Finally, an HIV-1 article I can support

Posted by ERV on August 6, 2008
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I complain about crappy science journalism a lot. So I better give journalists and scientists a high-five when they do something right– And Nikhil Swaminathan dun gud. Sure Im annoyed at him for calling HIV-1 a ‘bug’ (people know what a virus is), but he asked Anthony Fauci the *right* questions (and Dr. Fauci gave the *right* answers :P )

HIV Vaccine Research: “Swimming in the Dark”

Swaminathan wanted to know why we dont have an HIV-1 vaccine, despite scientists promising one year after year after year. He wanted to know why making an HIV-1 vaccine was so hard (seriously, why could they make a polio vaccine 60 years ago, and we cant do the same thing with todays technology??). Why are all these HIV-1 vaccine trials failing? Why are they being canceled before they even start??

Practical questions and practical answers. Not the usual grandiose crap you get with HIV-1 pop-journalism. Good job, you two!

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Comments

  1. #1 Physicalist
    August 6, 2008

    OK, so how can a virus be infected or “sick”? Don’t they need to take over a cell to be able to do much of anything?

    News story: “Viruses get sick”

  2. #2 ERV
    August 6, 2008

    My virus boyfriend is on that paper– you bet your sweet bippy Ill write about it! hehe!!

    But since ‘science journalists’ dont link to the articles they write about, this is the official paper: The virophage as a unique parasite of the giant mimivirus

  3. #3 Fleming
    August 6, 2008

    AIDS science is cargo cult science at its worst. The reason these twits can’t develop a vaccine is because HIV is a harmless retrovirus (like all retroviruses), and doesn’t generate an antibody response.

    It has taken 25 years and billions of dollars of research and they STILL can’t see this. What a bunch of tools.

    Fire them all, I say.

  4. #4 Sunil
    August 7, 2008

    Off-topic, just to say that Nikhil is an Indian male name, not female. :)

  5. #5 FastLane
    August 7, 2008

    Welcome back!

    Got another article you’ve probably seen, but I’d love to here your opinion on this:

    http://www.talkrational.org/showthread.php?t=4507

    Fell free to leave a comment there, or if you feel it worthy of a full ERV post…. =)

    Cheers.

  6. #6 Nikhil
    August 7, 2008

    Yup, Sunil is right. I, Nikhil Swaminathan, am male. Oh, and a hat tip to my editor for referring to HIV as a “bug.”

    Thanks for the shout out, ERV!

    nikhil

  7. #7 ERV
    August 7, 2008

    Dang! Fail!

    Ill fix it :)

  8. #8 michael fugate
    August 8, 2008

    Perhaps you can comment on the lack of NiH and CDC researchers at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. I think your Senator Tom Coburn had something to do with this…