Stacey Smith
I'm a graduate student studying the molecular and biochemical evolution of HIV within patients and within populations. I also study epigenetic control of ERVs.
sa smith
Posts by this author
October 6, 2010
I think a lot of kids get the wrong impression about the medical field via TV. I mean like, I like 'House'. It is an entertaining TV show. But being an MD is absolutely nothing like that. Its not really a mystery novel. Its more like 'cataract surgery 5 times today... and 15 times this week…
October 4, 2010
If theres one question I get over and over and over and over on ERV, its this one:What kind of viruses are in bat poop??
Until yesterday, I had no idea what to tell the millions of people sending me that Q. Thank GAWD daedalus2u sent me a link to this awesome paper!Bat Guano Virome: Predominance…
October 1, 2010
Thanks once again to Trine Tsouderos:Chronic fatigue and XMRV -- what one researcher (who's been there) has to say
Weiss' main point is that the history of retrovirology is littered with the debris of papers finding a link between a virus and a disease that later turned out to be false results…
September 30, 2010
Awesome reader question time!Hi ERV,
I've got a question about retroviruses that is probably simple, but none of my virology/micro lecturers have been able to answer it (they aren't HIV researchers) - why is integration of the retroviral genome necessary for productive infection? It's got the LTR…
September 29, 2010
Hepatitis B is my favorite non-retrovirus.
Why?
Because its a retrovirus :-D
Heres another reason for me to love it-- Its viral family, Hepadnaviridae, inserted themselves into bird genomes 19 million years ago.Genomic Fossils Calibrate the Long-Term Evolution of Hepadnaviruses
*happy-prospector-…
September 28, 2010
In the first paragraph, I provide some anecdote about my life, family, dog, school, whatever. Sometimes its just an observation. This is really just filler I hope will draw you in so you humor the bitching part of my post and read the science part.
These are titles of some sensational news…
September 27, 2010
I dont understand people who view food as medicine.
Well, I mean, I guess I do. Theyre terrified of disease X/Y/Z (even if X/Y/Z is treatable/preventable with modern medicine), and they think a component of food helps treat/prevent disease X/Y/Z, so they religiously eat said food.
So I guess I…
September 24, 2010
The internet is all abuzz on some stats just released by the CDC:
Prevalence and Awareness of HIV Infection Among Men Who Have Sex With Men --- 21 Cities, United States, 2008
These are Google News stories on that report:1 in 5 gay, bisexual men in US cities has HIV
The Checkup: CDC -- One in five…
September 22, 2010
Revenge of teh Chubby Virus!
I know you all have seen the headlines. Again.More evidence links a virus to obesity, this time in childrenâ
Study: Children Exposed to Adenovirus-36 Likely to Get Obeseâ
Virus Is Linked To Obesity
Can a Cold Lead to Childhood Obesity?
Adenovirus 36 and Obesity in…
September 20, 2010
In 2009, the results of an anti-HIV microbicide containing the drug PRO 2000 were released.
It did jack shit.
Rather than dumping a product that worked in the lab and in non-human primates, but not in humans, they tried again. At a higher dose-- Study 1 had the drug at 0.5%. So this study had a…
September 20, 2010
Story A on Yahoo! News:
FDA to consider approval of modified salmon
"This is perhaps the most studied fish in history," he said. "Environmentally this is a very sustainable technology."
Stotish says the fish would be bred in better conditions than many of the world's farmed salmon, and could be…
September 19, 2010
A Star is Burns:Kent Brockman: [on TV] Tonight, we'll visit Springfield's answer to the Benidictine monks: the Rappin' Rabbis.
Rabbi: Don't eat pork, not even with a fork. [motions to cooked pig] Can't touch this!
Homer: Marge, are we Jewish?
Marge: No, Homer.
Homer: Woo hoo! [grabs a cooked pig,…
September 17, 2010
Lentiviruses, we think, are evolutionarily young.
For example-- you have retroviruses in your DNA (ERVs) from other genuses (genii?) genera of retrovirus that are millions and millions of years old. So we know those other genuses (genii?) genera are millions and millions of years old.
Lentiviruses…
September 16, 2010
I am so sick of this crap. BUT! A group in China made a really neat Real-Time PCR strategy for detecting XMRV, so Im still gonna write about it :)
Failure to detect xenotropic murine leukaemia virus-related virus in Chinese patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
Taqman Real-Time PCR is one of my…
September 15, 2010
Creationists cant deal with ERVs. They have no answer to the problems ERVs pose to Creationism. They have no alternative explanation for the weight ERVs lend to evilution.
However, this doesnt stop Creationists from bluffing/lying to save face in front of the True Believers.
One of the more…
September 13, 2010
Still writing my papers.
