Randomly Scary Stuff

Viruses are nano size machines that often take the shape of spheres, spirals and crystals as all three form factors can easily house and deliver viral DNA/RNA to host cells as needs warrant. To live, said viruses must invade host cells using a wide variety of interesting mechanisms, like the one seen above, in order to find a friendly place to replicate, with sometimes catastrophic results i.e Smallpox, 1918 flu etc., etc. or die a lonely and unmourned death. In this vein, BRT talked about viruses in the context of Ebola, the devastating hemorrhagic fever variant, in Something is different this time, a quick take on why the current outbreak raging in West Africa is different, something potentially as terrifying as depicted in 12 Monkeys , a movie of undeniable power if the unthinkable happens, something not to be taken lightly given the quantum-driven probabilistic/random reality in which we all live.

The second possibility is one that virologists are loath to discuss openly but are definitely considering in private: that an Ebola virus could mutate to become transmissible through the air. You can now get Ebola only through direct contact with bodily fluids. But viruses like Ebola are notoriously sloppy in replicating, meaning the virus entering one person may be genetically different from the virus entering the next. The current Ebola virus’s hyper-evolution is unprecedented; there has been more human-to-human transmission in the past four months than most likely occurred in the last 500 to 1,000 years. Each new infection represents trillions of throws of the genetic dice.

If certain mutations occurred, it would mean that just breathing would put one at risk of contracting Ebola. Infections could spread quickly to every part of the globe, as the H1N1 influenza virus did in 2009, after its birth in Mexico.

Why are public officials afraid to discuss this? They don’t want to be accused of screaming “Fire!” in a crowded theater — as I’m sure some will accuse me of doing. But the risk is real, and until we consider it, the world will not be prepared to do what is necessary to end the epidemic.

Seen above is a hexagonally shaped virus while the well known tobacco mosaic virus, seen below, takes the shape of a spiral akin to that of DNA. 

As a refresher, here is the 12 Monkeys poster.