TheBiologySpace.BioBlog

I think that it is amazing that the food we eat helps support a toxin produced by bacteria in us without hurting us. The fact that other mammals contain this sugar that binds with the toxin is also amazing. They too do not suffer from the effects of the toxin. I would like to know why we are not affected by the toxin even though it is activated by this sugar. Also, the difference in humans and other mammals creating different sugars helps prove evulotion. I would like to point out that so many things that we discover in biology helps provide evidence of evolution and how all organisms funciton through similar biological processes.

In this new age era of ours, I highly doubt this will spell the end of ranching and cattle-raising for us, not to mention the all the other deadly habits that a majority of the human population participates in such as smoking and drinking, I don’t think this would really stop most people from enjoying a steak. And I wouldn’t be surprised, knowing our scientist of today, that they will try to come up with some solution to this dilemma. Yes ethically it may not be so moral to tamper with God’s creations, but has that really stopped them before? No.

It’s highly doubtful that consumption of beef will cease completely though it may slow down somewhat. The second alternative is more likely: scientists will probably find a way to get rid of the sugar altogether or maybe take out the sugar while processing beef and dairy products. Some people may not approve of such artificial selection and processing, saying it isn’t natural and that cows should be left as they are. However, if nothing is done at all, it would allow a harmful bacteria to spread and infect almost effortlessly. Who knows? The bacteria might even evolve to become more dangerous if the sugar helping it isn’t stopped.

As frightening as this sounds at first glance, I’m sure that genetically modifying our food is an overreaction and would probably cause more problems in the long run.

I agree with Alan and think that cattle raising will not end. Since beef is consumed in such large quantities it cannot possibly come to a halt. I think it is possible that scientists could genetically modify the cows because this has been done before.

Yeah, I agree with Alan. The cattle industry is a major source of income in the United States. There would never be an end to that industry because peoples’ diets revolve around beef. It’s on thier plate almost all times of day. I guess scientists can come up with a way to *prevent* the new toxin to reach the human population, before going into ethical questions by genetically modifying the livestock to stop producing the certain type of sugar… However, cloning has gone a long way even though people have debated about its ethical implications. I understand scientists genetically modifying livestock to prevent this from happening because it’s to save the human population…

I think it’s really cool how we can coexist with a toxin that’s inside our system. I think it’s a great example of how perfectly the biological system works out- everything for a reason. Everyone seems so amazed about how weird things are in nature, when in fact, that seems to be normal for most situations. It’s just how it all was made!

I agree with Audria that more than likely scientists will begin looking into ways to artificially select certain cattle that are lacking in this sugar or possibly through researching how humans mutated to stop producing this sugar. If this mutation can be targeted and no other harmful effects come to the animal or the products, this might be the beginning of eliminating this disease.

If the different strains of bacteria that cause malaria according to the different strains that protects either humans or other mamals exists, isn’t this sugar defficiency irrelevant to the humans? Both sugars are functioning to identify and continue to help the immune system not attack itself. Granted the sugar might make us suseptible to E. coli, but so can eating vegetables and fruits. The food we eat is always going to be a risk to some extent of a bacteria. So the exclusion from a protein-rich red meat in our diet does not narrow our vunerablity to E. coli, instead it could cause weaker immune systems.

I don’t think people would end raising cattle after all beef has become an important food group all on its own. Genetic modification could be possible but obviously we have made it this far so the sugar isn’t harmful. I don’t think it is really necessary to modify the genetics of the cow but to figure out how to break the e coli bonds with the sugar if e coli is introduced. I don’t think it would be ethical to try to solve the problem by messing with the cows because it isn’t their fault and certain traits that are needed could be bred out and that would create a problem in the food industry as well as ranching!

Its funny how scientists want to help the world but often create its problems. With meat in general, scientists tried to help cattle ranchers by providing feed which would enhance the amount of flesh the cattle would gain Consequently the cows were fed a compound in the feed that was actually cow itself, triggering a cow psychosis that wrought mad cow disease. If we mirror this situation with the one we have now, scientists may cause cows to taste disgusting or even cause them to rise up against us for who knows if this little change in the sugar could cause intelligence. Although that is far fetched, the fact of the matter is that nature runs its course and its better to keep things as they should be. If one is scared of E. Coli but loves beef, then fry the living toxin out of that meat and start enjoying the scent of semi burnt delight.

