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Post by stevefrey on Mar 21, 2009 23:55:14 GMT -5
Hey FrenchFried Man...you've got some questions to answer bro! Hi Steve, I think that your research and knowledge of the sponge is to be applauded and it is definitely a morgellons theory worth pursuing and should be pursued by the science community along with several other theories. I am curious about the following and I asked you about some of these questions previously on YouTube: How do you think we humans became infected with the sponge?
Why are there dense pockets of victims in Texas, California and Florida?
Is it contagious?
If not, why do our pets become infected or how do our pets become infected, including birds, snakes, turtles (pets that do not usually sleep with their masters)?How would the sponge make bio-hazard signs, flower and heart shapes on the human body? Do you still think that copper might help cure or at least knock down the disease? And if so, why? Why does our hair hollow out and move around like a Medusa? I am really impressed with what you have accomplished. And I wish that I had one ounce of your intelligence and tenacity and I really like the way that you compose your posts. I hope that you are right. Abbie I wonder how our dear Abbie is anyway. I wonder how a free living Sponge can live as a parasitic creature...hum !?! Simple answers please...we're not all genius's like you ;D! And what is the big parasite that we all feel? And why are our fibers yet identifiable if it's this well studied sponge? I think infection can come in numerous ways, by direct contact with the organism while in it's natural habitat, water, or through eating seafood, particularly raw oysters since the boring sponge tends to prey on them, in some cases wiping out entire oyster beds, sushi also would be suspect in my opinion. Studies have shown that the dormant state of sponge gemmules is extremely resistant to harsh environments, so maybe even cooked seafood could be suspect. Aquariums could also be responsible, particularly salt water aquariums. I believe it is contagious but to what degree I am uncertain, certainly through close contact or sharing a bath or jacuzzi for instance where the organism would not have to leave a moist environment. I also tend to believe that there may be a genetic component that makes one more or less susceptible to it. There is also evidence to support what I am going to say next which I will not provide at this moment because it is lengthy but I believe the organism may at times be falling from the sky during storms, like I said there is evidence to support this. The pockets of victims in Texas, California and Florida is due to their proximity to shipping ports which is how I believe the organism has been spread around the world. If you take the maps at the MRF showing the locations of those registered and plot the locations of shipping ports on them you will find a definite correlation, not just the states as a whole but the specific areas of the states, San Francisco bay is a good example, a large majority of the cases in cal are in close proximity to the bay, same holds true with Florida and in Texas the gulf of Mexico is very popular vacation area for many Texans and students on spring break. Clearly the maps at the MRF worldwide show definite correlations with shipping ports, look at the UK, shipping ports line the entire seaboard. Regarding the free living sponge surviving as a parasite. First of all you must take into account the EXTREME adaptability of the species, study after study has shown this to be true. Until recently the sponge was considered to be exclusively a filter feeding organism, now we know that this is not true since the discovery of carnivorous sponges, an adaptation of this magnitude is next to incredible and has surprised everyone in the field. Another incredible adaptation is the discovery of amphibious sponges, again no one thought it was possible but yet it exists. I read one article where a colony of sponges resided in a body of water that had little movement so in order for the offspring to disperse from the original colony, which is important to keep from over populating one area, the colony created a pattern of movement that actually created waves in the water which moved the offspring away from the colony, tell me thats not an incredible adaptation. If the organism can indeed do what I am claiming it can, which is basically transform into something it's not, then how do we know that living within other organisms is not something it has always done? I'll address the rest of the questions in my next post.
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Post by stevefrey on Mar 24, 2009 0:28:51 GMT -5
Glass sponges are made up of large cell-like structures that are filled with cytoplasm and contain many nucleiPVNS produces large "giant" cells with many nuclei www.kneeandshoulder.md/print/print_pvns.html Pigmented villonodular synovitis of knee joint.
And the following images are spongesMaybe a coincidence, maybe not.
