In doing research for this blog I found an article on biology News Net titled “Study finds shark fins & meat contain high levels of neurotoxins linked to Alzheimer’s disease”. This was interesting to me because I have had many members of my family who have had Alzheimer’s so I was curious to see what possible link there could be. I know first hand how difficult it is just for the families of individuals with this disease.
The article details a study done by scientists from the University of Miami. Theses scientists tested 10 different species of shark found in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They were testing specifically for two toxins: mercury and beta-N-Methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA). According to the article BMAA has been linked to neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's. The found that there was a large concentration of these two toxins in the fins and muscles of all the shark species. The article did not state the percentage of the concentration of these toxins only that they were high. The level seemed to be high enough to be harmful to humans if introduced into their diet.
Something that I did not know was that shark is a popular dish in Asian countries. I did know that sharks were very really fished by humans. However, it seems that some shark species have been fished to nearly extinction. According to the article the Great Hammerhead shark is one of these endangered species. The article also state that 16 percent of the worlds shark species are threatened with extinction.
This study is important because it raises flags on the whole shark fishing industry. Not only does it raise fears for the conservation of these animals, but it raises fears for the safety of our species as well. If humans are ingesting these toxins the fear is that is that it will affect their health negatively. Perhaps it will even cause people to develop diseases such as Alzheimer's.
-Samuel Barker
The article details a study done by scientists from the University of Miami. Theses scientists tested 10 different species of shark found in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They were testing specifically for two toxins: mercury and beta-N-Methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA). According to the article BMAA has been linked to neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's. The found that there was a large concentration of these two toxins in the fins and muscles of all the shark species. The article did not state the percentage of the concentration of these toxins only that they were high. The level seemed to be high enough to be harmful to humans if introduced into their diet.
Something that I did not know was that shark is a popular dish in Asian countries. I did know that sharks were very really fished by humans. However, it seems that some shark species have been fished to nearly extinction. According to the article the Great Hammerhead shark is one of these endangered species. The article also state that 16 percent of the worlds shark species are threatened with extinction.
This study is important because it raises flags on the whole shark fishing industry. Not only does it raise fears for the conservation of these animals, but it raises fears for the safety of our species as well. If humans are ingesting these toxins the fear is that is that it will affect their health negatively. Perhaps it will even cause people to develop diseases such as Alzheimer's.
-Samuel Barker
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