4 ms·

Most viruses just make you sick. It's at least possible that a virus could evolve where the RNA coded for THC or alcohol. Or some other chemical that affects mo

by tlb 17y ago

Most viruses just make you sick. It's at least possible that a virus could evolve where the RNA coded for THC or alcohol. Or some other chemical that affects mood. That would make for an entertaining, non-sobering flu season. Can someone estimate the probability of something like that happening spontaneously?

aristus 17y ago
Spontaneous unsober events involving on by cross-infection, THC, and alcohol? Sounds like a regular night in San Francisco.
bd 17y ago
Such virus would probably kill you pretty fast anyways. I don't know about THC, but alcohol is definitely a poison (400+mg/dL of blood should induce respiratory failure, coma and death [1]). It would be hard to regulate the overall alcohol production originating in independent self-replicating nanomachines. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_alcohol_intoxication http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_alcohol_intoxication
bd 17y ago
"Can someone estimate the probability of something like that happening spontaneously?" With a lot of handwaving ... ---- If everything goes perfectly (each random mutation flips the right nucleotide), you would need at least 77.5 years to get alcohol-production-capable RNA in influenza virus solely by spontaneous mutations. ---- Details: Checking one possible ethanol fermentation pathway [1]: at minimum you would need to synthesize two enzymes - pyruvate decarboxylase (1,691 base pairs [2]) and alcohol dehydrogenase (1,046 base pairs [3]). Influenza A has 13,558 base pairs [4] and mutates at about 0.0026 mutations per site per year [5] (so you get about 35 changed nucleotides per year). Putting it all together gives about 77.5 years. (1691+1046)/(13588*0.0026) = 77.47 ---- [1] http://biocyc.org/META/NEW-IMAGE?type=PATHWAY&object=PWY-5486 http://biocyc.org/META/NEW-IMAGE?type=PATHWAY&object=PWY... [2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/850733 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/850733 [3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/854068 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/854068 [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_A_virus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_A_virus [5] http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/full/80/7/3675 http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/full/80/7/3675

by tlb 17y ago

aristus 17y ago

Spontaneous unsober events involving on by cross-infection, THC, and alcohol? Sounds like a regular night in San Francisco.

bd 17y ago

Such virus would probably kill you pretty fast anyways. I don't know about THC, but alcohol is definitely a poison (400+mg/dL of blood should induce respiratory failure, coma and death [1]). It would be hard to regulate the overall alcohol production originating in independent self-replicating nanomachines. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_alcohol_intoxication http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_alcohol_intoxication

bd 17y ago

"Can someone estimate the probability of something like that happening spontaneously?" With a lot of handwaving ... ---- If everything goes perfectly (each random mutation flips the right nucleotide), you would need at least 77.5 years to get alcohol-production-capable RNA in influenza virus solely by spontaneous mutations. ---- Details: Checking one possible ethanol fermentation pathway [1]: at minimum you would need to synthesize two enzymes - pyruvate decarboxylase (1,691 base pairs [2]) and alcohol dehydrogenase (1,046 base pairs [3]). Influenza A has 13,558 base pairs [4] and mutates at about 0.0026 mutations per site per year [5] (so you get about 35 changed nucleotides per year). Putting it all together gives about 77.5 years. (1691+1046)/(13588*0.0026) = 77.47 ---- [1] http://biocyc.org/META/NEW-IMAGE?type=PATHWAY&object=PWY-5486 http://biocyc.org/META/NEW-IMAGE?type=PATHWAY&object=PWY... [2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/850733 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/850733 [3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/854068 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/854068 [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_A_virus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_A_virus [5] http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/full/80/7/3675 http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/full/80/7/3675