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Post by stevefrey on Mar 24, 2009 1:43:58 GMT -5
Crabby don't get pulled down the path of conspiracies and cover-ups, the fact of the matter is this is the most complex, multifaceted, bizarre condition to have ever infected human beings and because of this the Docs and Scientists working within their respective boxes haven't the vision to look beyond what they know nor the wisdom to even contemplate the reality of morgellons. Your going to hear every possible cause imaginable regarding the origin of this condition but take my word for it, it is one organism with a natural origin, it is not manmade and there is no conspiracy. and you can bet that I just ruffled a lot of feathers. Hi, Steve. I put a lot of weight in what you say, and it would help me (and perhaps all of us) if you could explain the reason for your being sure about this. It is certainly encouraging (to me, anyway) to hear what you are saying, and I want to believe it, but I need to understand better. Thanks. This will take many posts Violet but I will start by providing a logical explanation for the numerous organisms known to be associated with morgellons. Despite the tremendous opposition we face, all of us who suffer from this condition know that it is real. We know that the symptoms are bizarre, we know that this illness is not explainable within the boundaries of known science, but still we know it exists. If a logical explanation cannot be derived within the confines of known science then we must venture outside of "the box" because a logical explanation MUST exist, logic is the rule we must obey. So ask yourself how can logic explain the great many organisms that are known to be associated with morgellons. This idea that a compromised immune system is attracting all of these organisms is equivalent to grasping at straws, it's simply ridiculous and certainly not logical, neither are the theories involving manmade pathogens. Let's examine the list of organisms that the MRF has published as it's "primary organisms of interest". There are the Slime-Producing Bacteria: Myxobacteria, Cytophagales, Herpetosiphon, Cyanobacteria, the nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and the Filamentous, spore-producing bacteria: Actinomycetes. There is the slime molds, the water molds, the algae, the Chytridomycetes, the Zygomycetes, the Ascomycetes, and the yeasts. How can we logically explain the association of all of these organisms to one condition? Remember, we are not in "the box"anymore, we are outside of it, unrestrained by the known laws of science. Logic suggests that all of these organisms are connected, there must be a common denominator. What if there was an organism that could produce all of these different species, one organism harboring the genetic code of all the others and possessing the capability to process that code and replicate the others. If such an organism existed wouldn't that be the logical explanation we seek? Granted, science does not acknowledge the existence of such an organism, but the evidence, in the way of scientific facts and findings, does suggest the existence of such an organism, actually there are two organisms based upon the current scientific classification. Those organisms are the Poriferans (sponges) and the Placazoans(Trichoplax adhearens) and the evidence supporting this idea is overwhelming. All three domains of life, Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya, representing 16 phylums of bacteria including Agrobacterium, 681 stains of Fungi, over 75 invertebrate species, flies, mites, dinoflagellates, diatoms and mycoplasmas,all isolated from sponges, including an entire Phylum of bacteria as well as numerous other strains that are found only in sponges and no where else in the world. as many as 17,000 organisms living in single sponge colony, and science has no logical explanation for these unbelievable statistics. The associated microbial communities are fairly stable in both space and time. Each and every one of the organisms listed by the MRF as "organisms of primary interest" have not only been isolated from sponges but they fall within the group of organisms most commonly found in sponges.Is it really that much of a stretch of the imagination to suggest the idea that one organism can replicate another organism by copying it's genetic code? Doesn't this idea provide a logical explanation for what currently has no explanation?
In 2007 after sequencing the genome of the demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica science discovered that this sponge possesses a nearly complete set of post-synaptic protein homologs used to create the human nervous system, an interesting discovery considering the fact that sponges have nothing even remotely resembling a nervous system, so why do they possess the components of one? Quoting from the case definition at the MRF "Common physical findings include abnormal Romberg, peripheral neuropathy in ALL (feet, and in some cases fingers), abnormal reflexes, verifiable, probably neuropathic pain and recurrent brain control abnormalities affecting motor function", there should be no question that the morgellons organism targets the nerves which provides the explanation for why the sponge has the components of a human nervous system, it copied them from us. Science would like you to believe that the sponge possesses these components because we supossedly evolved from them, but if thats the case then why doesn't every organism in between us and the sponge possess these components? Macrofauna associated to Mycale microsigmatosa www.poriferabrasil.mn.ufrj.br/3-grupos/muricyg/pdfs/Ribeiro%20(03)%20Macrofauna%20associated%20to%20Mycale%20microsigmatosa.pdfSPONGE GENOMES The sponge Oscarella carmela has The Largest Set of Genes in Animal mtDNA encoding thousand of proteins, including many sophisticated proteins involved in higher order processes and biological functions found so far exclusively in higher animals. The nuclear genome of humans contains 3 billion base pairs, the nuclear genome of Trichoplax adhearens is the smallest of all animals at only 98 million, but carries over 11,500 genes in that little space. These genes clearly mark it as an animal; over 87 percent of them show up in other animal genomes. What's more, these genes are structured more or less the same as they are in vertebrates. It's mitochondrial genome however is the largest of all the animals. These large and complex genomes combined with the staggering number of organisms found to exist within a sponge colony strongly support the theory I am proposing regarding the Poriferans and Placozoans ability to copy and store the genetic code of other organisms and the ability to replicate those organisms as well. The complexity of sponge genomes crosbi.znanstvenici.hr/prikazi-rad?chset=ASCII&lang=EN&rad=249353
