Inside Natures Giants Episode 1 The Elephant

[Carloswfi]

mmmm food fat :P

[jazzx251]

Not in Switzerland - that's where many people go to die if they've got the cash for the procedure..

[flurble33]

The end is like it's showing two completely intellectually opposite programs. This program / Big Brother.

[jazzx251]

They should fuse the two together.

Have live dissections of Big Brother contestants.

That way we could once and for all prove that they really are related to humans.

[Jetbrowse]

@jazzx251 Showing the dead ends of the evolution? :D

[maythegiant]

@bnightm. Euthanasia just doesn't work that way... an informed, mentally sane patient would decide to die in dignity, when there is little or none hope for improvement. A physician can only provide options and support.

[bnightm]

Elephants and other animals can't tell us what ails them. People can. Euthanasia is often the only option available to us.

There is also the risk that *some* physicians might unconsciously not try as hard to save someone, if they know euthanasia would be less painful. And of course, there's the risk actual murderers would use euthanasia as a defense and get away with reasonable doubt.

Not everything can be blamed on religion. And this is coming from a died in the wool libertarian atheist.

[mostliberal]

Also, in countries like the U.S., where insurance corporations dominate health care, if euthanasia became legal, it could allow real "death panels" to decide to kill people instead of treating them, because its cheaper. I've had medical problems all my life, and in the earlier parts it would have been expensive to keep me alive in a U.S. hospital (because they rip you off). I would never commit suicide, and I would definitely not want doctors to have that option or decision.

[c3p0r2d2abc]

This is complete BS. I live in the Nehterlands where euthanasia has been legal for a long time.

First of all the patient has to request it, then 2 doctors need to agree that the quality of live is bad and there is chance for improvement and thus no alternative. Only then can someone be eutanised. If the patient doesn't want it because of religious or other reasons, it will neven happen. So it's only on the patients request, not because it's cheaper or easier than treating a patient.

[mostliberal]

Well, here in the U.S, medical fraud and insurance companies calling the shots are a common thing. A few years ago a 17 year old girl didn't get a liver transplant and died because her insurance didn't cover it. I was billed multiple times for the same things, and I have relatives that were billed for things they didn't receive. Here in the U.S, profit comes before anything, including quality.

[AngaloPapeteri]

Pretty damn awesome reporting, but the part about showing the evolutionary history is mostly bull (they showed the elephant worked well for what it was, but the only part about evo history was for the jaws, and it wasn't exactly impressive).

Meanwhile the part about pushing the limits of bio engineering is bull as well: records are ~4m high at the shoulder and ~12000kg. The tallest brachiosaurids reached more than 15m, and the weight estimates for the biggest sauropods are far above 60000kg

[flurble33]

Rather harder to find a recently dead Brachiosaur than an Elephant though :P

[AngaloPapeteri]

Absolutely, but the qualifiers used are still bull.

[magicwomanm]

That is pretty much the gist of it. At least you can as well donate your body for science, religion hasn't robbed us of that.

[tuckcp]

Very educational. Thank you.

[sjmking101]

1st.