A far more plausible answer is what the researchers concluded: microbes are in a constant battle with each other, one develops a toxin to kill a second, the second develops resistance to that toxin.
The genes they found are naturally occurring and are the same genes bacteria use to develop resistance to the antibiotics we use. It would have been far more surprising if the bacteria didn't carry those genes.
As you might expect, many of the Termites did achieve wealth and fame – most notably Jess Oppenheimer, the writer of the classic 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy. Indeed, by the time his series aired on CBS, the Termites’ average salary was twice that of the average white-collar job. But not all the group met Terman’s expectations – there were many who pursued more “humble” professions such as police officers, seafarers, and typists. For this reason, Terman concluded that “intellect and achievement are far from perfectly correlated”. Nor did their smarts endow personal happiness. Over the course of their lives, levels of divorce, alcoholism and suicide were about the same as the national average.
According to Robson, one possibility is that knowledge of your talents becomes something of a ball and chain. During the 1990s, the surviving Termites were asked to look back at the events in their 80-year lifespan. Rather than basking in their successes, many reported that they had been plagued by the sense that they had somehow failed to live up to their youthful expectations (PDF).
I've never watched his show, so I visited his web site and watched his slideshow on GMO food. Here are quotes from it and my impressions:
Slide 1 of 7 starts with a discussion of hybrids
these practices were limited to combining the traits of organisms only within the same species
Wrong. Hybridizing across species is common, e.g. a Mule is a cross between a horse and a donkey.
Slide 2 of 7 titled "Advantages" it starts with a short discussion of why GMO foods were created but slips in a zinger
There have been a great number of studies tracking the effects of GMOs on animals. Most of these studies indicate that GMOs are safe to consume.
Fear mongering much? Some studies show GMO foods are NOT SAFE TO CONSUME??? OMG!
Slide 3 of 7 downside of GMO food
Researchers fear that the health risks may include: exposure to allergens, antibiotic resistance, endocrine disruption, reproductive disorders and accelerated aging.
Researchers "fear"? What did their research actually conclude? More fear mongering with no facts.
Slide 4 of 7 - titled "What Should I Look Out For? "
it is particularly important to avoid packaged foods with corn and soy if you are trying to cut GMOs out of your family’s diet
Without coming right out and saying you should avoid GMO food, he launches into instructions on how to avoid them. The assumption is obvious.
Slide 5 of 7 - titled "How Can I Avoid GMOs? "
it is difficult for consumers to make educated choices about the foods they are purchasing
Essentially a repeat of Slide 4, I assume this is to reinforce the implied message. Also leads into Slide 6...
Slide 6 of 7 - titled "Are GMOs Labeled?
Many companies like Whole Foods have partnered with the Non-GMO Project to undergo extensive third-party verification over their non-GMO claims. The Non-GMO Project is the only North American organization offering independent testing and GMO controls
The first sentence in that quote doesn't seem to go with the second. But this is mostly a continuation of slides 4 and 5 - he doesn't say you should avoid GMO but he gives detailed instructions on avoiding GMO.
Slide 7 - there really isn't a slide 7 - this is all advertising.
The Navy withheld the location of the wreck for decades, but the U.S. Geological Survey found its likely resting place while mapping the sea floor
But I know reading past the headline is too much bother.
I read TFA and the author completely misses the issue
The author didn't miss the issue. The issue was whether an employer can get patient data from hospitals all over the country for their employees. The technology is there, that's what HL2 does; I've worked on a few similar systems - it's a hassle but it can be done (although Imaging seems to be a bigger hassle). As the author points out, the real problem is getting that HL7 feed turned on. The NFL has enough money and clout to make it happen.
You bring up the unrelated issue of whether the federal government should be collecting all of that patient data. Congress could pass a law requiring it, but they won't for the reasons you list.
You only see the projects that were completed; there were plenty of others that were never started for various reasons. But even today there are may Megaprojects planned or in work. Granted, many of these are outside the US but not all of them.
That said, your comment is off topic. Sinking an obsolete aircraft carrier after blowing the crap out of it with a couple of atomic bombs hardly qualifies as something that was done "for the betterment of people".
"No matter where you go, there you are..." -- Buckaroo Banzai