I would never of thought that sugar could cause the binding of toxins in E. Coli in red meats and in dairy products. It’s always good to learn something everyday but this, I will begin to watch the qualtiy of the meat and how well it gets cooked, and also how much I consume. I will also watch what my consumption of milk is. The last thing anybody wants is E. Coli virus.

I don’t believe this means stop eating red meat and drinking milk all together, but that everyone should watch what they consume and the quality of it. If scientists could find some way to remove the sugar I think it would totally change how everyone would look at these products. Red meat and milk get some of there greatness from the sugar, it adds taste to it.

I agree with Alan in that it is very unlikely that the cattle industry would disappear. It is too ingrained into human lifestyle from meals to livelihoods. It is true that with this new information, there will be a slow down of consumption, but nothing extravagant. Like with all new studies, scientists will probably try and create an alternate or way to rid the toxin from the meat or dairy products. Ethical implications would have both sides. If something was done, people favoring real meat would be upset while if nothing was done, people would be alarmed at the possibility of devouring the toxin.

I don’t see why it would be a huge ethical issue if scientist started breeding cows based on their lack of that certain sugar. I mean certain dog breeds are bred specifically for those traits, and no one really finds that cruel, so why should this? It seems more unethical to me for the scientist to not try to find a way to prevent such an issue. They would be leaving the fact that they could possible save millions of lives by reducing the sugar that the toxin looks for.

i think they are more so trying to eliminate the sugar in the animals rather than the sugar in the humans. Otherwise i would totally agree with you that it’s kind of contradictory of scientist to try to better mankind by taking out a sugar that helps fight against a lot of disease for the sake of limiting e. coli. but instead of eliminating the sugar all together in animals or humans could they like substitute it and then selectively breed the animals, because obviously they’re not going to breed humans.

If we washed our hands in the first place, there would be no E Coli in our stomach or small intestines, instead of changing the cows, we should practice better hygenes in our society and in third world societies where this disease may be common.

I wonder what came first? The E. Coli, the sugar(sialic acid), or the toxin or perhaps our digestive tract? The study done by the researchers from Australia and US highlights the complexities of a complex organism, humans, and how we have many oddities that we have picked up along the course of evolution. A hypothesis of common sense should be formed: “if it kills us, then don’t eat it”, if food is raw/half raw crawling with microorganisms inside, then don’t eat it.

the key word here is “may” promote binding of toxins, not always, which means we, as a society are probably going to ignore the warning. it’s a pity that these kinds of discoveries which show how vulnerable the human body is, are always taken with a grain of salt, like how smoking and alcohol still exist today despite the side effects found by researchers. It is only after someone dies or suffers do we really open our eyes to see the fragility of the human body, and how fortunate we are to inherit favorable traits through evolution.

Raising cattle will never be put to an end, especially with China and India quickly undergoing massive economic growth. These countries are involved in some of the largest scale farming with cows and no one is going to end this vital source of income for the families of these countries. At the most, farmers could selectively bred livestock to decrease the frequency of this cell membrane. As consumers, we should ensure we only receive the safest meat and dairy products and undertake proper cooking procedures when preparing meals.

In terms of food products, this is a huge discovery. The more we learn about what we eat and how it affects us, the more we can develop ways of fighting its negative effects and promoting its positive effects. The trouble is funding the research in terms of money and time. It may take years for scientists to discover a healthier diet so the toxins produced by the E. coli bacteria have little to no effect on humans. While we may not give it much thought, what we eat can have a huge impact on our lives: emotionally and physically. Some foods make people happy, while others may cause their lungs to have to work harder to breathe more air. This issue may seem small, but can help us down the road if we learn more about it.