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Post by violet on Mar 24, 2009 11:07:12 GMT -5
Hi, Steve. I put a lot of weight in what you say, and it would help me (and perhaps all of us) if you could explain the reason for your being sure about this. It is certainly encouraging (to me, anyway) to hear what you are saying, and I want to believe it, but I need to understand better. Thanks. This will take many posts Violet but I will start by providing a logical explanation for the numerous organisms known to be associated with morgellons. Despite the tremendous opposition we face, all of us who suffer from this condition know that it is real. We know that the symptoms are bizarre, we know that this illness is not explainable within the boundaries of known science, but still we know it exists. If a logical explanation cannot be derived within the confines of known science then we must venture outside of "the box" because a logical explanation MUST exist, logic is the rule we must obey. So ask yourself how can logic explain the great many organisms that are known to be associated with morgellons. This idea that a compromised immune system is attracting all of these organisms is equivalent to grasping at straws, it's simply ridiculous and certainly not logical, neither are the theories involving manmade pathogens. Let's examine the list of organisms that the MRF has published as it's "primary organisms of interest". There are the Slime-Producing Bacteria: Myxobacteria, Cytophagales, Herpetosiphon, Cyanobacteria, the nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and the Filamentous, spore-producing bacteria: Actinomycetes. There is the slime molds, the water molds, the algae, the Chytridomycetes, the Zygomycetes, the Ascomycetes, and the yeasts. How can we logically explain the association of all of these organisms to one condition? Remember, we are not in "the box"anymore, we are outside of it, unrestrained by the known laws of science. Logic suggests that all of these organisms are connected, there must be a common denominator. What if there was an organism that could produce all of these different species, one organism harboring the genetic code of all the others and possessing the capability to process that code and replicate the others. If such an organism existed wouldn't that be the logical explanation we seek? Granted, science does not acknowledge the existence of such an organism, but the evidence, in the way of scientific facts and findings, does suggest the existence of such an organism, actually there are two organisms based upon the current scientific classification. Those organisms are the Poriferans (sponges) and the Placazoans(Trichoplax adhearens) and the evidence supporting this idea is overwhelming. All three domains of life, Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya, representing 16 phylums of bacteria including Agrobacterium, 681 stains of Fungi, over 75 invertebrate species, flies, mites, dinoflagellates, diatoms and mycoplasmas,all isolated from sponges, including an entire Phylum of bacteria as well as numerous other strains that are found only in sponges and no where else in the world. as many as 17,000 organisms living in single sponge colony, and science has no logical explanation for these unbelievable statistics. The associated microbial communities are fairly stable in both space and time. Each and every one of the organisms listed by the MRF as "organisms of primary interest" have not only been isolated from sponges but they fall within the group of organisms most commonly found in sponges.Is it really that much of a stretch of the imagination to suggest the idea that one organism can replicate another organism by copying it's genetic code? Doesn't this idea provide a logical explanation for what currently has no explanation?
In 2007 after sequencing the genome of the demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica science discovered that this sponge possesses a nearly complete set of post-synaptic protein homologs used to create the human nervous system, an interesting discovery considering the fact that sponges have nothing even remotely resembling a nervous system, so why do they possess the components of one? Quoting from the case definition at the MRF "Common physical findings include abnormal Romberg, peripheral neuropathy in ALL (feet, and in some cases fingers), abnormal reflexes, verifiable, probably neuropathic pain and recurrent brain control abnormalities affecting motor function", there should be no question that the morgellons organism targets the nerves which provides the explanation for why the sponge has the components of a human nervous system, it copied them from us. Science would like you to believe that the sponge possesses these components because we supossedly evolved from them, but if thats the case then why doesn't every organism in between us and the sponge possess these components? SPONGE GENOMES The sponge Oscarella carmela has The Largest Set of Genes in Animal mtDNA encoding thousand of proteins, including many sophisticated proteins involved in higher order processes and biological functions found so far exclusively in higher animals. The nuclear genome of humans contains 3 billion base pairs, the nuclear genome of Trichoplax adhearens is the smallest of all animals at only 98 million, but carries over 11,500 genes in that little space. These genes clearly mark it as an animal; over 87 percent of them show up in other animal genomes. What's more, these genes are structured more or less the same as they are in vertebrates. It's mitochondrial genome however is the largest of all the animals. These large and complex genomes combined with the staggering number of organisms found to exist within a sponge colony strongly support the theory I am proposing regarding the Poriferans and Placozoans ability to copy and store the genetic code of other organisms and the ability to replicate those organisms as well. Steve, thank you so much for this post. It really causes us to think seriously that this could be what is going on. It makes a lot of sense in an otherwise very non-sensical condition as Morgellons. What was it that first got you into thinking it could be the sponge? Had you studied sponges previously?
