http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/ Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:00:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3785 Monado Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:41:39 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3785 Consequently, in conditions of overcrowding, where it's easy tor them to spread to the next host, viruses and bacteria often get more virulent. Consequently, in conditions of overcrowding, where it’s easy tor them to spread to the next host, viruses and bacteria often get more virulent.

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3784 Nathan Myers Sat, 13 Jun 2009 16:50:31 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3784 Tim: As long as it propagates before it kills, killing is just as adaptive. The former has more to do with mild, extremely contagious early stages. Your fate late in the process doesn't matter much to the virus, unless it could succeed in remaining contagious while you go about your business, <i>a la</i> Typhoid Mary. Tim: As long as it propagates before it kills, killing is just as adaptive. The former has more to do with mild, extremely contagious early stages. Your fate late in the process doesn’t matter much to the virus, unless it could succeed in remaining contagious while you go about your business, a la Typhoid Mary.

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3783 Tim Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:03:52 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3783 This may be an odd question, but what is the effect of the flu virus on pigs? Do they get noticeably ill? Do they die? I'm just wondering if a virus that adapts more quickly to its host might actually result in lower mortality rates. I remember reading that the most harmful diseases were from agents that weren't perfectly adapted to human hosts and therefore tended to kill them. So if a virus adapts to be more compatible with our systems, wouldn't it therefore be more likely to leave us alive? This may be an odd question, but what is the effect of the flu virus on pigs? Do they get noticeably ill? Do they die? I’m just wondering if a virus that adapts more quickly to its host might actually result in lower mortality rates. I remember reading that the most harmful diseases were from agents that weren’t perfectly adapted to human hosts and therefore tended to kill them. So if a virus adapts to be more compatible with our systems, wouldn’t it therefore be more likely to leave us alive?

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3782 Ian Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:11:43 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3782 So pigs are to viruses what Myspace is to people?! So pigs are to viruses what Myspace is to people?!

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3781 Regnier Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:45:50 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3781 Ah good; I knew you wouldn't have used the phrase lightly.... Ah good; I knew you wouldn’t have used the phrase lightly….

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3780 Ed Yong Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:36:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3780 Heh. Great pedants think alike - I thought the same thing when I first wrote it, but a pandemic can be a pandemic after spreading to a few countries, so "global" or "worldwide" are reasonable adjectives to qualify the scale of the outbreak. Heh. Great pedants think alike – I thought the same thing when I first wrote it, but a pandemic can be a pandemic after spreading to a few countries, so “global” or “worldwide” are reasonable adjectives to qualify the scale of the outbreak.

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3779 Regnier Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:30:26 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3779 Great diagram: thanks for highlighting it Ed. One small question - isn't "global flu pandemic" tautologous? Great diagram: thanks for highlighting it Ed. One small question – isn’t “global flu pandemic” tautologous?

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3778 Emma Fri, 12 Jun 2009 03:34:35 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3778 That is an excellent diagram. Do you have any idea what software was used? That is an excellent diagram. Do you have any idea what software was used?

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3777 Dennis Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:19:30 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/06/11/origins-of-the-swine-flu-pandemic/#comment-3777 Sooo...NOW is the time to start panicking? Sooo…NOW is the time to start panicking?

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