The baby's cells are not wholly walled off from the mother's system. Like the best parasites, babies suppress their mother's immune system when it comes to their own cells.
How the placenta evolved from an ancient virus
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Re: How the placenta evolved from an ancient virus
#42It is also being researched how endogenous retroviruses are part of aging. The very rough idea being that at some point long in past a retrovirus became endogenous and provided a pathway for aging increasing the evolutionary rate of that organism, which would then out-compete most of the immortal organisms with time. Something like: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20346965/
I think immortal is the wrong word here. All organisms die. If it's not aging, then decease and predators will do it.
Re: How the placenta evolved from an ancient virus
#43So are we all going to be superhuman in 100,000 years thanks to COVID or does this only happen with retroviruses?
Was #DOScember the result of a Retrovirus?
Re: How the placenta evolved from an ancient virus
#44It is also being researched how endogenous retroviruses are part of aging. The very rough idea being that at some point long in past a retrovirus became endogenous and provided a pathway for aging increasing the evolutionary rate of that organism, which would then out-compete most of the immortal organisms with time. Something like: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20346965/
I think immortal is the wrong word here. All organisms die. If it's not aging, then decease and predators will do it.
Biological immortality is the technical term for organisms which do not die unless killed, or more accurately where rate of mortality from senescence does not increase with chronological age.
Re: How the placenta evolved from an ancient virus
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think immortal is the wrong word here. All organisms die. If it's not aging, then decease and predators will do it.
Biological immortality is the technical term for organisms which do not die unless killed, or more accurately where rate of mortality from senescence does not increase with chronological age.
Ah, I didn't know that. Thanks.
Re: How the placenta evolved from an ancient virus
#46Relevant: egg laying mammals
Re: How the placenta evolved from an ancient virus
#47Retroviruses and our coexistence with them is fascinating to me. Fun fact: "About 8 percent of human DNA comes from viruses inserted into our genomes in the distant past, in many cases into the genomes of our pre-human ancestors millions of years ago." https://newsroom.uw.edu/news/genes-%E2%80%98fossil%E2%80%99-... Endogenous retrovirus Wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogenous_retrovirus
Another wild thought: Is it possible that the solution for harmful retroviruses, like HIV, are retroviruses itself? If retroviruses can overwrite or fuse with our DNA, can't we overwrite it back by making a retrovirus ourselves?
I'm not familiar with this topic at all, but it's super interesting.
Re: How the placenta evolved from an ancient virus
#48Sometimes there can be an immune response towards the baby. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemolytic_disease_of_the_newbo...
Yes, quite commonly, really. Evolution tends to optimise for 'good enough' solutions, not perfect ones.
Re: How the placenta evolved from an ancient virus
#49It is also being researched how endogenous retroviruses are part of aging. The very rough idea being that at some point long in past a retrovirus became endogenous and provided a pathway for aging increasing the evolutionary rate of that organism, which would then out-compete most of the immortal organisms with time. Something like: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20346965/
I think immortal is the wrong word here. All organisms die. If it's not aging, then decease and predators will do it.
I'm not aware of a context where immortal refers to organisms that can't be killed by accidents and predators. In mythology and novels alike, vampires, gods, elves, ..., are all called immortal and still can be killed.
Re: How the placenta evolved from an ancient virus
#50Retroviruses and our coexistence with them is fascinating to me. Fun fact: "About 8 percent of human DNA comes from viruses inserted into our genomes in the distant past, in many cases into the genomes of our pre-human ancestors millions of years ago." https://newsroom.uw.edu/news/genes-%E2%80%98fossil%E2%80%99-... Endogenous retrovirus Wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogenous_retrovirus
Just a wild thought: if aliens wanted to change a genome of some species, what are the chances they would construct viruses to do that? AFAIK CRISP uses something similar.
That would probably only work if it gave the altered species a significant advantage (or if you had a system to detect and penalize/eliminate individuals depending on their genome, at scale).