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Post by violet on Mar 24, 2009 11:12:52 GMT -5
All of my life I have been a logical thinker with a scientific mind. I trusted science, believing that they wouldn't make claims if they weren't supported by facts, this compelled me to believe in the THEORY of evolution, which in turn compelled me to discredit the idea of Creation. Then I began this quest in search of the origin of morgellons resulting in the theory I now solicit. My complete and unwaivering belief in this theory has made me realize that Science may not be all they claim to be or know all they claim to know. Seeing the world the way I do now I simply cannot buy into the theory of evolution anymore. I look at everything now with virtually no boundaries, I have a completely open mind, I could not be taking the stand I do otherwise. This complete lack of progress dealing with the study of morgellons is totally understandable when you consider the mindset of the science community, and I fear that we are in for a long haul because of it. A good example of what I am talking about can be found here at this website, these guys are so righteous that it would take a act of God for them to be able to get out of their little tiny box in which they live, I find it rather disappointing myself. scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/07/there_are_no_limits_to_creatio.phpI always love to hear of someone finding out on their own the fallacies of the THEORY of evolution. There is so much just basic to evolution that stops me dead in my tracks from believing it, one thing being that any evolution we know for SURE has taken place has been within its own species, and the "evolution" is actually only modification of the species (such as people having become taller over time, as one example). When different species mix, horse and donkey producing a mule, for instance, the mule cannot further breed. God tells us in the Bible that He made "each after its own kind." I believe it. And further--and perhaps even more basic--how in the world can ANYONE believe that our bodies--our incredibly, incredibly complex bodies--could EVER have just kind of formed on their own. They are in themselves strong evidence for having been created. It would take more faith for me to believe otherwise than it does to believe in a God I have never seen, but whom I am convinced is real.
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Post by stevefrey on Mar 24, 2009 13:01:50 GMT -5
Steve, thank you so much for this post. It really causes us to think seriously that this could be what is going on. It makes a lot of sense in an otherwise very non-sensical condition as Morgellons. What was it that first got you into thinking it could be the sponge? Had you studied sponges previously?
I was totally ignorant to the world of marine biology prior to beginning this journey, I have since loaded my brain with knowledge and that I love, and all using the incredible power of the internet.
On the very first day that I began to search for answers some two and half years ago I entered the words "organism" and "fiber" into the search engine, within minutes I stumbled upon an article about the sponge. My reaction was like everyone else, I thought, no way could this be it, not even remotely logical. But I read the article anyway and I was amused that the sponge possessed characteristics that could answer a number of questions associated with morgellons, but even then I didn't take it seriously, in fact that day I posted at Morgellons-disease-research.com more or less pointing out the similarities between the two, but it was in a manner like hey isn't this a funny coincidence, I was not at all serious. Over the course of the next few days I couldn't stop thinking about those similarities, they just kept weighing on my mind so I looked a little bit further, and a little further, and soon it got to where I felt compelled to keep going, like I couldn't get away from it if I tried, which by the way is how I have felt ever since, I can't get away from this no matter what I do. Just like the compelling feeling I had to pursue it I eventually acquired a level of confidence that is simply unexplainable, I mean who am I to be making a claim of such magnitude, claiming to have discovered something that is so huge and with implications that affect everything on the planet when everyone else since the beginning of our existence has overlooked it. I know I am intelligent but certainly I am not the smartest person to have ever lived. Well these feelings forced me to open my mind to greater things, to the possibility that maybe I am being guided on this path, and I just want to point out that when I began this journey I was as close to being an atheist as one could get without actually proclaiming it. Over the course of time I have actually had two individuals, whom both have very strong faith, tell me that they feel that God is pulling them in my direction, this of course was a pretty powerful affirmation. But I had a problem, why me, why would I be the one to be guided in pursuit of the answer to our problem. I have since come up with a logical answer to that question that at least makes since in my mind. Maybe I was the first person to have ever looked at the sponge in the capacity in which I did, the first person to have ever contemplated it's involvement in the destruction that has been going on, in my opinion, for hundreds of millions of years, and maybe this got someones attention, and I don't think I need to say who that is, I don't want anybody to think that I feel like I am some kind of saint, I'm just a guy on a mission. So there you have it, and onward we go.
