Q: What is the horn of a rhino used for that poachers are so eager to get and sell?
—Frank Burnette, Decatur
A: People in several Asian nations, including Vietnam, China, Malaysia, South Korea and India, believe rhino horns have medicinal properties that can cure a wide range of illnesses, from headaches and fevers to cancer. It’s also believed to be an aphrodisiac.
Rhino horn is especially sought after in Vietnam, where it’s thought to cure cancer, based on a rumor that it saved a former politician’s life several years ago. Doctors warn that here’s no medical or scientific basis that rhino horn can cure cancer, but deaths of the endangered species in South Africa increased from 83 in 2008 to 688 in 2012, and one horn can bring $300,000, according to a 2013 article in the Atlantic. The last Javan rhino in Vietnam was poached in 2010 and there are about 40 left in the world, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Q: I’m addicted to the Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert shows. I know how Stewart reached that position, but what was Colbert’s career path?
—Eldredge Holland, Atlanta
A: Colbert, who hosts "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central, grew up in Charleston, S.C., and attended Northwestern University with the goal of becoming an actor. He started in improvisational comedy, but then began writing various shows and working on a freelance basis with "Saturday Night Live."
He was hired by Stewart’s “The Daily Show” in 1997, its second season, with little on-air experience. Colbert will succeed David Letterman as host of the “Late Show” when Letterman retires.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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