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Genetic Testing Finds Rat and Human DNA in Burgers

May 11, 2016 By Jason Leathers Leave a Comment

Wow, that ham-rat-long pig burger looks delicious!

In this day and age we tend to be very sensitive in regards to pretty insignificant matters. Sadly, when it comes to matters that are actually important, we tend to either overlook them or to have a huge chunk of the population utterly misinformed. If we cared more about what actually matters, we’d be far better off.

Food, for instance, should definitely be something we really care about. And some people, in fact, do care about what they are eating. The problem is with how the food industry lies about what ingredients and percentages of ingredients they use. It not even necessarily on purpose, it’s just more convenient this way.

According to a new study from Clear Labs, the company which revealed some pretty disturbing things about hot dogs last year, genetic testing finds rat and human DNA in burgers. And while that might seem like the worst news, far more unpleasant things were discovered during the testing.

The laboratory looked at 258 different samples of frozen patties, ground meat, veggie burger products, and fast food burgers from 79 different brands and 22 different retailers. The food was tested for substituted ingredients, toxic fungi and plants, gluten, contamination, missing ingredients, and allergens.

Products were also tested to see whether the amount of nutrients and the ingredients were the same as on the labels. According to the researchers, as many as 23.6 percent of the tested products showed at least some discrepancies between the label and the actual product.

Some of the worst-sounding problems encounters that were not really as bad they sounded were that in two cases meat was found in vegetarian products, that no black beans were found in one black bean burger, and that three products contained rat DNA and one contained human DNA.

Actually, the worst findings were that Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was found in four of the analyzed products (it causes symptoms similar to tuberculosis), as well as five other very dangerous contaminants – Clostridium perfringens, Aeromonas hydrophila, Yersinia enterocolitica, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli.

In terms of nutritional variation, all the samples fared horribly. Almost fifty percent of all products contained more calories or more carbohydrates than listed on the packaging. Still, according to FDA, things are just par for the course. As Clear Labs said in the report:

The low incidence of hygienic issues surfaced by our study is a testament to the burger industry as a whole and the stringent protocols for safe food handling. As noted by the FDA, certain low levels of contamination are acceptable.

Image source: Wikimedia

Excessive Fish Eating During Pregnancy Leads To Child Obesity

February 16, 2016 By Rebecca McGhee Leave a Comment

It turns out that too much of a good thing can turn bad sometimes.

An alarming new study indicates that excessive fish eating during pregnancy leads to child obesity. Pregnant women who eat a lot of fish could be causing health problems to their unborn child and not even realize it.

Although health experts urge pregnant women to eat fish, it turns out that too much of a good thing can turn bad.

The research found that pregnant women who eat more than three servings of fish in a week, have increased odds of having babies who grow fast and become obese when they reach 4 to 6 years old. It gets worse if the child is a girl, according to a Los Angeles Time report.

It’s a surprising finding, but scientists think they may have an idea why this is the case. Fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which may may cause fetal stem cells to differentiate into fat cells. Ither that, or pollutants in the fish could disrupt fetal hormones related to metabolism. Still, there’s no solid proof that this is the case.

In July 2014, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency recommended that pregnant women eat two to three servings of fish per week. The agencies’ advisory recommended that pregnant women steer clear of fish known to be contaminated with mercury (tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, shark, for example). The soon-to-be mothers were advised to choose instead salmon, shrimp, pollock, light canned tuna, tipalia, catfish, and cod.

Women shouldn’t avoid fish altogether, because it’s a rich source of important nutrients like protein, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids – but they shouldn’t overindulge.

affirmed lead study author Dr. Leda Chatzi of the University of Crete in Greece.

To assess the connection between maternal fish consumption and childhood obesity, Chatzi and colleagues analyzed data from 15 previously published studies that tracked more than 26,000 pregnant women and their children at two-year intervals until the kids reached age six.

The combined study population included babies delivered from 1996 to 2011 in Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Fish intake varied by region.

Firstly, with moderate fish consumption (1 to 3 times a week) researchers didn’t find any association with rapid infant growth or childhood obesity up to age six.

Secondly, women who ate fish more frequently during pregnancy had a 22% increased risk that children would experience unusually rapid growth from birth to age two, the study found.

However, there is no reason for pregnant women who eat fish in moderation to panic. The takeaway message, said study authors, was that pregnant women should follow recommended guidelines for fish intake and not exceed three servings per week.

Image Source: sheknows.com.

Antares Rocket Launch Delayed Last Night, 2nd Launch Maybe Tonight

October 28, 2014 By Germaine Hicks Leave a Comment

Last night’s Antares rocket launch has been delayed at the last minute ended everyone disappointed. The official reports revealed that the NASA canceled the launch after a stray boat strolled too close to the launching site.

The Antares’ launch at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport was originally scheduled for 6:45 p.m. EST last night. Though, the last-minute cancellation disappointed spectators along the Eastern U.S. coast hoping to catch a peek at the rocket as it launched.

NASA tweeted only a few minutes before launch, that they terminated the launch due to a “boat downrange in the hazard area.”

Although, NASA promptly rescheduled the launch at 6:22 p.m. tonight, weather permitting.

Unlike last night, which was clear with perfect weather for a launch, tonight’s forecast calls for cloudy skies. Confidently, though, Antares will still be able to send its Cygnus capsule into space, where it will ultimately rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA officials revealed that the Cygnus capsule is carrying over 5,000 pounds of scientific experiments, equipment, food, tools and supplies for the ISS. Antares, and Cygnus, are both owned by a private company Orbital Sciences with which NASA has contracted for ISS supply missions. This will be Orbital Sciences’ 3^rd such mission, out of a total of 8.

Cygnus will orbit Earth for about 2 weeks before meeting up with the International Space Station. There, astronauts will grab the capsule with a robotic arm, and pull it in. There, they will unpack it and fill it with trash. After a month, the ISS will release the capsule, where it will return to Earth’s atmosphere, where it will break up.

If you are living near Wallops Island, you still have a good view of the launch, though cloudy skies might impede the view.

For all those living along the U.S. East Coast might catch a glance of the launch, as well. The rocket will look like an orange star with a small tail trailing behind it. Those elsewhere, however, can watch the live broadcast on NASA TV. Coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. EST.

The International Space Station itself will be visible for a few minutes just before 7 p.m. EST tonight on the U.S. East Coast. The launch sequence should last around 10 minutes, including takeoff and the separation of Cygnus from the rocket.

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