A Pop Quiz in Biology for RFK Jr

The only requirement for assuming the position of US Secretary for Health and Human Services is being picked by the President and approved by the Senate – no need for an MD, PhD in a life science, or degree in a health field. Instead, the role is officially for a person with skills in “senior executive management.”

I think that the Secretary of HHS should have at least a passing familiarity with basic biology. That doesn’t seem to be the case for RFK Jr.

Because I’ve been writing college biology textbooks for 35 years – in human genetics, intro biology, and human anatomy and physiology – as well as thousands of articles, I’m qualified to provide Mr. Kennedy with a simple quiz focusing on his areas of interest, against a backdrop of recent things that he’s said and done.

I’m not saying that everyone needs to pass this test. But the Secretary of HHS sure does. So here ya go, Bobby.

1. At a cabinet meeting on April 30, RFK Jr said of the effect of fluoride:
a. “The more you get, the stupider you are, and we need smart kids in this country, and we need healthy kids.”
b. “Fluoride replaces human DNA with hippo DNA, but only where directly applied.”

c. “Greenland plans to deploy fluoride as a bioweapon.”
d. “Fluoride is a known teratogen. A child exposed in the womb may grow an extra spleen.”
e. “Fluoride causes leprosy if you go near an armadillo.”

2. The type of worm in RFK Jr’s brain is called ____________ and came from eating ______ .
a. Drosophila melanogaster; honey
b. Hippopotamus amphibius; dog food
c. Cannabis sativa; wheat germ
d. Taenia solium; pork
e. Lumbricus rubellus; sushi

3. RFK Jr. took his grandkids to frolic in in Rock Creek, “An Oasis in the City” that is “truly a gem in our nation’s capital,” according to the gutted National Park Service. Raw sewage flowing into the water brings a host of microbial species. (See The Gut-Wrenching Effects of Cryptosporidiosis and Giardiasis in Children)). For each Rock Creek pathogen listed, state whether it is a prokaryote (without a nucleus, such as a bacterium), a protist (single-celled eukaryotic cell), or not a cell.
a. E. coli
b. Cryptosporidium
c. Salmonella
d. Giardia
e. Adenovirus, rotavirus, hepatitis A virus, noroviruses, coxsackievirus, echovirus, reovirus, and astrovirus

4. Seed oil is high in unsaturated fats and beef tallow is high in saturated fats. Unsaturated fats are much healthier to eat than the adipose tissue of dead cows. Nutritionists were stunned when RFK Jr. announced that he prefers beef tallow, while he is pressuring medical schools to teach more about nutrition. Distinguish chemically between saturated and unsaturated fats.
a. The carbon atoms in the fatty acid tails of a saturated triglyceride (fat) molecule bind as many hydrogens as possible.
b. The carbon atoms in the fatty acid tails bind as few hydrogens as possible.
c. The hydrogen atoms in the fatty acid tails bind as many carbons as possible.
d. The carbon atoms in the fatty acid tails bind as many zincs as possible.
e. An unsaturated fat is single-stranded and a saturated fat is double-stranded.

5. Distinguish between:
a. The innate immune response and the adaptive immune response
b. B and T cells
c. Antibodies and antigens
d. Autoimmunity and allergy

6. Which of the following is true?
a. protein encodes RNA, which encodes DNA
b. DNA encodes RNA, which encodes protein
c. RNA encodes mitochondria which encode entrails
d. tDNA encodes tRNA, mDNA encodes mRNA, and rDNA encodes rRNA
e. a cell has a single mitochondrion, which is the powerhouse of the cell

7. The mRNA in COVID vaccines encodes:
a. The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2
b. Y chromosomes
c. Influenza antigens
d. DNA from the parasites in Rock Creek
e. Oobleck

8. The danger of mRNA in vaccines is that it can
a. Become a bioweapon when a person passes gas in public
b. Knit itself the rest of the viral genome and turn human cells into virus factories
c. Replace Y chromosomes with X chromosomes
d. Force people to learn biology
e. Confuse people who do not understand how vaccines work

9. The mRNA in vaccines comes from
a. Raw sewage
b. A lab, where the molecule is synthesized, base-by-base
c. Monkeys
d. Democrats
e. Deep sea thermal vents

10. Topical fluoride strengthens teeth by
a. depositing tallow in the spaces between teeth
b. removing all bacteria from the mouth
c. replacing hydroxide (OH-) ion in hydroxyapatite, a tooth enamel mineral, with fluoroapatite, which is more acid-resistant
d. suppressing appetite, so less food gets stuck between teeth
e. replacing the gum matrix material with flubber

ANSWER KEY
1. a
2. d
3. E. coli and Salmonella are bacteria; Cryptosporidium and Giardia are protists; Viruses are not cells
4. a
5. a. The innate immune response is an immediate generalized response to infection consisting of inflammation and release of various biochemicals (cytokines, complement, interleukins, and interferons). The adaptive immune response is slower and provides antibodies specific to pathogens.
b. B cells are white blood cells that produce and release antibodies specific to pathogens. T cells are white blood cells that release cytokines and coordinate the immune response.
c. Antibodies are host proteins that bind to and inactivate antigens that come from the pathogen.
d. In autoimmunity, the immune response is directed against “self” tissues. In an allergic response, the immune system attacks an innocuous substance.
6.a
7. a
8. e
9. b
10. c

I could probably write a 100-item test covering all that the Secretary of HHS appears not to know. People are going to die of diseases long vanquished. Pertussis cases are surging. And on July 9, the oft-threatened NPR reported U.S. measles cases hit highest level in 33 years. The re-emergence of infectious diseases is due to the scariest epidemic of them all — paired arrogance and ignorance.