A puzzle

I decided to try something new.  Below, are several summarized news items that I found in various newspapers.  As you read them try to find the theme of this column.  Don’t cheat by reading the last paragraph, where all will be revealed.  But if you absolutely can’t wait, it’s okay.    

Item:  Telecommunications researchers in Japan are attempting to create electronic sensors that can receive information from the brain and manipulate our neural pathways.   Dr Keiichi Torimitsu, says the research is more likely to provide relief for people with Parkinson's disease or overcoming a stroke.  Location:  Japan

Item:  Successfully teleported wave packets of light will potentially revolutionizing quantum communications and computing.  They say it will make possible high-speed, high-fidelity transmission of large volumes of information, such as quantum encryption keys, via communications networks.  Location: Japan

Item:  Staph bacteria contaminated nearly half of U.S. meat samples in a recent analysis, with 96 percent of bacteria showing resistance to at least one type of drug.  The most common bacteria found was Staphylococcus aureus, which showed genetic differences and varying levels of drug resistance based on the type of meat it was found in.  Location:  U.S.A.

Item: Pesticide exposure in the womb means a lower IQ later on in life.  Three studies featured in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives seem to support that conclusion.  Direct exposure to certain insecticides earlier in life (in the womb) is associated with neurological problems.  They found that an increase of certain chemicals in cord blood was associated with worse IQ levels and working memory at the age of 7.  Location:  U.S.A.

Item:  Jamie Simon worked on a barge in the oily waters for six months following the BP spill last year… One year later, the 32 year old said she still suffers from a range of debilitating health problems.  She blames toxic elements in the crude oil and the dispersants sprayed to dissolve it after the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010.  Location: U.S.A.

Item: From a recent poll:  Only 51 percent of Americans in the poll had significant worries about climate change, while 48 percent said they didn't worry much at all about the issue.  This contrasts with other data showing that 97 percent of scientists agree that climate change is happening. Location: U.S.A.

Item:  In a study featured in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, researchers found an association between major depressive disorder, also known as clinical depression, and increased music listening among 106 preteens and teens.  Location: U.S.A.

Item:   A last-minute federal budget deal that was worked out just in time to avert a possible government shutdown includes cuts and compromises that will trim funding for science-funding agencies including the National Institutes of Health.  President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats struck a deal with Republican leaders in the House of Representatives for fiscal year 2011, which closes at the end of September, cutting around $38 billion in total funds from discretionary spending, including a reduction of $260 million at NIH, or around 0.8 percent from its 2010 budget.  Location:  U.S.A.

My theme?   Our food is being contaminated by super-bugs and pesticides.  Our popular music, which reflects the coarsening of our values, depresses our children.  Our environment is being poisoned and our climate is changing but we’re not concerned about it.  What are we doing?  Cutting the science budget.  We will make sure that the one group of people who can find answers to these problems isn’t able to find them.  The two items about science’s progress in Japan isn’t about how wonderful the Japanese are.  It’s to remind us that smaller countries with fewer financial resources are advancing science while we inhibit it.  Science is not the real loser.  We are.  There must be some good news in this story.  Yes, of course.  The Bush tax cuts have been preserved.

Robert DeFilippis