I agree with Alan. There is no way people would give up eating beef. You see beef everywhere in America these days. Scientists may come up with research saying beef is harmful to us, but people would eat beef regardless. The important thing is to watch what you eat. Eating too much beef is not good for you, but eating some every now and then won’t kill you. I’m sure scientists will research ways of preventing the E. coli bacteria from entering the human body, and I would expect they would start with selectively breeding cattle, as it seems to be the source of the bacteria strain.

So, according to Andy Benson’s study, as long as we can prevent the toxin from becoming activated, we can save people’s lives. It’s harder than people think, though. On a molecular level, one thing can react with something else and an explosion of chemical reactions take place; in this case, it would spread the toxin around the body. Scientists are researching why the toxin acts this way, and this could in turn help scientists figure out a way to stop the spread of it.

I agree with Kierra about the ethical issue. If people do not find it unethical to breed dogs with certain traits then why would this be unethical? Also, people have been eating genetically modified food since early 1990s. I don’t see any issue with eating beef and dairy products from genetically modified cows.

I’m pretty sure we’re not affected by the toxin because until it’s activated by the sugar its not threatening because it hasn’t been activated. Our body’s immune system probably has a defense for the inactive toxin so it is able to defend itself. I want to know if its true that after everytime you get sick with something if your immune system really creates a defense and how it creates that defense.

There is no way that ranching and cattle raising would disappear. Scientist may one day genetically modify cows to remove the sugar on their cell membranes, but I’d imagine that it’s not number one on their to do list. The problem with altering a cow is that religious people would freak out.

I don’t think that people will give up eating beef or consuming products that come from cattle. I think that scientists will most likely develop something that can eliminate the sugar from producing by either incorporating it into the cattle’s diet or injecting it into the cattle. However, it may cost consumers more to get meat or dairy products when scientists can come up with a way to eliminate the sugar either via their diet or injection.

Wow that is very interesting. Humans once had the ability to produce sugar…. just like plants. We may have lost the ability to protect ourselves from certain strains of Plasmodium but at least it helps protects us in other ways. Overall, is this change better for us or worse? Either way, this is a very good difference to show that we are different from other mammels.

Everything’s bad for you in excess; I don’t think this will be any different. A recent study showed that diet coke causes cancer, but coke isn’t stopping production, and I’ve yet to stop drinking it. The cattle industry will be mostly unaffected; they may try and breed the sugar out of the cows, but probably not. At current, most cattle companies focus on breeding tastey and easy-to-raise cattle.

This will definately not spell the end of ranching and/or cattle raising but i do agree that there is a threat however small it may be. Scientists should experiment and try to find ways to genetically modify cows if and only if it can be proven that the modification will give the desired results every time. If this works this could be a huge step in the right direction.

I don’t think that scientist will start looking for a way to slove this “problem”, and I don’t think anyone will blame them for it.

Humans have been eating beef for thousands of years, egyptians ate it, romans ate it, popes, farmers, peasants and kings,and it doesn’t seem to have done much harm. Sure you have a out break of E. coli problems everyonce in a while, but is it really a big enough issue to warrent genetic modification? What would it do? Well I think that genetic modification cost money, lots and lots of money. Now if they do produce a cow that passes FDA approval, tastes good and all that jazz, it would most likely cost more, alot more. Now in places like here in America (where we really don’t have to worry about dieing from E. coli and we have proper hospitals) the higher prices most likely wouldn’t hurt. Well what about places were this new improve germ free meat is needed? Places were dieing from E. coli is a real threat? Well, this new genetically modifyed beef cost more then normal beef…so they cannot afford it. I a much cheaper much more effective way of combating E. coli posining from beef, would be to do something very simple. Educate people on the proper way to handle, cook and store beef.

Let me just start by saying that I think it is close to impossible for people to cease in their habits of consuming beef on a regular basis. I for one, tried to do this on the project we had earlier this year – it’s impossible. Of course there are a lot of vegetarians out there that don’t eat beef to begin with, so they are an exception. For one thing, there are tons of ignorant people out there that don’t even care what enters their body and will probably take no account of this study. Like Alan said, people smoke and drink all the time. If we can’t shy away from alcoholic beverages and cigarettes, we definitely can’t move away from Oh so delicious beef. But of course if there is a way to genetically modify cows to rid them of this sugar, be my guest.

i know i consume beef in very large quantities, so i cannot live without my cows. and i’m sure there are tons of people out there like me and also ones who survive on ranching for their livelihood, so I don’t think cattle raising and ranching will ever end. Instead as the world is ever progressing at a fast speed, scientists will come up with some new method to stop the cows from producing the sugar. Haha… these seemingly exciting discoveries by the scientists seem to be reducing our choice of meats.

