Is This Wi-Fi Organic?: A Guide to Spotting Misleading Science Online by Dave Farina

Author:Dave Farina [Farina, Dave]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: science, Research & Methodology, ethics, Health & Fitness, Safety, Social Science, Disease & Health Issues, history, essays
ISBN: 9781642504163
Google: -c8vEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Mango Media Inc.
Published: 2021-03-30T23:36:38.534520+00:00

An example of viral structure.

With viruses, treatment can be quite tricky. We typically rely on our own immune system, which is exceedingly complex, and equally astounding. A thorough summary of basic immunology is beyond the scope of this book, so we won’t delve into many important details. But in so many words, there are immune cells that are able to tag foreign invaders, like viruses or bacteria, for destruction by other cells. In the case of a virus, in order for this to occur, certain immune cells need to interact with markers projecting from a virus-infected cell, which will include pieces of viral proteins. Once this interaction occurs, the body can then produce proteins called antibodies, which are able to recognize that marker, which is called an antigen. It can then tag the invader for destruction, along with any infected cells. The first problem is that the act of recognition takes place once cells are already infected. Furthermore, it takes several days for these antibodies to be produced, and in that time, a virus can replicate significantly. If the virus is eventually neutralized, but then enters the body again in the future, the defenses are already capable of recognizing the particular antigen from the previous exposure, which is why there are many pathogens that can’t infect us a second time. But the first time it appears, it can be a huge problem.

A solution to this delay in immune activity has arrived by way of vaccines. With respect to viruses, these work as follows. We take some virus, and we generate what is called an attenuated version of the virus. This means an inactivated virus, or often just a piece of the virus, which includes the antigen that must be recognized in order to produce the corresponding antibodies. This inactive form, which is incapable of establishing infection, is introduced to the body. This allows the immune system to go through the motions of what we call the primary immune response, generating the necessary antibodies, without infection having to occur. Then, if the antigen is ever encountered by way of the associated pathogen, the immune system is already good to go, and will immediately enact the secondary immune response, which is the destructive portion of the response that will make quick work of the enemy.

This elegant solution is one of the most impressive achievements in the history of medicine, and its impact on human civilization can’t be overstated. There are so many diseases of pathogenic origin that devastated humanity up until the twentieth century that are now almost completely unfamiliar to the general public in the twenty-first century. Polio, smallpox, cholera, rabies, measles, mumps, these were ruthless killers, producing deaths in the millions annually. None of them concern the developed world any longer, thanks to vaccines. Smallpox, which has killed an estimated one billion people over human history, is now literally nonexistent. Even now as I write these words, I am quarantined in my home due to the coronavirus outbreak of 2020, nervously awaiting some sign of relent and a return to normality.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.