Yes, indeed!

A Google search for “diatomaceous earth hydroxylapatite” produces several links to at least one study of the adhesion and proliferation of osteoblast-like cells re: Silicon-hydroxyapatite bioactive coatings (Si-HA) from diatomaceous earth and silica. A 6-page report on this matter is viewable at http://repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt/bitstream/1822/20340/1/file.pdf

As an abstract, the following is from PubMed.gov:

The aim of this study consisted on investigating the influence of silicon substituted hydroxyapatite (Si-HA) coatings over the human osteoblast-like cell line (SaOS-2) behaviour. Diatomaceous earth and silica, together with commercial hydroxyapatite were respectively the silicon and HA sources used to produce the Si-HA coatings. HA coatings with 0 wt% of silicon were used as control of the experiment. Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) was the selected technique to deposit the coatings. The Si-HA thin films were characterized by Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) demonstrating the efficient transfer of Si to the HA structure. The in vitro cell culture was established to assess the cell attachment, proliferation and osteoblastic activity respectively by, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), DNA and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) quantification. The SEM analysis demonstrated a similar adhesion behaviour of the cells on the tested materials and the maintenance of the typical osteoblastic morphology along the time of culture. The Si-HA coatings did not evidence any type of cytotoxic behaviour when compared with HA coatings. Moreover, both the proliferation rate and osteoblastic activity results showed a slightly better performance on the Si-HA coatings from diatoms than on the Si-HA from silica.

Are we getting any warmer?

Anyways, we all have different ways of looking at “reality”. It seems to me like people all have their own world, and then there is the world we share and live in. I am sure we can all agree the world we live in has vast amounts of problems. What are you doing to help others?

I also have been reading this blog for a few years.

I’m sorry if I insulted you. That was not my intent. If a long term reader doesn’t get the importance of this, then the facepalm/headexplode is me feeling like I have not helped anyone over the years to understand the need for checks and balances. How many proven examples of government malfeasance are required before people see that this concern is not unfounded? And I’m not saying the government is evil. There are mostly good people in the CIA, FBI, NSA, etc. That’s my view. I’m only saying that we must have oversight due to possible abuse. This to me is a completely reasonable and essential thing to require of our government which is supposed to be of, by, and for the people.

If trying my best to protect the ideals upon which my country stands makes me an unpopular jerk, then I’ll stand alone doing what my personal integrity says I should do for the best long term good.

But don’t mistake my exasperation at a difference of opinion as disrespect. The only way to make progress is to share ideas and hear each other. I think I hear you saying that, for protection, we should all trust and give up privacy to people who claim to be able to protect us from things like the Boston bombing. I do wonder why PRISM didn’t detect and prevent that. I guess they planned the bombing without yahoo, microsoft, google, Skype, etc. The really interesting thing is that PRISM might be able to prove exactly where the bombers where. If the map data from their cell phones showed that they never went to the Boston marathon (fake video scenario), that would make a hell of a Wikileak.

Another point: By now every criminal organization in the world has added the NSA database of all of our communications to their list of top prizes.

I’ve had my credit card number somehow stolen (not the card, the number) and used several times already. I’m getting sick of it. How do I know that didn’t happen due to leaks in PRISM?

Writing facepalm implies you think your opinion is correct, and that the other person is wrong. It was too bad you wrote it because this is a matter of opinion, not you are right in your view and any other view is wrong.

BTW, there is potential for abuse of ANY system. If you are that paranoid you might as well live off the grid in an underground shelter.