It will be hard to get what is probably more than half the world to stop consuming beef based on the theory that dairy products MAY promote binding of toxins produced by e.coli. It is great that this discovery is found, so that scientists can come up with an alternative or solution for people to still continue consuming beef. I also say that it’s great that new discoveries about our bodies are being found, so now we can find ways to work with them.

What Jesse said basically averts the ethical question about the cattle. By raising hygene standards then it basically helps eliminate the “e. coli threat”. I think scientists should just address to the world about the importance of hygene.

That is very interesting news because this discovery arises many questions about our theories of coevolution (assuming that it is an example of coevolution). But, even that, if somehow we figured out how to “isolate” the toxin and prevent it from becoming activated (like depaula stated) then we could save thousands of lives.

ehhh, this won’t do anything to the beef industry. It is such a powerhouse in America and i just can’t imagine cattle farms depleting in the short-term or long-term future any day. ANYWHERE.

I don’t think this will be the end to ranching and cattle raising, it would take a lot more for it to end. So many people consume beef today that taking it away would be like throwing money away. I know I eat a lot of beef, whether it be hamburgers or steaks, and I don’t think I would be able to give it up. Basically it’s going to take a lot more for me to stop eating beef, and I’m sure that goes for many other people as well. However, scientists should find a way to genetically modify cows so that this disease can be prevented. Although it may be unethical to alter an animal’s genes, it would be even more wrong to let people die over this.

As a Hindu, at least in my family we are not allowed to eat beef anyway,so there would be no ethical issue with me. Like Kierra said, if they breed the cows in order to save millions of lives there would be no problem with me. I think the e. coli is an example of molecular coevolution since it is the first time the toxin produced by the bacteria requires something to activate it, rather than the bacteria requiring somthing to activate it to produce the toxin itself.

I believe that this may limit the ability for beef industries to thrive but wont eliminate beef in total. Almost everyone in this world consume meat everyday our their lives but a part of me predicts that as technology becomes more advanced there will be ways that the level of e coli can be eliminated or just even decreased.

Yeah I agree with pretty much everyone when they say that cattle ranching and beef consumption will not end because of this new found data. We know of much more deadly actions that people to this day still take part in, inspite of the risk. I think that research should be done however to try and see if there is a way to stop the production of the sugar because discovering that could lead to the discoveries of many more medical miracles.

The coevolution of this toxin is an odd thing to think about. If it is truely coevolution, then how did it come to be? Was it a mutation that was more viable than its parent, or was it changed over a long period of time, slowly and precisely. If it isn’t coevolution then how is it even possible for this type reaction to occur? What is it that makes the toxin more like a bacteria?

I like how jesse brought up the point of hand hygiene. In some study it noted that about a 1/3 of female high school students washed their hands, while only 10% of males did. Which is pretty disgusting and probably the main reason behind e coli infections.

This raises the idea that we have survived with eating beef for a very long time without great occurances of E. Coli in populations. The genetics of cows has no need to be modified when just properly cooking the meat cures it of the bacteria. We’ve gone this long without everyone dying from E. Coli why should a cow be mutated to “help” humans?

This idea that “the toxin produced by bacteria requires something to activate it, rather than the bacteria requiriing something to activate it” expresses exactly why humans evovled at the molecular level and other primates didn’t. Primates like chimps more then likely evovled to be less suceptible to this activation of the toxin because they eat raw meet and humans have the capabilities of cooking the meets that they eat. Therefore we either evolved to have no need for this adaptation or the other primates evolved to have this adaptation to enable them to survive and maintain the consumption of protiens.