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Post by violet on Mar 24, 2009 13:08:16 GMT -5
Steve, thank you so much for this post. It really causes us to think seriously that this could be what is going on. It makes a lot of sense in an otherwise very non-sensical condition as Morgellons. What was it that first got you into thinking it could be the sponge? Had you studied sponges previously?On the very first day that I began to search for answers some two and half years ago I entered the words "organism" and "fiber" into the search engine, within minutes I stumbled upon an article about the sponge. My reaction was like everyone else, I thought, no way could this be it, not even remotely logical. But I read the article anyway and I was amused that the sponge possessed characteristics that could answer a number of questions associated with morgellons, but even then I didn't take it seriously, in fact that day I posted at Morgellons-disease-research.com more or less pointing out the similarities between the two, but it was in a manner like hey isn't this a funny coincidence, I was not at all serious. Over the course of the next few days I couldn't stop thinking about those similarities, they just kept weighing on my mind so I looked a little bit further, and a little further, and soon it got to where I felt compelled to keep going, like I couldn't get away from it if I tried, which by the way is how I have felt ever since, I can't get away from this no matter what I do. Just like the compelling feeling I had to pursue it I eventually acquired a level of confidence that is simply unexplainable, I mean who am I to be making a claim of such magnitude, claiming to have discovered something that is so huge and with implications that affect everything on the planet when everyone else since the beginning of our existence has overlooked it. I know I am intelligent but certainly I am not the smartest person to have ever lived. Well these feelings forced me to open my mind to greater things, to the possibility that maybe I am being guided on this path, and I just want to point out that when I began this journey I was as close to being an atheist as one could get without actually proclaiming it. Over the course of time I have actually had two individuals, whom both have very strong faith, tell me that they feel that God is pulling them in my direction, this of course was a pretty powerful affirmation. But I had a problem, why me, why would I be the one to be guided in pursuit of the answer to our problem. I have since come up with a logical answer to that question that at least makes since in my mind. Maybe I was the first person to have ever looked at the sponge in the capacity in which I did, the first person to have ever contemplated it's involvement in the destruction that has been going on, in my opinion, for hundreds of millions of years, and maybe this got someones attention, and I don't think I need to say who that is, I don't want anybody to think that I feel like I am some kind of saint, I'm just a guy on a mission. So there you have it, and onward we go. Yay, Steve!!!!!! Onward and upward!! I loved reading this.
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Post by violet on Mar 24, 2009 14:05:04 GMT -5
Steve, thank you so much for this post. It really causes us to think seriously that this could be what is going on. It makes a lot of sense in an otherwise very non-sensical condition as Morgellons. What was it that first got you into thinking it could be the sponge? Had you studied sponges previously?I was totally ignorant to the world of marine biology prior to beginning this journey, I have since loaded my brain with knowledge and that I love, and all using the incredible power of the internet. On the very first day that I began to search for answers some two and half years ago I entered the words "organism" and "fiber" into the search engine, within minutes I stumbled upon an article about the sponge. My reaction was like everyone else, I thought, no way could this be it, not even remotely logical. But I read the article anyway and I was amused that the sponge possessed characteristics that could answer a number of questions associated with morgellons, but even then I didn't take it seriously, in fact that day I posted at Morgellons-disease-research.com more or less pointing out the similarities between the two, but it was in a manner like hey isn't this a funny coincidence, I was not at all serious. Over the course of the next few days I couldn't stop thinking about those similarities, they just kept weighing on my mind so I looked a little bit further, and a little further, and soon it got to where I felt compelled to keep going, like I couldn't get away from it if I tried, which by the way is how I have felt ever since, I can't get away from this no matter what I do. Just like the compelling feeling I had to pursue it I eventually acquired a level of confidence that is simply unexplainable, I mean who am I to be making a claim of such magnitude, claiming to have discovered something that is so huge and with implications that affect everything on the planet when everyone else since the beginning of our existence has overlooked it. I know I am intelligent but certainly I am not the smartest person to have ever lived. Well these feelings forced me to open my mind to greater things, to the possibility that maybe I am being guided on this path, and I just want to point out that when I began this journey I was as close to being an atheist as one could get without actually proclaiming it. Over the course of time I have actually had two individuals, whom both have very strong faith, tell me that they feel that God is pulling them in my direction, this of course was a pretty powerful affirmation. But I had a problem, why me, why would I be the one to be guided in pursuit of the answer to our problem. I have since come up with a logical answer to that question that at least makes since in my mind. Maybe I was the first person to have ever looked at the sponge in the capacity in which I did, the first person to have ever contemplated it's involvement in the destruction that has been going on, in my opinion, for hundreds of millions of years, and maybe this got someones attention, and I don't think I need to say who that is, I don't want anybody to think that I feel like I am some kind of saint, I'm just a guy on a mission. So there you have it, and onward we go. Steve, have you shared all of this with Dr. Randy Wymore? Sure hope so. I'm guessing that if you did, though, you probably couldn't share his thoughts on it....? Would also be extremely interested in what Dr. Citovsky at Stony Brook would think... Hope your theory is brought up at the Morgellons conference on April 4!
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Post by stevefrey on Mar 24, 2009 15:05:57 GMT -5
Steve, have you shared all of this with Dr. Randy Wymore? Sure hope so. I'm guessing that if you did, though, you probably couldn't share his thoughts on it....? Would also be extremely interested in what Dr. Citovsky at Stony Brook would think... Hope your theory is brought up at the Morgellons conference on April 4!
I exchanged some correspondence with Randy a couple of years ago but I hadn't fully developed my case at that time, I was focusing on one of the "replicas" that I believe at least some people experience, the bryozoan, this was before I came to the conclusion that it was just one of many forms of life that the sponge was creating. To be honest I think my theory will be a tough sale to the science community because of how radical it appears at first glance. Most of the Scientists have difficulty in opening their minds to something that they didn't learn in school, just like the doctors. Randy did however tell me that the hypothesis that I was proposing was one of the most well thought out ones he had seen to date but it didn't go any further than that, he surely gets bombarded with theories and trying to decide whether or not to give them any attention must certainly be a chore.
