Who would have thought that the next world war would be against an invisible enemy. An enemy we cannot see and that outnumbers us by the trillions. Viruses are a strange lot. They are essentially organisms that contain nucleic acid and are surrounded by a coat of protein. They cannot be seen by an ordinary light microscope. They need a living cell to replicate. Without a host they are powerless. When viruses attack, the numbers are incredulous. Each infected cell during the flu produces 10,000 new viruses. The total number of viruses in your body can rise to 100 trillion in a few days, dwarfing the entire human population.
It is a fight for survival. We have two approaches to winning this war. One is to treat the infected, which at 2.3 million is a small proportion of the 7.8 billion worldwide population. The second is to prevent infection in the non-infected vulnerable population. That is where vaccines come into play. A vaccine uses whole or part of the virus to provide active acquired immunity. The first vaccination was done in 1796 by Edward Jenner, who showed you could develop immunity by inoculating material obtained from the hand of a milkmaid into an eight-year-old boy. He subsequently exposed the boy to small pox. The boy was unaffected and the concept of immunity was established.
The virus that causes Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, has characteristic spikes that protrude from its surface—this is referred to as the S protein. A spike locks onto a cell receptor. The receptor then folds and the spike drills open the cell wall, and injects the viral genetic material into the cell. The genetic material then instructs your cell to produce different parts of the virus, allowing it to reproduce.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 03, 2020-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 03, 2020-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
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A golden girl
One of India's most formidable beauties passed away earlier this month. The odd thing is she would absolutely hate this obituary; she hated being written about and avoided publicity for all of her nine decades. Indira Aswani was 93 when she died. But anyone who encountered her, even briefly, was in such awe of her grace and poise, and one could not but remember her forever.
The interest in wine is growing delightfully in India
The renowned British wine writer and television presenter Jancis Robinson, 74, recently came to Delhi and Mumbai to reacquaint herself with India's wine industry. This was the Robinson's fourth visit to India; the last one was seven years ago. On this trip, Robinson and her husband, restaurateur Nicholas Lander, were hosted by the Taj Hotels and Sonal Holland, India's only Master of Wine.
United in the states
Indian-Americans coming together under the Democratic umbrella could get Harris over the line in key battlegrounds
COVER DRIVE
Usage-driven motor insurance policies offer several benefits
GDP as the only measure of progress is illogical
Dasho Karma Ura, one of the world's leading happiness experts, has guided Bhutan's unique gross national happiness (GNH) project. He uses empirical data to show that money cannot buy happiness in all circumstances, rather it is family and health that have the strongest positive effect on happiness. Excerpts from an interview:
India is not a controlling big brother
Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay considers India a benevolent elder sibling as the \"big brotherly attitude\" is happily missing from bilateral ties. He thinks the relationship shared by the two countries has become a model of friendship not just for the region, but for the entire world. \"India's attitude is definitely not of a big brother who is controlling and does not allow the little brother to blossom and grow,\" says Tobgay in an exclusive interview with THE WEEK.
Comrade with no foes
Lal Salaam, Comrade Yechury-you were quite a guy!
Pinning down saffron
In her first political bout, Vinesh Phogat rides on the anti-BJP sentiment across Haryana
MAKE IN MANIPUR
Home-made rockets and weapons from across the border are escalating the conflict
SAHEB LOSES STEAM
Coalition dynamics and poor electoral prospects continue to diminish Ajit Pawar's political stock