Yes yes yes, everyone is making wonderful points about this issue, especially Sir Jiaxi Chen. The public will take this issue with a grain of salt because it may promote binding of toxins produced by E. coli bacteria. But I personally believe this is not that big of an issue. Something that may be possible and not even proven yet, shouldn’t have to be worried about. I apologize for ending my previous sentence with a preposition, but I’m not an English teacher. Now back to my point. There are tons of other issues that ACTUALLY cause harm to us. I don’t want to be redundant, but for example: smoking, alcohol, mustard. So, Jesse, although yes this MAY become a big issue for our society, there are much larger issues we need to correct in order to step into this one.

How would breeding cows be unethical for anyone? It would help prevent disease and illnesses. Sorry but I value human life more than cow breeding. The meat industry would not become extinct because people are going to eat the things they enjoy. Fried foods and high fatty foods have lead to heart attacks and cholestrol issues, and we’ve known this a long time, but people still continue to eat them.

I really don’t think everyone is going to completely stop eating beef and dairy products. I agree with Victoria on the fact that we have known about cholesterol and the effects of consuming too much dairy and meat products but it still hasn’t affected the production or consumption. Many countries consume beef and dairy products in such large quantities that it wouldn’t be reasonable to assume that they are all going to stop their consumption of those products just because of this research.

This article reminds me of all those magazines with flashy headlines reading “Chocolate may prevent breast cancer!” or “Coffee may make you smarter!” I think this will need a good bit of time before it becomes widely accepted as truth, because so many other claims have been made with the same word as support: ‘may’.

I would say that the mutation of not being able to produce this sugar is more of a good thing than bad. However, it has boths its advantages and disadvantages. It helps stimulate our immunity system and also wards off causes of malaria but unfortunately makes us susceptible to other species of malaria. One could argue both sides of the case but it definitely both helps and hinders humans.

It is good that it is not cause for alarm because I love beef. Milk I HATE, but beef is nature’s lovely bloody gift to the world, the world that is your belly. Besides, how bad is red meat for you anyway?

Yeah eating a 210 oz. steak in 30 minutes is bad for you, but what about logical portions of meat? Like the recommened amount?

I will also say that the cattle industry will not stop because of this study. It is a HUGE contribution to the food supply, especially to the United States. I believe that it may cause people to watch more closely how much red meat they will consume, but it wouldn’t be enough to shut down the beef industry all together.

Personally, this is just another reason not to eat beef. We all know that beef is unhealthy but now that their is a direct threat, I think that it is safe to assume that the consumption of beef WILL decrease. This is a credible assumption, taking into consideration America’s recent interest in a healthy diet.

Obviously in the United States E. coli isn’t as prominant as it is in some third world countries. As a world power, I honestly feel that if scientists could genetically modify cows to no longer carry the E. coli bacteria then they have an ethical responsibility to those countries who can’t afford our luxuary of reliable beef. Although many organizations will be opposed to this step, if it is adequately researched before-hand for possilbe downfalls and problems I don’t see the issue. There will always be people outraged at scientific advancements but they just need to keep in mind how many people this could benefit.

So my question is, why is beef not being taken off the market? If I remember clearly, when E. coli was found in tomatoes, grocery stores refused to sell them and some restaurantes refused to serve them. Why is it different with beef?…After all, it’s still a toxin.

I wonder if scientists begin to open Pandora’s box of genetics and gene modification, will it eventually come down to cloning. I admit I’m not entirely sure how the process works but if scientists did clone a human, what would it’s personality be like. On a more theological note- would it even have a soul- techincally that is? Because if it came from another person wouldn’t that make it just like that same person? So confusing.

In my opinion, if scientist tried to find ways to genetically modify cows they would be wasting both money and time… time that we can’t afford to waste. Just a year ago, almost 3 million pounds of beef had traces of E. coli leading to an estimated 73,000 cases of infections in the United States.

I agree with Gabrielle. The most cost efficient solution would be to “educate people” on using safe food practices when storing or preparing beef.

I swear, if this thing turns out to be true, I will die. I love my meat, as I’m sure most other people do. But I do believe that our society will ignore most of it, just because of what I just stated: they love their meat. Add in the word “may,” and you’ve got Americans dismissing it entirely. Quite sad, but true.