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Post by kammy on Mar 24, 2009 17:25:45 GMT -5
Hi Steve,
I'm over here to help you in whatever way I can. I agree with part of your theory, as we discussed this morning, and I agree that the marine aspect of Morgellons could be 'the original source'... however, I don't know if you follow Dr. Staninger? She just recently reported that the Morgellons fibers are not in the Archaea nor Eukarya branches.
However, I'm willing to agree that a part of Morgellons has a marine life pathogen quality to it. What we all have in common is the biofilm aspect of the disease - have you looked at what marine life are capable of creating a biofilm? I'll see if I can't find my research on marine life biofilm pathogens.
And, also, on the coast of Australia they have a red algae that eats biofilm better than anything known and are in the process of harvesting it to put into medicines. Has this been disgussed?
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Post by kammy on Mar 24, 2009 17:50:49 GMT -5
This is highly suspect that it could have been introduced in the Morgellons "Cocktail": www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/science/july-dec08/jelleyfish_10-08.html"Study of Glowing Jellyfish Nets Nobel Prize for Trio One Japanese and two American scientists won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for discovering and developing a glowing jellyfish protein that has revolutionized the way researchers study disease and normal development in living organisms. Japan's Osamu Shimomura, now of the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts, and Americans Martin Chalfie of Columbia University and Roger Tsien of the University of California-San Diego shared the $1.4 million prize for their work on green fluorescent protein, or GFP. "The remarkable brightly glowing green fluorescent protein, GFP, was first observed in the beautiful jellyfish, Aequorea victoria in 1962," the Nobel Committee for Chemistry said in a statement. "Since then, this protein has become one of the most important tools used in contemporary bioscience." Shimomura first isolated GFP from jellyfish drifting off the western coast of North America and in 1962 discovered that it glowed bright green under ultraviolet light. For 20 years from 1967, he made a summer pilgrimage to Washington state to gather more than 3,000 jellyfish per day. Chalfie and colleagues 30 years later got bacteria such as E. coli and tiny worms called C. elegans to produce the protein by splicing in the right gene. The green color of the jellyfish protein appears under blue and ultraviolet light, allowing researchers to illuminate tumor cells, trace toxins and monitor genes as they turn on and off. Tsien later developed GFP-like proteins that produced a variety of colors so that multiple proteins or cells can be followed simultaneously. "We can simply look inside an animal and say where has this gene been turned on, when is it turned on and when the protein is made, where does it go?" Chalfie told Reuters in a telephone interview. "They have their own flashlight telling you where they are." John Frangioni, associate professor of medicine and radiology at Harvard Medical School, told the Associated Press: "This is a technology that has literally transformed medical research. For the first time, scientists could study both genes and proteins in living cells and in living animals." The award includes the money, a diploma and an invitation to the prize ceremonies in Stockholm and Oslo on Dec. 10." Also, here's the info on the seaweed/red algae company: Biosignal, an Australian biotech company, is trying to prevent biofilms from forming on medical devices in the first place. Its product is derived from a type of seaweed called Delisea pulchra that is found off the Australian coast. Although many surfaces in the ocean are covered with biofilm, the leaves of this plant are not. That's because they produce chemicals called furanones that prevent biofilm formation.
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Post by violet on Mar 24, 2009 17:51:53 GMT -5
Hi Steve, I'm over here to help you in whatever way I can. I agree with part of your theory, as we discussed this morning, and I agree that the marine aspect of Morgellons could be 'the original source'... however, I don't know if you follow Dr. Staninger? She just recently reported that the Morgellons fibers are not in the Archaea nor Eukarya branches. However, I'm willing to agree that a part of Morgellons has a marine life pathogen quality to it. What we all have in common is the biofilm aspect of the disease - have you looked at what marine life are capable of creating a biofilm? I'll see if I can't find my research on marine life biofilm pathogens. And, also, on the coast of Australia they have a red algae that eats biofilm better than anything known and are in the process of harvesting it to put into medicines. Has this been disgussed? Interesting you would mention an algae from Australia. I was just reading about a Professor of Phamacology, Jun Liu, who is studying a natural compound that may disrupt protein translation, like antibiotics do. Several years ago. Liu came across a study showing that the New Zealand marine sponge Mycale contained a compound with potent tumor-killing properties. Intrigued, Liue began his own investigation and discovered that the compound inhibits protein translation. He is now continuing those studies in animal models, research he hopes will lead to clinical studies."
