3 ms·

Thank you - this is what I was hoping for! > adaptive vs innate This I did not know - so basically there's a class of pathogens we have protections for at bir

Thank you - this is what I was hoping for! > adaptive vs innate This I did not know - so basically there's a class of pathogens we have protections for at birth, and others we have to learn by exposure. Antigens act as metadata of sorts from which our immune system can use to develop response mechanisms, do these antigens mean "permanent upgrade," in terms of our immune system recognizing it? (Yes, memory cells - cool!) Just ordered a copy of the recommended book from my local library, thank you for the February reading list.

crazydoggers 6y ago
You got it! The memory cells seem to be able to last many decades through special cellular processes. Hope you like the book. It’s a fascinating read. My favorite part is when he describes how the immune system is basically able to fuzz test for antibodies. It recombines and quickly mutates its own dna to generate way more antibody types than otherwise would be possible.