I agree with Kierra in the sense that it is almost unfeasible to completely eradicate meat or dairy products because there are certain nutrients and minerals that one obtains by consuming these products. One cannot control all of the mishaps and germs floating around in the air, but one can avert certain bacteria, like E. coli, from forming by taking care of animals and making sure they are fed clean food and taken care of properly. Also, one can destroy abundant amount of bacteria by simply heating up meat

Now that’s very interesting. Darwin would be proud, I’m sure, to hear of yet another stage in human evolution. Now, the human body is susceptible to numerous invasions by diseases, viruses, and the like. Adding on “E. coli” won’t really make another difference. It’s just one more thing we have to watch out for. Run! It’s the Plasmodium!

Rachel brings up a very good question that I think should be answered. Was this a mutation that was more viable than its parent, or was it changed over time? That is certainly something that should be considered when researching the toxin. At what time in Earth’s history did this occur? What was going on at that time that would make this toxin change to binding only to that particular sugar? So many questions, and all of them could provide valuable insight and possible solutions as to what is going on now.

I think this new discovery is just one of many soon to come. We will always find something wrong in what we eat, even if it’s simply fruits and vegetables. We as a nation, as humans, even, have almost always eaten beef (or some type of meat). It’s in our nature. Now, some may defy that nature, but let’s not get into another topic. But yes, beef has been present ever since we first learned that a cow was edible. Knowing about this new toxin won’t change much, because we’ve been eating cows and drinking their milk for so long. Changing the way cows would cause more commotion than the announcement of this toxin. Farmers will have to follow new guidelines, which would surely anger them. So I say let’s just stop wasting our time finding things wrong with what we eat, and move onto more important matters, like world hunger. Will people that are starving care about a toxin in their cow? I think not.

If humans have consumed beef for infinite amounts of years and have been able to withstand the toxins, I do not think it is any reason to give up meat or dairy products all together. Besides the implausible concept of the whole world giving up meat,if it did happen there might be more harm in becoming a vegan or vegetarian due to the lack of vitamins that are no longer consumed by the person. Many people are not willing to take vitamins and minerals daily to continue to stay healthy. I see the possibility of breeding for desired quality, cattle ranchers in the industry already invest in that.

I do not believe this will result in the end of ranching or cattle raising for the reason that it would result in certain farmers losing their source of income and would most likely enlarge the populace of cows on the planet if the consumption of cows are brought to a standstill. With the advancements in technology today it is possible to selectively breed cows and get the “perfect” cow. It would be like performing plastic surgery on cows and removing the inner defect, so they emerge just right l to man. However, one runs a substantial risk because the removal of this sugar could aversely affect the resulting structures or functions which might be vital for the survival of the animal.

As stated by many above, I also do not think we could just stop producing beef and dairy products. Although research may show this to be harmful I think many people will ignore it. This industry is too high to just take away, its a major source of income for the US and unless you want to go around and fix it I say we just leave it.

To answer the question what would be the ethical concerns if no action was taken would be numerous. It would be ridiculous for a scientist or any other person for that matter to research a problem without any means of fixing it.

I think this is a huge issue due to the fact that E.Coli is highly contagious. According to the CDC approximately 20,000 people get sick because of E. Coli infection per year. Simply stopping the production or consumption of beef wouldn’t solve the issue since some of the major E. Coli outbreaks were caused by the bacteria’s existence in vegetables.

I find it amusing how everyone automatically freaks out whenever someone discovers that something in our food is harmful to our health. Is it really that surprising? If you think about it, using fertilzers on our fruits and vegetables to make them look better and grow bigger and injecting hormones in chickens and such to make them bigger and better can’t be doing our bodies much good. I mean if we were to swear off everything that is supposedly harmful to our health, what’s left to eat?

What I don’t get is why people would automatically jump to creating genetically modified cows. Do we not have the technology to test and see if the cows are carrying the bacteria? Or better yet, let’s find a way to prevent the bacteria from ending up in the cow’s stomach in the first place. I’m thinking humans have major control issues as a species.

a sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid,
a sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid ,
a sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid …
There, extra credit?
But in all seriousness, this article is sounds less like science and more like an ad to help boost the sale of beef in economic down times. With all the health nuts out there I bet it works too.