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Post by kammy on Mar 24, 2009 17:56:21 GMT -5
From Wikipedia:
"Bacterial capsule polysaccharides
Pathogenic bacteria commonly produce a thick, mucous-like, layer of polysaccharide. This "capsule" cloaks antigenic proteins on the bacterial surface that would otherwise provoke an immune response and thereby lead to the destruction of the bacteria. Bacteria and many other microbes, including fungi and algae, often secrete polysaccharides as an evolutionary adaptation to help them adhere to surfaces and to prevent them from drying out. Humans have developed some of these polysaccharides into useful products, including xanthan gum, dextran, gellan gum, and pullulan.
Cell-surface polysaccharides play diverse roles in bacterial ecology and physiology. They serve as a barrier between the cell wall and the environment, mediate host-pathogen interactions, and form structural components of biofilms.
These polysaccharides are synthesized from nucleotide-activated precursors (called nucleotide sugars) and, in most cases, all the enzymes necessary for biosynthesis, assembly and transport of the completed polymer are encoded by genes organized in dedicated clusters within the genome of the organism. Lipopolysaccharide is one of the most important cell-surface polysaccharides, as it plays a key structural role in outer membrane integrity, as well as being an important mediator of host-pathogen interactions.
The enzymes that make the A-band (homopolymeric) and B-band (heteropolymeric) O-antigens have been identified and the metabolic pathways defined.[2] The exopolysaccharide alginate is a linear copolymer of â-1,4-linked D-mannuronic acid and L-guluronic acid residues, and is responsible for the mucoid phenotype of late-stage cystic fibrosis disease. The pel and psl loci are two recently discovered gene clusters that also encode exopolysaccharides found to be important for biofilm formation. Rhamnolipid is a biosurfactant whose production is tightly regulated at the transcriptional level, but the precise role that it plays in disease is not well understood at present. Protein glycosylation, particularly of pilin and flagellin, is a recent focus of research by several groups and it has been shown to be important for adhesion and invasion during bacterial infection.[3]"
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Post by violet on Mar 24, 2009 18:17:07 GMT -5
This is highly suspect that it could have been introduced in the Morgellons "Cocktail": www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/science/july-dec08/jelleyfish_10-08.html"Study of Glowing Jellyfish Nets Nobel Prize for Trio One Japanese and two American scientists won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for discovering and developing a glowing jellyfish protein that has revolutionized the way researchers study disease and normal development in living organisms. Japan's Osamu Shimomura, now of the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts, and Americans Martin Chalfie of Columbia University and Roger Tsien of the University of California-San Diego shared the $1.4 million prize for their work on green fluorescent protein, or GFP. "The remarkable brightly glowing green fluorescent protein, GFP, was first observed in the beautiful jellyfish, Aequorea victoria in 1962," the Nobel Committee for Chemistry said in a statement. "Since then, this protein has become one of the most important tools used in contemporary bioscience." Shimomura first isolated GFP from jellyfish drifting off the western coast of North America and in 1962 discovered that it glowed bright green under ultraviolet light. For 20 years from 1967, he made a summer pilgrimage to Washington state to gather more than 3,000 jellyfish per day. Chalfie and colleagues 30 years later got bacteria such as E. coli and tiny worms called C. elegans to produce the protein by splicing in the right gene. The green color of the jellyfish protein appears under blue and ultraviolet light, allowing researchers to illuminate tumor cells, trace toxins and monitor genes as they turn on and off. Tsien later developed GFP-like proteins that produced a variety of colors so that multiple proteins or cells can be followed simultaneously. "We can simply look inside an animal and say where has this gene been turned on, when is it turned on and when the protein is made, where does it go?" Chalfie told Reuters in a telephone interview. "They have their own flashlight telling you where they are." John Frangioni, associate professor of medicine and radiology at Harvard Medical School, told the Associated Press: "This is a technology that has literally transformed medical research. For the first time, scientists could study both genes and proteins in living cells and in living animals." The award includes the money, a diploma and an invitation to the prize ceremonies in Stockholm and Oslo on Dec. 10." Also, here's the info on the seaweed/red algae company: Biosignal, an Australian biotech company, is trying to prevent biofilms from forming on medical devices in the first place. Its product is derived from a type of seaweed called Delisea pulchra that is found off the Australian coast. Although many surfaces in the ocean are covered with biofilm, the leaves of this plant are not. That's because they produce chemicals called furanones that prevent biofilm formation. Have you also heard about the development of vibrating catheters (not able to be felt by those using them)? The vibration keeps the biofilm from being able to be produced, a real problem with catheters.
