And now for some entirely good news.

[Wells]

We've nearly wiped out the Guinea worm. Not usually fatal, but a nasty little fucker. What's cool is this was done entirely though education and logistics, no vaccine or special pill at all. Not enough kudos can go to President Carter, Carter Center, and everyone else involved, for their efforts.

Also fun fact, in the long run this actually has a negative cost.

In other words, for every $1 invested in the campaign, $1.29 came back in the form of greater agricultural output and earnings.

[Blueobelisk]

'It is NOT okay to make a creature go extinct. Animal rights!'

[Tradewind]

That's kind of neat I guess. Also fuck that worm.

[Mayhem]

good news on mmo-c offtopic? wtf is happening?

saw a bit about it on the daily show a year or two ago, impressive work, i guess he got something done right in the end

[Deleted]

That is freaking amazing!

[Yunru]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracunculiasis

Good riddance.

[Pull My Finger]

How did they get rid of him? By pooping in their yard?

[Blueobelisk]

'It is NOT okay to make a creature go extinct. Animal rights!'

Wait no seriously guys. Why is it okay for this animal to go extinct, but if a hunter kills a rhino in Africa people want to give him the death sentence?

[Nadiru]

Good news thread? Good news thread.

The tide is beginning to turn against patent trolling
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2...-patent-troll/

SpaceX successfully soft-lands its Falcon 9 first stage
http://www.spacex.com/news/2014/07/2...et-first-stage

Lawrenceville Plasma Physics raises over 300,000 in funding for their Focus Fusion project, which if successful could produce a small nuclear fusion reactor by 2017 capable of producing electricity at a third of the cost of current prices.

[Deleted]

Wait no seriously guys. Why is it okay for this animal to go extinct, but if a hunter kills a rhino in Africa people want to give him the death sentence?

One is a parasite which cripples people and has no good use to anything other than itself (hence parasite). The other is just going on with its business of eating grass, and only attacks when stirred up to do so.

[Deleted]

Good news. And since it was achieved without a vaccine, no one can mount a scare campaign against it.

[Deleted]

Good news. And since it was achieved without a vaccine, no one can mount a scare campaign against it.

I am imagining a scare campaign against education and how it kills innocent animals... It is not pretty

[Deleted]

So what, driving the Mousquito extinct would be a great achievment.

[Deleted]

One is a parasite which cripples people and has no good use to anything other than itself (hence parasite). The other is just going on with its business of eating grass, and only attacks when stirred up to do so.

What about human parasites then? Do you want them to go extinct?

[Yunru]

So what, driving the Mousquito extinct would be a great achievment.

Yeah but...it will also kill other animals like birds due to a food problem.

[MonsieuRoberts]

That worm sounds fucking horrible. Yay for humans helping humans, for once!

[Lothaeryn]

Now if we could get rid of ticks... That would be great...

Fuck the bird population that eats them, ticks need to be cleansed by flame.

[Conspicuous Cultist]

Wait no seriously guys. Why is it okay for this animal to go extinct, but if a hunter kills a rhino in Africa people want to give him the death sentence?

Does it actually contribute to the ecosystem somehow or is it just a total parasite? If it's the later I wouldn't shed as many tears as, say, flies or something that decomposes stuff.

[Deleted]

What about human parasites then? Do you want them to go extinct?

Do you mean humans as a parasite, or parasites that attack humans?

[Deleted]

Do you mean humans as a parasite, or parasites that attack humans?

Humans of course.