https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Mschlemm&feedformat=atommicrobewiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T22:26:56ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.39.6https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Microbial_Science_Fiction&diff=6100Microbial Science Fiction2006-12-08T18:47:02Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
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<div>[[Microbial Science Fiction]] is the tag given to pages on the MicrobeWiki used for the Fall 2006 Biology in Science Fiction web project of Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer. It is intended to highlight information on this website that is of a fictional nature and not intended for actual study. Any future pages created on the MicrobeWiki for the purposes of a fictional project should have this tag at the bottom of the page:<br />
<br />
<pre><small>This page has been tagged [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</small></pre><br />
<br />
Any images used in fictional projects should also have a link to the [[Microbial Science Fiction]] page. The [[Microbial Science Fiction]] page should be edited as well, to add the newly tagged pages to the Tagged Pages list.<br />
<br />
==Tagged Pages==<br />
<br />
[[Microbots]]<br><br />
[[Leda Asamov]]<br><br />
[[Chimeravirus]]<br><br />
[[Great Pandemic of 2049]]</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:Leda.jpg&diff=6099File:Leda.jpg2006-12-08T18:45:15Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
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<div>Picture used in the Fall 2006 Biology in Science Fiction web project by Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer. Picture taken by Gilad Barlev, and edited by Molly Schlemmer. '''DO NOT REPRODUCE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!''' For more information, please see [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:MicrovChimera.gif&diff=6098File:MicrovChimera.gif2006-12-08T18:44:46Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
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<div>Graph created for the Fall 2006 Biology in Science Fiction web project by Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer. For more information, please see [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:PctGraph.gif&diff=6097File:PctGraph.gif2006-12-08T18:44:25Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>Graph created for the Fall 2006 Biology in Science Fiction web project by Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer. For more information, please see [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:CompPerProwl.gif&diff=6096File:CompPerProwl.gif2006-12-08T18:44:11Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>Graph created for the Fall 2006 Biology in Science Fiction web project by Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer. For more information, please see [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Microbial_Science_Fiction&diff=6095Microbial Science Fiction2006-12-08T18:43:36Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Microbial Science Fiction]] is the tag given to pages on the MicrobeWiki used for the Fall 2006 Biology in Science Fiction web project of Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer. It is intended to highlight information on this website that is of a fictional nature and not intended for actual study. Any future pages created on the MicrobeWiki for the purposes of a fictional project should have this tag at the bottom of the page:<br />
<br />
<pre><small>This page has been tagged [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</small></pre><br />
<br />
The [[Microbial Science Fiction]] page should be edited as well, to add the newly tagged pages to the Tagged Pages list.<br />
<br />
==Tagged Pages==<br />
<br />
[[Microbots]]<br><br />
[[Leda Asamov]]<br><br />
[[Chimeravirus]]<br><br />
[[Great Pandemic of 2049]]</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:Chimeravirus.png&diff=6094File:Chimeravirus.png2006-12-08T18:43:19Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>Manipulation by Molly Schlemmer of an EM micrograph image of simian virus SV40, in the family [[Paramyxoviridae]]. Used in the ficional article [[Chimeravirus]], a page of the Fall 2006 Biology in Science Fiction web project by Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer, at Kenyon College. Original image from the [[http://www.cdc.gov CDC]. For more information, please see [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:Leda.jpg&diff=6093File:Leda.jpg2006-12-08T18:42:26Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>Picture used in the Biology in Science Fiction web project by Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer. Picture taken by Gilad Barlev, and edited by Molly Schlemmer. '''DO NOT REPRODUCE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!''' For more information, please see [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:CompPerProwl.gif&diff=6092File:CompPerProwl.gif2006-12-08T18:39:39Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>Graph created for the Biology in Science Fiction web project by Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer. For more information, please see [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:MicrovChimera.gif&diff=6091File:MicrovChimera.gif2006-12-08T18:39:11Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>Graph created for the Biology in Science Fiction web project by Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer. For more information, please see [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:PctGraph.gif&diff=6090File:PctGraph.gif2006-12-08T18:38:19Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>Graph created for the Biology in Science Fiction web project by Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer. For more information, please see [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:CompPerProwl.gif&diff=6089File:CompPerProwl.gif2006-12-08T18:37:12Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>Graph created for the Biology in Science Fiction web project of Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer. For more information, see [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Microbial_Science_Fiction&diff=6088Microbial Science Fiction2006-12-08T18:35:58Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Microbial Science Fiction]] is the tag given to pages on the MicrobeWiki used for the Biology in Science Fiction web project of Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer. It is intended to highlight information on this website that is of a fictional nature and not intended for actual study. Any future pages created on the MicrobeWiki for the purposes of a fictional project should have this tag at the bottom of the page:<br />
<br />
<pre><small>This page has been tagged [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</small></pre><br />
<br />
The [[Microbial Science Fiction]] page should be edited as well, to add the newly tagged pages to the Tagged Pages list.<br />
<br />
==Tagged Pages==<br />
<br />
[[Microbots]]<br><br />
[[Leda Asamov]]<br><br />
[[Chimeravirus]]<br><br />
[[Great Pandemic of 2049]]</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6087Chimeravirus2006-12-08T18:22:04Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>''This article is on the biology of the Chimeravirus. For history, see the [[Great Pandemic of 2049]].''<br />
[[Image:chimeravirus.png|thumb|right|200px|EM image of Chimeravirus.]]<br />
<br />
==Baltimore Classification==<br />
<br />
===Higher order taxa===<br />
<br />
Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
<br />
===Genera===<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus''<br />
<br />
==Description and Significance==<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the [[Great Pandemic of 2049]]. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human immunodeficiency virus|Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ''Chimeravirus'' was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ''Chimeravirus'' refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
<br />
Classification of ''Chimeravirus'' was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction.<br />
<br />
==Genome Structure==<br />
<br />
"The genome of chimeravirus is dimeric, unsegmented and contains a single molecule of linear DNA. The genome is -RT and a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA. Minor species of non-genomic nucleic acid are also found in virions. The encapsidated nucleic acid is mainly of genomic origin but virions may also contain nucleic acid of host origin, including host RNA and fragments of host DNA believed to be incidental inclusions. The complete genome of one monomer is 7000-11000 nucleotides long. The 5'-end of the genome has a methylated nucleotide cap with a cap sequence type 1 m7G5ppp5'GmpNp. The 3'-terminus of each monomer has a poly (A) tract and the terminus has a tRNA-like structure." (See [[Retroviridae#Genome_Structure|Retroviridae]] and source: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/ICTVdB/00.061.htm ICTVdB])<br />
<br />
==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
<br />
"Chimeravirus virions consist of an envelope, a nucleocapsid, and a matrix protein. Virions are large and have a complex construction. They are spherical to pleomorphic, and can range from 150-200 nm in diameter and 1000-10000 nm long. The envelope has spike-like projections spaced widely apart and evenly covering the surface. The surface projections are embedded in a lipid bilayer. The nucleocapsid is 600-800 nm(-1000 nm, depending on the genus), 13-18 nm in diameter, and has helical symmetry." (See [[Paramyxoviridae#Virion_Structure_of_a_Paramyxovirus|Paramyxoviridae]] and source: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/ICTVdB/48000000.htm ICTVdB])<br />
<br />
==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
<br />
"Chimeravirus virions enter host cells through interaction between a virally-encoded envelope protein and a cellular receptor. Viral RNA is transcribed into a DNA copy by the enzyme reverse transcriptase which is present in the virion. The viral DNA copy is integrated into, and becomes a permanent part of, the host genome. This integrated DNA is referred to as a provirus. The host cell's transcriptional and translational machinery expresses the viral genes. The host RNA polymerase II transcribes the provirus to create new viral RNA, which is then transported out of the nucleus by other cellular processes. A fraction of these new RNAs are spliced to allow expression of some genes, while others are left as full-length RNAs. Viral proteins are synthesized by the host cell's translational machinery. Virions are assembled and bud from the host cell." (See [[Retroviridae#Reproduction_Cycle_of_a_Retroviridae_in_a_Host_Cell|Retroviridae]] and source: [http://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/cgi/reprint/52/4/493 Hu and Pathak])<br />
<br />
==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
<br />
Chimeravirus is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<br />
Baker et al. "Reproduction of Chimeravirus similar to Retroviridae." ''Journal of Virological Studies'' 447.6 (2050): 4008-4015.<br />
<br />
Peters et al. "Identification of a new reverse-transcribing RNA virus in a new family: the Chimeraviridae." ''Journal of Virological Studies'' 447.5 (2049): 3327-3340.<br />
<br />
Smalls and Welk. "New hybrid virus difficult to classify." ''Virology Online'' 567.2 (2049): 211-221.<br />
<br />
