Clever Little Buggers - Viruses, the Ultimate Survival Machines

The previous two parts of this series demonstrated how viruses are a force to be reckoned with. They:

1. Have two simple requirements: multiply and survive.
2. Are sex maniacs like nothing else that we know.
3. They can change their spots and mutate at an alarming rate; it is purely a numbers game, and
4. Have the ability to hide in reservoir hosts.

Parts I and II of this series can be found here:

Simple Swapping of Parts

Remember, viruses don’t have brains. They rely on survival tactics and thrive in large numbers. ‘Viral brains’ are a combination of four nucleotides: Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G), and Uracil (U). These four units combine to trick the cell.

They make it replicate them in large numbers. They do this at such a rate that sometimes they slip up and get a ‘C’ instead of a ‘G’ or an ‘A’ instead of a ‘U’. If it turns out that these ‘new’ viruses are better adapted in some way, they will become a new strain.

A genome center in Manhattan collects virus samples. They estimate that a freak mutation happens roughly every two weeks. Multiply that by the number of viruses present worldwide, and the chance for new strains grows immensely.

The flu vaccine has to be changed each year to match current variants. This is also why COVID-19 vaccines will need regular updates.

COVID-19 has changed many things. We now have telemedicine and remote work. Social distancing is more common, and handshakes are less frequent. Online shopping has grown, and cash use has nearly vanished. This virus has changed our way of life.

Life changing Events - Pandemics

Some things, like handshakes, haven’t disappeared since the pandemic. Still, life changed a lot after COVID.

Plagues or pandemics have played a role in creating historical changes. In the early Roman Empire, two smallpox plagues helped Christianity grow. This disease was essentially incurable, leaving only palliative care to help people survive.

Christian charity and ethics helped Christians thrive. They survived in greater numbers and had a higher birth rate than pagans. Over a century, an essentially pagan society gave way to a Christian one.

In the 1300s, the Black Plague ravaged Europe, killing up to 200 million people between 1334 and 1353. This devastating effect on the supply of labor gave peasants more bargaining power. New technologies like printing presses, water pumps, and better transportation changed society dramatically.

The middle class grew. This growth sparked a wave of cultural and intellectual creativity called the Renaissance.

The 1918 flu pandemic, caused by the H1N1 virus, may have killed 50 to 100 million people from 1918 to 1920. The New World Smallpox epidemic hit the Americas after European colonization. It likely killed between 25 and 56 million people from 1520 to the early 1600s.

HIV/AIDS pandemic, which has killed an estimated 27.2 to 47.8 million people since 1981.

Each of these, in its own right, has brought about changes in the way we live.

Thirty thinkers shared their views on how COVID-19 will change the world after the pandemic. Responses varied. Some noticed a rising unity amid political and cultural divides formed over 50 years.

Others focused on increased freedom in telehealth and homeschooling. Many appreciated the flexibility to work without needing to be in an office all the time.

Some issues have stayed the same. Others, like the geopolitical situation, have sadly gotten worse.

COVID also showed us how hectic and, to a certain extent, false our lives have become. During the pandemic, flights halved, and road traffic fell by more than 70%. China (the most significant carbon emitter) cut its industrial emissions by around 18% in the 2020 northern hemisphere spring.

Wildlife found a brief break in many places. Coyotes roamed the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, wild boars wandered the streets of Barcelona, and deer grazed close to the White House in Washington, D.C. Since the verges were cut less often, wildflowers bloomed by the roads.

Viruses are here to stay

Despite the suffering and death they brought, we must acknowledge their impact on our society and lives.

Viruses also keep us alive. They form part of the body's microbiome and safeguard our health. They can be harnessed to treat illness, deliver vaccines, and diagnose infections.

Viruses don’t really live; they operate on the border of living because they are so rudimentary.

Do they think?

I am not so sure. Rather than think, they react to their environment.

Without viruses, life on Earth would have been very different, or there might not have been life.

So, do we need to thank these simple sex machines that are dominatrices and masters of disguise?

I will leave that up to you.

Till next time,

Calvin