Any microbiologists out there?

[Mr Jack]

What I said. No reason it could not be in an organism lying dormant in the ice caps - then infecting people due to it being dug up - then said people getting its genetic material spliced into the human DNA.

The idea of a harmful microbe being frozen in someone like Ötzi is quite a neat idea. In principle you could have a retrovirus with very little natural resistance hiding out somewhere like that. The other option is a zoonotic virus carried harmless in some species that only very rarely crosses the species barrier.

FunkyCowie, it would help if you told us exactly what it is you're looking for.

 

[[FnG]magnolia]

Can we have a paragraph or two to read? I'm intrigued.

 

[Xordium]

You could also work it from a gene-therapy type angle. If want to explore that angle then read up on X-linked SCID. That will describe the process where the retrovirus was used to deliberately alter the DNA of children who had no immune system. That is something that is actually possible but to most laypeople well into the realm of science fiction. Wiki etc all say it failed which is true for abroad but it has been working over here now for a good 4-5 years.

As Mr Jack said it's very difficult to say what could be a good solution without knowing more.

You ask for detectable by modern medicine - do you plan on describing how it is tested, if so does everyone have to be tested, etc.

We need more info.

In return we want the following or something similar in the story:

"In his anger Hovis raised his arm whilst clenching his fist in the direction of (insert woman's name). His arm dropped towards the table and his fist hit (insert woman's name) dinner plate smashing her pasty in the process."

 

[FunkyCowie]

For all the help we are giving you we want Hovis in your story somewhere.

The progenitor with the virus had been called Adam Hovis as requested

FunkyCowie, it would help if you told us exactly what it is you're looking for.

Basically I am looking for a way to create a new form of human due to the infection of this virus.

 

[Xordium]

The progenitor with the virus had been called Adam Hovis as requested

Good man.

Basically I am looking for a way to create a new form of human due to the infection of this virus.[/QUOTE]

Don't forget if you are working this then exposure in utero will be far more plausible.

 

[Zethor]

Basically I am looking for a way to create a new form of human due to the infection of this virus.

If I understand correctly, you want your virus to guide/affect this humanoid's evolution after it has spread to every individual of the species without noticeable effects. There are some important issues in this scenario:

1. Why would a virus produce such effects, assuming it's not an artificial creation? In what way does changing these humanoids increases the virus' efficiency (which is measured in how many cells it infects and how many virsuses are produced per infected cell)?

2. When physical changes happen in the evolution of a species, they are a response to enviromental pressure. Big arms would evolve if an increased arm size would give a small survival/mating success advantage. But if everyone has the virus, everyone receives its DNA influence, meaning they are on equal footing. This implies that the rest of the enviroment (such as climate) will shape most of the humanoids' physical characteristicss, as opposed to the virus itself. This is why your virus needs to infect only a certain group of individuals, affect them in such a way that they gain survival advantages and then let nature take its course (they have more and healthier children which, in time, eliminate the normal members of the species which were unaffected by the virus).

3. Viruses don't have "dormant" characteristics. Think of a virus as a Tweet, you only have room for 140 characters and, in order to create something that makes sense, you can't afford to leave 20 characters in a state of dormancy, you use them all for maximum efficiency. Furthermore, viruses constantly change, mutate, create new strains with or without their hosts, I just don't how a dormant (and thus currently useless) characteristic could be copied succesfully after trillions and trillions of replications.

Assuming the scenario I hypothesized in my second point, depending on how many individuals of the species exist and if they aren't separated by large oceans, I would estimate that a set of significant physical changes can become dominant in 500k-1m years.

 

[Xordium]

But if everyone has the virus, everyone receives its DNA influence, meaning they are on equal footing.

Only if and this is a big if the virus were to change people equally. However, what we do know from viruses is that they do not necessarily affect people equally.

 

[Muz333]

Hmm, while I'm a microbiologist I can't really give you a good answer.

With quite some spin, you could perhaps have a retrovirus that infected one population, inserting DNA in the process.

Then after 6-12K years this population has spread throughout most of the world, bringing with it the ancestor DNA from the past retrovirus (As can be seen within our own genomes).
At which point you'd have to add some spin in how this viral DNA was transcriptionally silent before but now, after some event (such as a burst of solar radiation (I can't think of anything more plausible atm) caused a recombination) is now actively expressing proteins.
These proteins maybe are similar to our own endocrines and as such it may affect growth causing gigantism for example.

 

[BuffetSlayer]

Worst "I am planning a biological terrorist attack" thread ever.

You are writing a Sci-fi book? Really? Sounds like you are involved in something shady to me!






PS - I know where you live.

PPS - I know where you live.

PPPS - Just kidding, good luck with the book!

 

[FunkyCowie]

Ok so I have finally decided on the dynamic I require for this part of my back ground story.


This change that happens prepares 'humanity' for the next step where the progenitor, on first contact with the original source or something related to it, undergoes an aggressive change in his physiology. So in my mind it should work that not everyone can catch this twice due to an 'immunity' developed over time but a portion will under go this change which will enhance their physical abilities and mental acumen... and a negative side affect or two.


What Muzz333 said finally nailed it for me, I had some idea of what I wanted I just had no way of getting it out of my head and on paper. Thanks for that mental trigger

I just don't know if it can be scientifically explained.