98 year old dobri dobrev, a man who lost his hearing in the second world war, walks 10 kilometers from his village in his homemade clothes and leather shoes to the city of sofia, where he spends the day begging for money.

though a well recognized fixture around several of the city’s chruches, known for his prostrations of thanks to all donors, it was only recently discovered that he has donated every penny he has collected — over 40,000 euros — towards the restoration of decaying bulgarian monasteries and churches and the utility bills of orphanages, living entirely off his monthly state pension of 80 euros and the kindness of others.

moralnihilism:

Fox River Derivatives by Peter Hoffman

Fox River Derivatives is a series that questions our relationship with our natural resources. The images are part of a larger experiment that utilizes water and fossil fuels in the actual image-making process.

ikenbot:

HIV cure months away, Danish scientists say, citing novel new DNA treatment

Danish scientists believe they may have a cure for HIV “within months.”

Image 1: This photo shows HIV infecting a T-cell, which usually fights off infections in the human body. Credit: NIH/NIAID

Image 2: Researchers at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark are testing a new technique that involves flushing HIV from so-called reservoirs in human DNA. (LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Researchers at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark are testing a new technique that involves flushing the virus from so-called reservoirs in human DNA.

The virus is then destroyed naturally by the body’s immune system, The London Telegraph reported.

They are expecting results to show that “finding a mass-distributable and affordable cure to HIV is possible”.

Fifteen patients are taking part in the trials, funded with $2.1 million from the Danish Research Council.

If they are found to have successfully been cured of HIV, the new technique will be tested on a wider scale.

Any cure would be affordable for many of the 33 million people worldwide afflicted by the virus.

However, despite the trials Dr. Ole Sogaard, a senior researcher in the department of infectious disease warned that the efficacy in the human body remained unproven.

Medical Daily quoted him as telling the media:

“The challenge will be getting the patients’ immune system to recognize the virus and destroy it. This depends on the strength and sensitivity of individual immune systems.”

British researchers are reportedly conducting similar research through a consortium of five universities.

Both studies are aiming to find a cure for those already infected with the virus and would not result in a preventative measure for HIV or AIDS.

As with many articles purporting possible cures it’s always good to take these with a grain of salt and practice our skepticism until the results and stats are weighed in. But if it’s anything close to being true then I am glad to see this progressing into a challenge of engineering the proper tools to fight it rather than how to fight it. Let’s hope this is followed up with success.

slowartday:

Magdalena Dukiewicz