and no...it isn't that it keeps fundie morons awake at night!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/201...193741.htm

Quote:An international team of scientists has discovered that two of the world's most devastating plagues - the plague of Justinian and the Black Death, each responsible for killing as many as half the people in Europe -- were caused by distinct strains of the same pathogen, one that faded out on its own, the other leading to worldwide spread and re-emergence in the late 1800s. These findings suggest a new strain of plague could emerge again in humans in the future.

That's some seriously scary shit.

It's also possible that it could reemerge in a form that's far less deadly. In fact, I think that's actually pretty likely. Evolutionarly speaking, pathogens that are most successful aren't the ones that kill the most people; they're the ones who are spread quietly with little to no symptoms.

Who is to state that HIV/AIDS is not already a form of that plague? Look at how many people it has and still is killing.

See the movie "Contagion" for an interesting take on how such a plague would spread.

Theoretically I find this exciting and interesting. Hopefully though, such a finding would lead to research for hopefully stopping another deadly strand coming into existence.

(January 28, 2014 at 1:56 pm)TaraJo Wrote: It's also possible that it could reemerge in a form that's far less deadly. In fact, I think that's actually pretty likely. Evolutionarly speaking, pathogens that are most successful aren't the ones that kill the most people; they're the ones who are spread quietly with little to no symptoms.

That's the coin flip, Tara. Yes. It could be less deadly or more deadly and we won't know until it happens.

Far worse though is that unlike in Justinian's time or the Black Death's time, we now have a marvelously developed international air travel web to spread diseases far more quickly.

Medicine has evolved to the point that it wouldn't elevate to those levels though, right? I mean it seems like every couple years there's a new pandemic that's going to wipe us out, but it always falls short. Sars, West nile, mad cow, H1N1, blah blah blah.

(January 28, 2014 at 3:37 pm)Minimalist Wrote:

(January 28, 2014 at 1:56 pm)TaraJo Wrote: It's also possible that it could reemerge in a form that's far less deadly. In fact, I think that's actually pretty likely. Evolutionarly speaking, pathogens that are most successful aren't the ones that kill the most people; they're the ones who are spread quietly with little to no symptoms.

That's the coin flip, Tara. Yes. It could be less deadly or more deadly and we won't know until it happens.

Far worse though is that unlike in Justinian's time or the Black Death's time, we now have a marvelously developed international air travel web to spread diseases far more quickly.

On the other hand, we have better public health knowledge and systems - sanitation, isolation, diet, etc. that help contain the spread of diseases.

Might be a wash.

Quote:Medicine has evolved to the point that it wouldn't elevate to those levels though, right?

Unless the drug companies try to make big profits on the cures, though.

I don't trust the bastards....do you?