science, but the results were completely unexpected.

[Gardener5]

Originally Posted by fugacity

So what is it that mankind has known? That these may be good or have some benefit? Good for what? In what dose?

I'm glad that science can answer these question. And in doing so maybe they learn something that opens new doors and leads us to major breakthroughs.

I get what ya sayin but that seems like a lot of taxpayer money especially in these times for something that may not produce that much that is helpful to the country as a whole.

[LarryS]

Originally Posted by born2climb

It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside just to know that we have so much excess money to spend on such monstrosities. I thought we had a deficit of a few trillion dollars. I wish they'd spend a few billion researching how it would benefit society to do away with greedy politicians and bureaucrats.

A lot of people have their pet projects. But, for example, why in the world would
we want to spend money to go to Mars? I dont know, for sure. I know from previous unmanned flights that it will be dangerous, it will be expensive beyond common experience, there will be no higher animals there, and it will never be a fit place for mankind to colonize. But it will create expenditures and jobs, right?

If we would learn to cooperate with our fellow earthmen, and then would focus
on some projects which are really needed and which might yield great success,
we might be on the right track.

Just a little musing....

[BalconyFarmer]

Science tries to understand the nuts and bolts of things. In this case, they're examining the lore around elderberries, but they'll also look at the biochemistry. They'll examine the effects of the various constituent chemicals. They may find it's effective against prostate cancer because of a particular enzyme, and examining the shape of that enzyme may lead to further insights. It may work at a particular stage of cancer progression, and if they understand why it works at that point, they may be able to design more potent analogs to stop cancer in its tracks at that point in its progression. It may lead to a better understanding of the disease itself.

[mohoghead]

and the research lab will get a patent on it and sell it to a big pharm company who then make it into a super expensive pill, and the taxpayer will never get the original money back.

Originally Posted by BalconyFarmer

Science tries to understand the nuts and bolts of things. In this case, they're examining the lore around elderberries, but they'll also look at the biochemistry. They'll examine the effects of the various constituent chemicals. They may find it's effective against prostate cancer because of a particular enzyme, and examining the shape of that enzyme may lead to further insights. It may work at a particular stage of cancer progression, and if they understand why it works at that point, they may be able to design more potent analogs to stop cancer in its tracks at that point in its progression. It may lead to a better understanding of the disease itself.

[BalconyFarmer]

Originally Posted by mohoghead

and the research lab will get a patent on it and sell it to a big pharm company who then make it into a super expensive pill, and the taxpayer will never get the original money back.

But we may have a drug that stops prostate cancer in its tracks. This is how almost every disease-fighting drug we have came about. While I personally think it's a lot better to eat from the garden and live a healthy lifestyle to avoid falling into the clutches of modern medicine for as long as possible, I'd like to have targeted treatments available for when I do.

[fugacity]

Originally Posted by mohoghead

and the research lab will get a patent on it and sell it to a big pharm company who then make it into a super expensive pill, and the taxpayer will never get the original money back.

And that will stop the 5000 year old tradition for those that choose the old way how?

[DavidJP]

Originally Posted by mohoghead

and the research lab will get a patent on it and sell it to a big pharm company who then make it into a super expensive pill, and the taxpayer will never get the original money back.

It would most likely be the university or other organisation that the grant was administered to that would hold the patent rights and not the individual who discovered the invention. Although they would share royalties with that person as an incentive. Its a major source of income for some universities and so would help the finances of that organisation.

This is all governed by the Bayh Dole Act
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayh%E2%80%93Dole_Act