POSSIBLE HIV CURE IN CROCODILE BLOOD?

Mood music.

From CNN courtesy of AlterNet:

Scientists in Australia's tropical north are collecting blood from crocodiles in the hope of developing a powerful antibiotic for humans, after tests showed that the reptile's immune system kills the HIV virus.

The crocodile's immune system is much more powerful than that of humans, preventing life-threatening infections after savage territorial fights which often leave the animals with gaping wounds and missing limbs.

"They tear limbs off each other and despite the fact that they live in this environment with all these microbes, they heal up very rapidly and normally almost always without infection," said U.S. scientist Mark Merchant, who has been taking crocodile blood samples in the Northern Territory.

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Well, I've heard about possible HIV cures before, and it always comes to nothing. But, then, scientists have been trying to figure out this Gordian Knot of a virus for a couple of decades now, so why not crocodile blood? Here's hoping there's something to it. Not only would a cure save millions of lives worldwide, it would also go a long way toward removing the sex=sin=death moral meme that the religious right has effectively used to virtually destroy the very serious conversation about sexual health this nation was having before AIDS hit the scene.

Of course, a possible downside is that any crocodile blood cure might inadvertantly turn humans into mindless lizard creatures who want to slash us all to death, which is exactly what happened to Peter Parker's professor friend Dr. Connors.



Okay, I'm just kidding. And maybe giving away the plot to the next movie.

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