There is nothing you could say nor anyone could say to make this country or any other stop eating bovine products… cept maybe India but, they believe cows are sacred and we don’t ask questions so it’s cool. They are simply too much apart of our diet as a world, much less a country. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to eat my steak before it gets cold and drink my milk before it sours.

I highly doubt that the consumption of meat will completely come to an end. People need meat both physically and emotionally, serving as a major source of protein needed by our bodies and graciously satisfying our stomach’s cravings. Even with its threats, the spiteful sugar will not kill ranching and cattle-raising as they provide a large income that even some countries need to thrive. There are definitely ethical issues involved in the idea of genetically modifying nature’s tendencies, but this has been a large controversy that will never come to a solution.

Yeah, genetically enhancing beef sounds like a very expensive procedure to do. Probably only wealthy nations like the United States can really afford something like that. I think that scientists should just send more education programs towards third world countries who have a major concern in hygiene but often overlook it. If they can get that across then they can reduce that new e coli threat greatly and possible solve other problems.

The meat industry will continue until we run out of cattle because people will always have it. There is no way that this could spell the end of ranching and cattle raising because as santoshi and victoria mentioned, people know about all the cholestrol and unhealthy substances in meat but they have it regardless. I really think that they should intervene before people begin to lose lives or get sick as when spinich had become infected with E coli. We need to address this issue as soon as possible so we DONT have to give up burgers or milkshakes.

The consumption of red meat has been attacked for decades by dietitians, physicians, and of course vegans, but has that affected society? …. No, people will take a chance on anything, even their health, in order to have immediate gratification. Until an immediate morbid consequence is coupled with eating red meat, I think we will be consuming it until we roll into our deathbed (no pun intended).

This makes me wonder if we can come up with a shot or vaccine that would give us this glycolylneuraminic acid that is present in most mammals to protect us from the problem? or if we could some how come up with a way to neutralize the problem before it came into our bodies to begin with.

First of all, genetic modicitaion is a rather touchy subject. There are the people on one side of the line who won’t stand for it, and the people on the other side who think it’s the answer to the things in life that just plain go wrong. And then there’s me- I live in the gray area of life where genetic modification is concerned. I truly do think it can be beneficial, but what would we trade for that? Every action has a reaction- in life’s case, every action has a consequence (assuming the word ‘consequence’ has a negative connotation). What else will we have to fix once the E coli case is closed?

I didn’t even make the connection between our previous ability to produce sugar with the plants like Lloyd had. This similar quality suggests that maybe all living organisms are connected. Through evolution, these organisms may have just becomes molded into their specific categories.

I find it really interesting that over evolution and through mutation we have lost the ability to produce sugar. Even that we once possessed this ability is amazing. At least the analog we can produce protects us from viruses and cancer cells. I wonder what other abilities we have also lost through mutation.

Coevoltion is, briefly stated, the evolution of species having a close interaction with one another with each adapting to changes in the other. The relationship between the toxin and the bacteria suggests possible molecular coevolution since the change of the toxin instead requiring something to activiate it is matched by bacteria not having to become activated itself. The binding of the toxin to the particular sugar may have a lot to do with its molecular qualities, including its structure.

It seems as if there is truly no possible way to completely elimate this deadly strain of e coli. Not only is it found in beef but also unpasterized juices, contaminated water, and as andrea stated some vegetables such as lettuce. I dont think this will end ranching because people are going to continue to raise livestock no matter what because for many it supplements their main income. Creating some new kind of genetically modified dairy cow variety would be an interesting choice that i would support but honestly unless we genetically alter all of the animals and plants we consume its virtually impossible to avoid this strain.

This strain of e coli is virtually unavoidable because it can also be spread from person to person contact where its mostly common in daycares. In other words there’s no true way to eliminate this but by taking the time to throughly cook your beef, drinking pasturized dairy, and by simply washing your hands, this strain can be prevented.

