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> Viruses and bacteria can in fact be both extremely, extremely contagious and extremely, extremely lethal. Sure, but those two things would tend to work again
by kcplate 7mo ago
> Viruses and bacteria can in fact be both extremely, extremely contagious and extremely, extremely lethal.
Sure, but those two things would tend to work against it becoming a pandemic— unless it managed those two things but also kept its host healthy enough for long enough before becoming lethal to adequately spread it.
- card_zero 7mo agoI looked into this once, it depends on how splashy the death is. A virus that made people explode instantly into a fine mist of airborne virus particles could be perfectly adequate for a pandemic (although holding off until help arrives might work even better).
- lukan 7mo ago"A virus that made people explode instantly into a fine mist of airborne virus particles could be perfectly adequate for a pandemic" And what existing virus comes close to this trait?
- Closi 7mo agoI think we can safely assume that OP was picking a bit of a ridiculous hypothetical example to make a point that it’s possible for something to be deadly and transmissible, although in nature Baculovirus in Caterpillars has a similar mechanism (encourages their host to eat a lot, then climb to the top of a plant so when it turns to ooze it infects others) or cordyceps although both of these aren’t as highly transmissible as they hypothetical explode virus. But the Black Death mixed high contagion and high mortality as an actual example that shows they aren’t mutually exclusive.
- lukan 7mo agoOh, I would never say biological weapons are harmless, but the wiping out humanity claim I debated.
- estearum 7mo agoWhat? That's your second strawman in two comments. Nobody said you claimed they were harmless. People are taking issue with your assertion that biological agents can be either contagious or lethal (not both), and therefore you discount its risk. This implied tradeoff between contagiousness and lethality simply is not enforced by anything in nature. The natural emergence of a pathogen that's both highly contagious and highly lethal would be a much rarer event than the natural emergence of one that's either contagious or lethal, but we're talking about engineered pathogens. There is no reason to think that pathogens cannot be deliberately created that are both of those things.
- hsbauauvhabzb 7mo agoNone of you have seen ‘The Beauty’, I’m guessing.
- lukan 7mo agoNo, but I have learned that sometimes there is a difference between fiction and reality.
- hsbauauvhabzb 7mo agoBet you’re fun at parties.
- wholinator2 7mo agoI do understand your sentiment. But also, this isn't a party
- estearum 7mo ago> unless it managed those two things but also kept its host healthy enough for long enough before becoming lethal to adequately spread it. I am clearly referring to this specific scenario. There is nothing in chemistry or biology or physics that prevents it.