Sharks Info, attacks and stats

Not only we are very ignorante about information about sharks, but we ignore many things abour them. One o them is how important sharks are for humans future.

Here is a very interesting article that I read today:

“THEY are the predators of the ocean, but their blood may hold a key to saving human lives.

Victorian scientists have discovered a way to collect disease-fighting proteins from shark blood that they believe could help in the fight against cancer, malaria and arthritis.

“Sharks can be our friends,” said La Trobe University associate professor Mick Foley.

“I still probably wouldn’t go and feed them and pat them, but evolution has given them something we might exploit.”

Researchers took genes from shark blood and modified them to create random mutations.

These mutations mimic how the human immune system works, producing antibodies that can be used in studying disease.

The blood was collected from a wobbegong shark at Melbourne Aquarium.

This method of collecting antibodies is regarded as safer for both humans and sharks, as it does not require handlers getting into tanks and immunising the animals. Hundreds of thousands of shark antibodies have been created and stored, providing scientists with a library of proteins they can use to test whether certain antibodies attack specific diseases.

Because shark antibodies are much smaller than those of humans — about one tenth the size — they are more stable, which raises the prospect that future treatments may be taken orally instead of by injection.”

So there you go guys… even more reasons to Love Sharks!