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posted by martyb on Tuesday November 11 2014, @06:55AM   Printer-friendly
from the stupid-virus dept.

The Sunday Times reports that scientists have found a virus that appears to infect human brains, reducing people’s thinking power including their spatial awareness and attention span (paywalled). The virus, ATCV-1, seems to alter genes governing brain function. “Unexpectedly, we identified DNA sequences of ATCV-1, an algal virus not previously known to infect humans, in oropharyngeal [throat] samples from healthy adults,” said the researchers. “ATCV-1 was associated with a modest but measurable decrease in cognitive functioning.” By using modern bioinformatics analysis, the genes effected were found to be involved in pathways related to dopamine receptor signaling, cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) signaling, antigen presentation, immune cell adhesion, and eukaryotic initiation factor 2. Note that dopamine is a central component of many psychiatric conditions."

 
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  • (Score: 2) by mendax on Tuesday November 11 2014, @10:03AM

    by mendax (2840) on Tuesday November 11 2014, @10:03AM (#114771)

    Who needs a virus when we've got alcohol, pot, and the American educational system and it's steady race to the bottom?

    --
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  • (Score: 2) by WizardFusion on Tuesday November 11 2014, @10:11AM

    by WizardFusion (498) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday November 11 2014, @10:11AM (#114773) Journal

    ...steady race to the bottom?

    For some it's a steady race, for America, it's a sprint.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 11 2014, @12:43PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 11 2014, @12:43PM (#114796)

      ...steady race to the bottom?

      For some it's a steady race, for America, it's a sprint.

      For americans, isn't it more of a high speed waddle?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 11 2014, @03:44PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 11 2014, @03:44PM (#114865)

    People who don't drink, smoke, or rely on schooling for education.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Tuesday November 11 2014, @04:30PM

    by Freeman (732) on Tuesday November 11 2014, @04:30PM (#114883) Journal

    Each one of those requires a person to take do something to reduce their intelligence. A virus that reduces your intelligence requires you to take action to avoid being infected. It's a lot easier to accidentally get a virus than to accidentally smoke pot.

    --
    Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
  • (Score: 2) by Geotti on Wednesday November 12 2014, @01:56AM

    by Geotti (1146) on Wednesday November 12 2014, @01:56AM (#115040) Journal

    Pot doesn't make stupid, pot makes you care about details (sometimes^W usually more than necessary).