TYRONE HAYES COMES TO TOWN
You know Tyrone Hayes, the biologist from UC Berkeley who's been studying the effects of the weed-killer Atrazine for years.Over 60 million pounds of Atrazine are applied to the United States every year. It is the herbicide of choice among corn farmers. It's persistent in soil and water, and acts as an endocrine disrupter. Hayes has shown that very low levels of the chemical can and do feminize male Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates=Rana pipiens), turning them into reproductively functionless hermaphrodites, both in the lab and in the wild. He's also tied Atrazine to an increased susceptibility in frogs to limb deformities caused by the trematode Ribeiroia ondatrae. These effects occur at levels far below the EPA standard of 3ppb.
Hayes' work has been harshly criticized, and reams of dodgy literature discrediting his work exists, all of it based on the research of Ecorisk, which is funded by Syngenta, the manufacturer of Atrazine.
Dr. Hayes will speak this afternoon at 4pm at the Skaggs Biology building on the campus of the University of Utah.
UPDATE: Back now from the lecture--I give it five stars. If Dr. Hayes comes to your town, don't miss him. He's a far better speaker than any other endocrinologist I've ever met. He's quite inspiring and has a lot to say about some very important issues. If he's not coming to your town, watch his lecture on Youtube.
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illustration: SOUTHERN LEOPARD FROG & TRICOLORED HERON (2000) acrylic 13.5" x 9"
posted by cpbvk at 9:56 AM
5 Comments:
"work has been harshly criticized" must have been by others, because he received a standing ovation this afternoon!
Yes, and I was standing along with you. I'm sorry, I should have been more precise. I didn't mean to imply that his criticism has been in any way deserved. It's all come from Syngenta.
Thanks for the headsup, and link to the lecture. Pretty cool research on some scary stuff.
He recently spoke here in Michigan, and presented an outstanding talk.
Really interesting posting and scary info...but it needs to be said and I am glad someone is saying this and perhaps if enough people hear him things will change.
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