Recent Comments
Re: “Yerkes awaits possible changes involving biomedical research on chimps”
"Why focus on one with the highest level of cortical sophistication when lower level primates, such as rhesus monkeys also develop amyloid plaques?"
Mark, I think you answered your own question. Because chimps have brains that more resemble ours, study of any neurological disorder is going to be better modeled in chimps than other primates. Not to mention, chimps are much more genetically similar to humans than rhesus monkeys are.
I'm sorry this common sense seems to have escaped you.
Re: “Yerkes awaits possible changes involving biomedical research on chimps”
Sorry Nicole, but you don't have a clue what you're talking about. First of all, comparative studies of non-human primates and humans are critical in the case of Alzheimer's for just the reason you mention. Primates don't get Alzheimer's, but as they age they do develop their brain show the same plaques and tangles that humans with Alzheimer's do. If the research being done at Yerkes can figure out why this is the case, it puts us within reaching distance of a potential cure and/or improved treatment. Other work being done at Yerkes has been key to making strides for treatment of PTSD and other anxiety disorders. Not to mention the fact that 94% of people with AIDS are taking drugs developed at Emory, and that these drugs have considerably improved the lives of millions of people with HIV/AIDS. To call the research money coming into Emory and Yerkes "wasteful" and the work done there "pseudoscience" makes you look like a myopic ignoramus.
Re: “Yerkes awaits possible changes involving biomedical research on chimps”
Mark, your response leads me to believe you don't understand what animal models of disease are and really I don't want to waste anymore time arguing with someone this misinformed.