Granted there are always risks when communing beef products, or any other meat, but i doubt that this i will halt ranching all together. As for genetically modifying the cow meat, as long as it doesn’t harm the cow or the consumer, i don’t see why this should be considered unethical.

This shows how evolution can prove to be helpful and it can prove to be fatal. In many cases a mutation can cause a lack of resistance to a strain of bacteria of virus like in cows and humans. Evolution can be a large contributing factor in why we are not resistant to certain diseases.

If, like Jennifer said, we injected a shot or vaccine which would give us sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid, would it actually solve anything or create more problems? Would there be possible complications which might arise from having the vaccine interacting with Neu5Ac, which is already present in our bodies? Would it mess up our immune response against foreign cells and our immune system, since these sugars are important for our immune system?

I think it is good to learn about what we eat and how it affects our bodies because the more we understand we can develop ways of preventing bad things and more support the good effects, but I also think it should be left alone. If people could live back in the olden days without knowing that sugar promote binding toxins produced by E. coli bacteria, and the other nasty conditions they lived in we could too. Sometimes I think science is looking in too deep. We can’t live forever.

Well I am glad that I don’t have to give up cheeseburgers and milkshakes, because frankly that would be impossible. It shouldn’t stop ranching, that is absurd. I don’t aprrove of genetically modifying food or animals even if it isn’t harmful, because God created everything the way it was meant to be. There is no need to change it. It is unethical.

Sense man began its conquest of the world it has brought all animals of this earth to their non-technological knees. Im sure while this may be rather alarming in the end it will fade away, or be fixed without much up roar. Cows have been “processed” for ages and I’m sure will continue to until the sun expands and kills us all, in about 5 billion years… give or take. Seeing that this has been around for quite awhile and has not caused mass death im sure it’s not about to start to do so. Most likely this will slide back under the radar like so many issues do. Who is not willing to risk a pesky little e-coli to ruin their juicy hamburger anyways?

This may be a very detrimental thing or it may be a very small minor detail in the contents of our daily lives. I vote on the smaller side. Yes it is good to know that sugar can cause the binding of toxins produced by e. coli, but I want to know how often this happens and if it reported to happen in all bovine meat. I have also heard that drinking diet soda may cause cancer, I think that researchers and the food industry blow things way out of proportions. I can see if you ate ten pounds of beef a day, maybe you would be worried, but in this case, I do not think it is that big of a deal.

This makes someone think about why we lost this sugar. If all other mammals were able to retain, why not us? I guess it doesn’t matter since we just have the analoguos that helps our immune system any ways. Maybe the sugar became, for a long time, not useful anymore and just left our bodies, but then generations later the analogous came back because our bodies found it as a necessity.

I don’t think is an issue that we should get worked up over. I mean come on, bacteria is everywhere. It is even in cheese, so there is nothing to really be scared about. Plus there are many dangers our right now, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t going to go out and live their lives. Red meat is bound to have some type of toxins in it, but I don’t think it is in great huge quantities.

Why does it matter if we lost N-glycolylneuraminic acid when Neu5Ac which helps our immune system to attack bacteria and etc. I think our changing bodies just thought that acid was unnecessary, so it just removed it from our bodies. The acid probably just lost all of its usefulness, so natural selection or evolution just did its job as plan.

I highly doubt that any change would occur in cattle, but if it did, it would be very minutely. Cows today are a major diet in America. A change could go for the worse and end the ever popular cheeseburger. Anyways, of the millions of people who have eaten one, very few get sick from this cause. Society would ignorantly disallow this change for the sake of good tasting food.

It seems unique that fate so happens to target humans in this case. Humans are much more succeptible to strange diseases that are completely harmless to most animals. It is also interesting to see that a small change in the chemical make up of protiens cause much of this immunity confusion. In the picture in paragraph 3, the O is taken out of the human molecule. This change may have helped our species to survive to today.

The way that the toxin behaves is very interesting. In this way, the toxin could easily bypass all the immune system checks and attack at the time it comes in contact with its activator. The body would most likely not be searching for the toxin, only because it is not under the stress of sickness. Few cases may detect this toxin and prevent it, but anti bodies may not be present. This toxin behavior could be potentially dangerous in the future.