This book has caused a stir. Rightfully so... check out this synopsis...
GGG Ping.
Perhaps behavioral differences between the two populatons (English and African) would also account for the diffence in HIV infecton rates.
There may have been some isolation of Sub-Saharan Africa, but Egypt was not exempt, and thus East Africa was definitely exposed, and suffered.
How does this data correlate with AmerIndian populations, who certainly did not see exposure in the 14th Century.
This argues against their case. The Black Death devastated India, China and the Middle East as well as Europe. If the genetic mutation is only in Europe, I'd say it has no correlation to any ancestors surviving the plague.
He's an HIV+ carrier. Just lovely.
The important thing to know is that George Bush likely knew this when he loosed the AIDS virus in Africa, lo, those 25 to 30 years ago. Or was it Ronald Reagan?
Bush's great, great, great, great, great, great, grandfather caused the Black Death in England and Eurpope.
I don't mean to aks a stoopid question, but aren't Americans from the same Europeans who survived the dark ages? That gene should be as common here as it is in Europe. Sounds like aerian race nonsense..........
Well, that's the sensational explanation. What is a bit more likely is that there may be a common virulence mechanism between Yersinia pestis and the AIDS virus, which is extremely interesting but quite different from the hypothesis that there is a mystery virus behind the Black Death.
Populations through which the Plague ran will naturally have a higher incidence of people resistant due to genetic factors because they're the ones who survived and bred. A higher incidence of resistant people means a lower incidence of AIDS, assuming that the same gene that afforded resistance to the Plague does so for AIDS.
Of course, it isn't impossible that the Black Death incorporated a mystery virus piggy-backing on top of the Plague bacillus, but it isn't apparent either from mortality figures or from this resistance that it existed. It would have to have been a pretty exotic beast - virulent AND mutagenic. Color me skeptical.
I'm highly suspect of this as well. First, this presupposes that humans either evolved or were miraculously resistant to a pathogen that had mutated a 1000 fold by the time it burned it's way from China to the Atlantic.
Second, How do you PROVE anyone's resistance to HIV, when it takes so long for some to succumb to the virus? It may take decades to accurately track the parameters of it's spread and mortality rate.
Bummer.
There were always a few localities within Europe which were not ravaged by the Black Death. Perhaps their inhabitants had the protective gene.
Great. Infect yourself with the Black Death virus and maybe you'll be innoculated against Aids.
Dave Barry couldn't make this stuff up.
This is the Delta-32 mutation. It has been widely studied and yes, indeed, a person of European descent who is homozygous (has two copies) of the Delta-32 is immune to black death and aids.
There's more about disease resistance in the book itself.GENOMEThe different kind blood group you have determines your susceptibility to certain diseases. For example, people with A blood are less likely to get diarrhoea than people with B blood. People with O blood are more susceptible to getting diarrhoea than anybody else. People with AB blood are virtually immune to diarrhoea because of their resistance. Nobody really yet knows how AB genotype protects them from this disease. "Since people with the O blood are the most susceptible to the disease, shouldn't they die out according to natural selection?' you are probably asking. That is true but there are a couple of things that keep the O group alive and one of them is malaria. People with O blood are more resistant to malaria than other groups. Another thing is that the O group is less likely to get certain cancers. These benefits cancel out the negative effect that the O blood group has on the diarrhoea disease so, this balance has kept the group from disappearing.
the autobiography of
a species in 23 chapters
by Matt Ridley
(from chap 9)
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
This information actually appeared in either Men's Health or Men's Fitness about four or five years ago (can't remember which one I read it in).
You can have that extra special gene, but you engage in enough filthy practices enough times and that gene's protection mechanisms will be swamped and you'll get AIDS.
then i accept your appologies. just kidding, my uncle just found some ugly news while researching our geneology, looks like some of my scottish relatives went south for the winter and brought back some english blood with them!!