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Post by stevefrey on Mar 24, 2009 18:52:11 GMT -5
I'm over here to help you in whatever way I can. I agree with part of your theory, as we discussed this morning, and I agree that the marine aspect of Morgellons could be 'the original source'... however, I don't know if you follow Dr. Staninger? She just recently reported that the Morgellons fibers are not in the Archaea nor Eukarya branches. First I would like to thank you guys for your interest, hopefully we can generate much more. Regarding Dr Staninger, I like to believe that her initial reports about the morgellons fibers resembling man-made fiber optics are substantiated because this provides rock solid support to the sponge theory because the sponge makes these very fibers. I wish that someone who knows her would bring this to her attention because I think it just might prompt her to reconsider her stand on this issue. I'm sure she is sincere in her efforts and I would love to have her on my side. www.seasabres.com/\Safty-education\Education\marinelife\spongefiber.htmThe topic of fibers gets very in-depth because the spicules/fibers created by sponges are so variable, they come in every size and shape and can be composed of either calcium carbonate, silica, collagen or a combination of these and much of the diversity is dependent upon their environment. Since the human body is not an environment they are known to reside in there is no way to know what these spicules/fibers would be comprised of.
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Post by stevefrey on Mar 24, 2009 19:07:29 GMT -5
However, I'm willing to agree that a part of Morgellons has a marine life pathogen quality to it. What we all have in common is the biofilm aspect of the disease - have you looked at what marine life are capable of creating a biofilm? I'll see if I can't find my research on marine life biofilm pathogens.
I need to invest a lot more time into the biofilm component but my current thoughts are that a biofilm is in essence the sponge itself. I say this because I have read studies where attempts were made to cultivate sponges in the laboratory and these attempts resulted in the sponge literally spreading itself out over the medium in a thin film just like a biofilm and considering the fact that the guts of my theory suggests that the sponge can produce a wide variety of organisms this could fully explain the existence of biofilms. I am currently unable to reference these articles because I don't know where I put them or if I booked marked them at all but I will try to find them.
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Post by stevefrey on Mar 24, 2009 19:22:07 GMT -5
Interesting you would mention an algae from Australia. I was just reading about a Professor of Phamacology, Jun Liu, who is studying a natural compound that may disrupt protein translation, like antibiotics do. Several years ago. Liu came across a study showing that the New Zealand marine sponge Mycale contained a compound with potent tumor-killing properties. Intrigued, Liue began his own investigation and discovered that the compound inhibits protein translation. He is now continuing those studies in animal models, research he hopes will lead to clinical studies."
If you do any research on sponges it doesn't long to realize just how much science is using the compounds that the sponge makes to treat diseases, the very diseases that I think it is causing, but doesn't this make sense, it's similar to an antibiotic or fighting fire with fire. The sponge can control the processes causing diseases because it initially caused the processes to begin.
It was just a month or two ago that I heard on the radio that a new compound has been discovered that may aid in fighting the anti-biotic resistant bacteria, guess where that compound comes from, the sponge. It is my belief that those anti-biotic resistant bacteria are not true bacteria but rather a sponge in a bacteria costume, or in other words one of the replicas created by the sponge using the bacterias genetic code tainted with some of it's own DNA, giving the bacteria unique and powerful characteristics that other bacteria within it's classification don't have.
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Post by stevefrey on Mar 24, 2009 19:45:05 GMT -5
Pathogenic bacteria commonly produce a thick, mucous-like, layer of polysaccharide. This "capsule" cloaks antigenic proteins on the bacterial surface that would otherwise provoke an immune response and thereby lead to the destruction of the bacteria.
The sponge produces polysaccharides, often novel ones, I have just begun to research this aspect but one of my thoughts regarding the slime producing bacterias is that maybe the slime, or mucous is actually the sponge itself, or at least a component of it because thats really what a sponge is, it's just a blob of slime when not supported by the spicules it creates to support itself, and not all sponges create such spicules.
Just keep in mind that just because you may not find reference to the sponge in a particular form does not mean that it can't be, because the organism continues to surprise Science with it's EXTREME adaptability. The little devil has managed to survive for at least 650 million years and possibly as long as 1.5 billion years even through times when the earth was a snowball, no other animal can make this claim, it is the most unique as well as the oldest animal on the planet. ;D
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Post by stevefrey on Mar 25, 2009 2:03:48 GMT -5
One step closer to revealing the truth about what is going on, the identification of sponge spicules embedded in the eye. Of course they assume that the spicules got into the eyes of these kids because they swam in water inhabited by sponges but they cannot explain how they got embedded. I say they they didn't enter the eye while swimming, they grew in the eye because of the presence of a sponge. www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02762006000800013&tlng=en&lng=en&nrm=iso
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Post by stevefrey on Mar 25, 2009 11:07:36 GMT -5
I could spend an enormous amount of time addressing the "Sponge-Associated Microorganisms" in an effort to prove my theory of "Replication" but I simply have to draw the line somewhere. If what I have provided here so far has not yet convinced you that the sponge does indeed replicate other organisms then I strongly encourage you to read this article because the authors have gone to great lengths trying to explain their findings, but are unsuccessful. They discuss every conceivable possibility with one exception, that exception is the theory I am proposing, there is no other explanation, it's as simple as that. Read the article, it is the most in-depth study on this topic ever written. Sponge-Associated Microorganismsmmbr.asm.org/cgi/content/full/71/2/295
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