JLang,
To answer this riddle, I would look at the evolution of the human immune system. Humans of course evolved from the earliest burrowing mammals similar to moles that survived the Pleistocene. The dinosaur, reptile things died off after a big fire ball and we little old Mammals lived in the burrows and one day climbed out and took over. These sub-subterranean mice led to primates, and led to Homo Sapiens sapiens.
The moles' immune system was there before the Pleistocene in some form. What was it like? Calm, or chaotic? I would suggest that those little moles had it pretty calm - not as many attacks we as their ancestors have experienced since. I would suggest that the push and pull of infectious disease has gotten more diverse over time and not less diverse.
The immune system that our little molecule is derived from was from a Murine sample, meaning a mammalian mouse or rat. Not even a primate. Further back in the evolutionary chain.
Since the little Pleistocene mole had an earlier, perhaps simpler immune system, what has happened?
Chaos and natural selection.
As more novel and chaotic attacks have occurred over the millennia to try to kill our predecessors, the immune system within us that has survived until today, has done so also...by throwing everything including the kitchen sink at the virus, or attacker. Survival, at all costs is what it boils down to.
Many of our predecessors have died with terrible injury to their organs from an over aggressive immune system. But guess what all the survivors had in common? An over aggressive immune system. The ones that threw the kitchen sink and made it, passed on their over aggressive immune system to their offspring and so forth.
As viruses get worse and more insidious, so does the human immune system survival response within ourselves.
What's really interesting is that our little molecule is from the distant evolutionary past. Just like an old tube TV had 13 UHF channels, our little molecule comes from a calm and simple time. There's nothing it, a stick of chewing gum, a rubber band, and a piece of tin foil can't solve.
In my humble opinion, and to quote JLang...
..."this molecule is part of a story arc spanning centuries, with an even more compelling subplot beginning this millennium..."
Perhaps the future of Modern Medicine is as simple as it's own past. Perhaps the past... IS the future.
Thanks for reading this, I don't think I'm completely wrong,
Chazzle
To answer this riddle, I would look at the evolution of the human immune system. Humans of course evolved from the earliest burrowing mammals similar to moles that survived the Pleistocene. The dinosaur, reptile things died off after a big fire ball and we little old Mammals lived in the burrows and one day climbed out and took over. These sub-subterranean mice led to primates, and led to Homo Sapiens sapiens.
The moles' immune system was there before the Pleistocene in some form. What was it like? Calm, or chaotic? I would suggest that those little moles had it pretty calm - not as many attacks we as their ancestors have experienced since. I would suggest that the push and pull of infectious disease has gotten more diverse over time and not less diverse.
The immune system that our little molecule is derived from was from a Murine sample, meaning a mammalian mouse or rat. Not even a primate. Further back in the evolutionary chain.
Since the little Pleistocene mole had an earlier, perhaps simpler immune system, what has happened?
Chaos and natural selection.
As more novel and chaotic attacks have occurred over the millennia to try to kill our predecessors, the immune system within us that has survived until today, has done so also...by throwing everything including the kitchen sink at the virus, or attacker. Survival, at all costs is what it boils down to.
Many of our predecessors have died with terrible injury to their organs from an over aggressive immune system. But guess what all the survivors had in common? An over aggressive immune system. The ones that threw the kitchen sink and made it, passed on their over aggressive immune system to their offspring and so forth.
As viruses get worse and more insidious, so does the human immune system survival response within ourselves.
What's really interesting is that our little molecule is from the distant evolutionary past. Just like an old tube TV had 13 UHF channels, our little molecule comes from a calm and simple time. There's nothing it, a stick of chewing gum, a rubber band, and a piece of tin foil can't solve.
In my humble opinion, and to quote JLang...
..."this molecule is part of a story arc spanning centuries, with an even more compelling subplot beginning this millennium..."
Perhaps the future of Modern Medicine is as simple as it's own past. Perhaps the past... IS the future.
Thanks for reading this, I don't think I'm completely wrong,
Chazzle
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