so did you see the idiot report?

oceania · 06-07-2006, 11:37 AM

International Scientific Team 'Confirms' Chimps Origin Of HIV
by Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press

May 25, 2006 - 5:00 pm ET

(Washington) Twenty-five years after the first AIDS cases emerged, scientists have confirmed that the HIV virus plaguing humans really did originate in wild chimpanzees, in a corner of Cameroon.

Solving the mystery of HIV's ancestry was dirty work. Scientists employed trackers to plunge through dense jungle and collect the fresh feces of wild apes — more than 1,300 samples in all.

Before that, it took seven years of research just to develop the testing methods to genetically trace the primate version of the virus in living wild chimps without hurting the endangered species.

Until now, "no one was able to look. No one had the tools," said Dr. Beatrice Hahn of the University of Alabama at Birmingham

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okay but who cares where it started
should the concentration of scientific dollars be on a cure?

article at http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/05/052506hiv.htm

(Washington) Twenty-five years after the first AIDS cases emerged, scientists have confirmed that the HIV virus plaguing humans really did originate in wild chimpanzees, in a corner of Cameroon.

**DonMike** · 06-07-2006, 12:48 PM

Anyone see the movie "Zero Patience"? It was a musical about these museum people trying to put all the blame on the AIDS epidemic on Patient Zero, a flight attendant in the 70's who supposedly was one of the first cases and spread it all over the United States. The point of the movie is that we shouldn't spend all this time pointing fingers and blame but rather we should put our efforts into finding a cure. It's not a terribly good movie and is really dated now, and sort of plays out like an adult afterschool special. But this thing about finding the sources is what made me think about it.

On the other hand, if they found the exact origins of the disease, is it possible this could be a key in finding a cure?