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AugustWolf22 OP t1_itwotei wrote

note - this is NOT a new disease, the scientists have just advanced our understanding of how common viral infections occurred and their methods for avoiding our immune system's response. just to repeat this is not a new disease, there is no need to panic, if you are worried read the article.

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pegothejerk t1_itwp8q8 wrote

It's also likely a very good clue/hint as to how more and more complex primordial organisms can emerge from simpler molecular/organic systems that aren't quite what we'd define as living.

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SeismicFrog t1_ity2390 wrote

How is it not two old viruses (RSV and the influenza) that have combined to form a new virus with two attack vectors (including resisting white blood cells tailored for one of the two viruses) across a wider area of the respiratory tract? And how are the viruses they also suspect form from combinations of animal viruses, etc. not represent new viruses?

And yes, I read the entire article.

Plus viruses form infections, not diseases.

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MLThrowaway75 t1_itywkou wrote

You're kind of arguing semantics on that last point. Disease is a super ambiguous term that just means dis-ease. There's also a division of the CDC that deals with viral disease

https://www.cdc.gov/ncird/dvd.html

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SeismicFrog t1_iu0xo5m wrote

Very true and a solid point.

I just usually see viruses related to infections (-itis).

Point accepted, that was arguing semantics.

Thank you kind Redditor!

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Baldmofo t1_iu2pb6r wrote

-itis suffix in Latin means swelling, not infection. Ex) arthritis, tendonitis have nothing to do with infections.

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AugustWolf22 OP t1_ityzoco wrote

because they believe that this mechanism has been used by hard-to-treat viral pneumonia for a while now, they are only just observing this phenomenon which the viruses have been using for a long time.

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SeismicFrog t1_iu0xf4a wrote

Great answer. Thank you. I didn’t mean to laden that with snark, I just wanted to better understand your perspective.

Thank you kind Redditor!

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