Low Doses of Common pesticides damage birds

[Catherine]

Quote:These substances are severely restricted (almost banned) in Europe.

Why the USA and Canada continue to condone such toxic substances is beyond me. Possibly very strong pharmaceutical company pressure? I don't how many other countries allow these chemicals.

Europe is wise in its response to these chemicals. Of course Europe has depleted many of its ecosystems over the centuries. 
The system cannot tolerate much more abuse. North America has large amounts of wilderness so it still has the illusion that it is fine to mess with nature and there will be no consequences. We still have a lot of native species even if they are endangered. We just don't believe there is a problem.

I think there is a lot of financial pressure to use these chemicals. It is not just the farmers who want to use them. The big companies want to sell the products and make a profit. They don't care about the consequences. I suspect some of them do know of the dangers. They just put profit first.

Quote:In my view, intelligence is measured as the quality of response to any given situation. Or the ability to think in a "new" way about a problem, and find a workable solution.

We show a total lack of intelligence. Over the centuries we have frequently shown a lack of intelligence. Unfortunately we are able to use our technology to create big disasters with our lack of intelligence.

Quote:We are already finding out that neonicotinoid pesticides are depleting acetylcholine in the bees' brains. The bees get dementia and lose their cognitive abilities. They get lost, confused, can't navigate, can't find their way home....etc

Low levels of acetylcholine have been linked to the development of dementia in humans. I wouldn't be surprised if these cases, in bees as well as humans, had the same cause.

I think you are right. There is a tremendous increase in dementia in humans. It is an alarming epidemic. 
Our lack of intelligence is about to get much worse.

We are exposing ourselves to low levels of toxic chemicals and we have no idea what the results will be. The results we have seen so far are very bad, but we refuse to do anything. We are too busy coping with an aging population that has rising levels of dementia.
It is like we are living on the slopes of a volcano and we can see the mountain smoking, we can feel the ground shaking, but we refuse to believe that an eruption is possible. It is not only possible, it has already started.