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Y. study aims at snuffing cold virus

Yet another example of BYU researching evolution, and yet another example of why studying evolution is important.

And no great surprise, either. Evolution as a mechanism for change of life-forms is quite uncontroversial. Evolution as an explanation for the origin of the human species is of course much more controversial at places like BYU and on videos hosted by Kirk Cameron, but it has alway had its strong proponents in the BYU science departments, who somehow don't get fired and are not unknown to server there as bishops and stake presidents.

REsistance to the doctrine of evolution is old school. Science, (true science) not just the science of theory that all too often is passed off as fact (like being gay is genetic,) supports evolution as a principle of creation of something out of something as opposed to ex nihilo, which is to create something out of nothing. The LDS church's doctrines do not oppose evolutionary principles regardless of what our past ecclastical leaders have said. I have never heard one of our prophets say "thus saith the Lord," to deliver a message about Evolution. We have always been about fact pending further data. We are afterall, a church based on Revelation. I think it is far more feasible for the creator to have created human tabernacles over a period of a million years. What we call evolution, indicative of a span of millions of earth years, the Lord probably calls a week or so. Sounds reasonable to me.

I finally studied and understood evolution, simply the adaptation of species, when I was at Ricks College in Idaho(LDS church owned college) in the early 80's. Up to that point I never listened to my science teacher at school because he was always mocking religion. Because my professors at Ricks melded the two, science and theology, together so beautifully I now have the whole scientific world opened to me with a greater appreciation for the laws that God himself must follow in all his divine creations...especially us, his children. I find science and religion to be one in the same and that God has given men the opportunity to learn his greatest truths before Christs Second coming, both in a spiritual and scientific nature.

Amen True Believer!

We ought to study chicken soup as well

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that modern doctors' harsh drugs are not as healthful as herbs, which he said heal us and are made by God for that purpose. They grow from Earth for practically no profit to conspiring men in the last days, so there is relatively little research money available to learn about herbs, I would imagine. It's very discouraging to me to see BYU scholars putting precious money, time &energy into researching drugs, which have been proven (by my own experience as well as others') to be too harsh for the common cold, flu, and many other conditions. Herbs, brothers and sisters, HERBS! Vitamins! Minerals, (especially zinc!) Soup, vegetable "herbs," & nourishment! Not nutrient- and vitality-DEPLETING drugs, which undermine one's constitution! Read D & C 89! Quit wasting time and precious money on researching the ways of conspiring men and drugs!

'Modern doctors' back in the days of Joseph Smith prescribing harsh flu shots? Are you saying that if I take one of your concoctions of herbs, vitamins and minerals, I'll be immune to the flu virus? If so, I'd like to see the data that supports it. If not, your comment is completely irrelevant to the paper. And, can you defend your point about BYU wasting money on researching ways to alleviate human suffering? Good grief. You wanna talk about pounding money down a rat hole, there's a good reason you'd never get a research proposal funded to study how mixing herbs, vitamins, minerals and shaking bags of bones confers immunity to infectious disease agents - it's been shown to be a bunch of hooey years ago.

Christina, Maybe you should read the paper and you will realize that we (researchers in the Crandall Lab) are not researching drugs; we are studying evolution. Take a look at the research we do.

Not to knock BYU (I was a BYU student myself), but a vaccine for the common cold? Paleease! Don't we have enough vaccines already? Not only that, but who's died from the common cold? Why don't we put our research efforts into disease prevention that is more beneficial...AIDS, bird flu, autoimmune disease, etc. Disease that is more debilitating is where our efforts need to be. Our body's immune system can handle the common cold on its own.
As far as the study of evolution goes...sure, knowledge of life and creation are beneficial and I support it. And herbs are definitely worthwhile to study too. But Christina, c'mon! Do you know the good that came from the invention of Penicillin? I am skeptical of the drive behind the pharmaceutical company, but you can't deny that good has come from your so-called "harsh drugs." There is good in both, but equally so, caution should be used in both.