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I thought it was going to be about an actual era. Basically the modern era, in which our environment may be too clean, and potentially do weird things to our im
by everyone 6y ago
I thought it was going to be about an actual era. Basically the modern era, in which our environment may be too clean, and potentially do weird things to our immune system, cus its an environment radically different from the one our immune system was designed to work in.
- rossdavidh 6y agoQuite like the effect of microgravity on the skeletal system, or the effect of rarely exercising on the muscular system, or the effect of rarely elevating your heart rate on the cardiovascular system. Periodic small shocks are necessary for any biological system to remain in good shape, because those small shocks are a form of information about what needs reinforcing. Without those small shocks, the system atrophies and is unprepared for large shocks. True of the immune system as well, I think.
- oh_sigh 6y agoNassim Taleb wrote a book on this concept called "Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder"
- elric 6y agoI was just reading up on "The Hygiene Hypothesis", and it seems like there's little evidence to back up the claim that our environment is "too clean". If anything, I suspect our environment is more likely to be too polluted than to clean. Think lead poisoning up until a few decades ago, or BPA and its ilk currently.