So I write/edit one all day, cant stand the sight of it any more, switch to the other paper. Cant stand the sight of it any more. Switch back. Get pissed off at EndNote. Check email. Stare at one of the papers for a while.
And then Im like 'OMG BLAAAAG! BLAAAAAAG!…
September 11, 2010
PARADE magazine has published a series of articles on pit bulls recently:
Michael Vick's Pit Bulls: Where Are They Now?Can You Teach a Bad Dog New Tricks?Top 5 Myths about Pit Bulls
Hehehehe. Amazing how many pit owners have the same "HE/SHE DESTROYED AN ENTIRE SOFA!!!" story. PRO-TIP-- Pits that…
September 9, 2010
Im going to have to add a 'C' to 'How kooks are made'-- The easy answers are rarely the right answers.
Heres what I mean-- Lets say scientists do a high-throughput screening on a whole bunch of compounds and find a protein made in bananas inhibits HIV-1 infection.
The 'easy' conclusions you make…
September 8, 2010
Im a voracious reader. Always have been. We didnt have cable or a lot of cool toys or anything growing up (dont feel sorry for me. we did get a NES when they came out, and a Tandy 2000) but Mom would always take us to the library for a new book at the drop of a hat.
But I dont read a lot of books…
September 7, 2010
HAHAHA!
Sweet.
Nick Singer is the current president of OKC Atheists. Hes ushered us through an absolutely massive growth spurt. Like, a so large it is actually kind of obnoxious growth spurt. We do at least a dozen activities a month, from parents and kids hanging out at the zoo or a museum to…
September 7, 2010
In about a month Im going to be speaking at the Texas Freethought Convention.
I can talk about anything.
Which means I dont know what to talk about.
I mean, I have lots of things I want to talk about, but I dont wanna be all "YEAHHHH!!!!", and the audience not give a rats ass about what I pick.
Im…
September 4, 2010
Well, I think its pretty obvious to ERV readers that I had nothing to do with this :P
OKC Coaltion of Reason
Leave your bets in the comments for if/how long it takes for the billboard to be vandalized. REMEMBER: Abbie wants to vandalize this board hardcore to get rid of that archaic fleck of spit…
September 3, 2010
What is it about ERVs that makes kooks cling desperately to them, like little 'gag-pol-env' life-rafts, as the kooks FAILboats sink into even further obscurity?
I think the general populations ignorance about ERVs is what kooks find so attractive. Kooks, like Creationists, can say any damn thing…
September 2, 2010
A long time ago, I think on Pharyngula, Richard Dawkins said something that really pissed me off. Its been so long ago I cant find the right comment thread anymore, but Dawkins said something regarding epigenetics along the lines of "Um... isnt this just a fancy word for transcription regulation…
September 1, 2010
Oh no...
Im genuinely crying over this.
Cedric the Tasmanian Devil died.
Here is the obvious reason for why I loved Cedric:
But I loved Cedric for scientific reasons too. I thought he was going to help us save Tasmanian Devils from extinction.
Dr. Alex Kreiss is the cute boy in that pic.Dr Kreiss…
September 1, 2010
Im writing a couple papers right now.
Which means when I get home, Im like 'YAY BLOGGIE TIME!... ugh, writing... ugh... gonna watch TV...'
It doesnt help Ive gotten all excited about a few papers I wanted to blog about, only to subsequently realize they werent as cool as I thought they were, so I…
August 30, 2010
NOH MY GAWD.
*calms down*
Okay, back story: I dont watch 'True Blood' until Monday nights. My weekends are super busy, so I just crash Sunday nights, and since there is nothing good on Monday nights until new 'Big Bang Theory' in a few weeks, I catch up on 'True Blood'.
Last night...
Last night,…
August 29, 2010
EDIT-- TIME ZONE FAIL! 11 am Central! LOL!!!
So this weekend there is a live blogtv blogathon to raise money for HIV Research!
I am not a member of the blogtv culture, so I have no idea whats going on, LOL, but you can watch it here!devchelle2- Broadcast your self LIVE
And you can donate here!
I…
August 27, 2010
Me: HAI GUYS! U NEED TO EAT GUD FUDS LIKE EGGS! EGGS ARE GUD AND CHEEP! LOL! YAY EAT EGGS U GET ABS LIKE ABS LOL!
News: Salmonella outbreak in eggs, Massive recalls
Me: FUUUUUUUUUU......
News: lol.
But thats not the only reason I bring this up. SciBlogs 'special' friend, HuffPo, scavenged an…
August 25, 2010
Ive gotten some fun nicknames from people on the internet.
You all have heard the 'PZs pitbull' one.
But my favorite nickname EVER I got on the SciBlogs back-channel: 'PZs epigone'
It was meant as an insult, but I really like 'epigone'. I pronounce it 'eh-pee-go-nay' in my head, like I pronounce '…