<small>This page has been tagged [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</small></div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Great_Pandemic_of_2049&diff=6086Great Pandemic of 20492006-12-08T18:09:27Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''The Great Pandemic of 2049''' refers to the release of the hybrid [[chimeravirus]] by religious extremists in 2049. The pandemic nearly caused the extinction of the human race in less than six months, but nearly 100 million people survived thanks to [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]].<br />
<br />
==Origins==<br />
The [[chimeravirus]] was developed by an unknown Russian geneticist in 2048. Commissioned by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]], the geneticist created a hybrid of [[Human immunodeficiency virus|Human Immunodeficiency Virus]] and [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], two of the deadliest viruses at the time, and combined them with [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], an airborne virus that causes lower respiratory infections. [[4 Horsemen]] intended to use the virus as a [[terrorism|terrorist]] weapon in their cause to bring about the [[apocalypse]], but records show that even they were not prepared for how deadly the virus would be.<br />
<br />
[[Patient Zero]] was [[Eugene Reyes]], a member of 4 Horsemen who called himself "Pestilence," after the first of the [[Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse]]. Living in [[Jerusalem]], [[Israel]], he purposefully infected himself with the virus with the intention of infecting the entire Middle East--where 4 Horsemen believed the final battle between the [[Antichrist]] and [[Jesus]] would take place--and eventually the world. He died three weeks later, with the pandemic just beginning to be apparent.<br />
<br />
==Spread==<br />
The virus showed a 100% mortality rate--no natural antibodies could combat the disease.<br />
<br />
Being airborne, the disease spread quickly classified [[Biosafety Level 4]] by the CDC). It is estimated that by the time the first patients started showing symptoms, 15% of the world was already infected. Quarantine efforts were useless. Even small, remote villages were unable to escape the disease.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the spread of the pandemic caused neither rioting nor panic; the human race seemed content to go to its end with a whimper instead of a bang.<br />
<br />
==Microbots==<br />
<br />
Even early in the virus' spread, it became apparent that there was one population that was unaffected. Former sufferers of [[Human immunodeficiency virus|HIV]] and some who had undergone [[chemotheraphy]] who had allowed themselves to be installed with [[microbots]] seemed utterly unaffected. Analysis of the virus shows why: chimeravirus, in its initial stages, attacks white blood cells primarily, thus disabling any potential immune response in the later stages. Microbots, being of artificial construct, are invulnerable to [[retrovirus|retroviral]] attacks. Furthermore, microbots need not wait for the immune system to produce [[antibodies]], but instead a "virus definition update," which the microbot's manufacturer, [[Asamov Nanotech]], provided free of charge.<br />
<br />
As effective as the microbots were, for those already infected, they offered no salvation. The "installation" of microbots takes several weeks, by which time the chimeravirus is already in its final stages. Used preventatively, however, an estimated 15 million lives were saved by having the microbots installed prior to infection.<br />
<br />
[[Image:MicrovChimera.gif|thumb|right|300px|The growth of the [[chimeravirus]] far outstrips that of the microbot population.]] <br />
<br />
Popular folklore has it that Reyes learned that the world AIDS population would survive his plague on his deathbed, to which he laughed and responded simply, "The meek shall inherit the earth."<br />
<br />
==Aftermath==<br />
The pandemic was over in less than six months, leaving a world population of barely 120 million humans. While the virus has run out of hosts, it is believed to remain dormant in several remote locations, necessitating the importance of installing microbots in each new generation.<br />
<br />
As devastating as the pandemic was, like the [[bubonic plague]] of a millennium before, the survivors of the chimeravirus found themselves in a better world. At barely one percent of the pre-chimera population, the remaining world inhabitants were finally able to set aside their few remaining differences and join together into one [[World Government]].<br />
<br />
Many theorists believe our current era of peace, which has been ongoing for seven decades, is contingent on the world population not increasing beyond 250 million. Interestingly, given normal population patterns, the human race does not seem likely to push this limit any time soon--the world population has remained stable at approximately 150 million for the past two generations, which is even more surprising considering the average human [[lifespan]] has doubled since the adoption of microbots.<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*Romney, Jacobs (2090). ''Chimeravirus: A History.'' Rabat, Morocco: Publius. ISBN 2838513104.<br />
<br />
<small>This page has been labeled [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</small></div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6085Chimeravirus2006-12-08T18:08:48Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>''This article is on the biology of the Chimeravirus. For history, see the [[Great Pandemic of 2049]].''<br />
[[Image:chimeravirus.png|thumb|right|200px|EM image of Chimeravirus.]]<br />
<br />
==Baltimore Classification==<br />
<br />
===Higher order taxa===<br />
<br />
Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
<br />
===Genera===<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus''<br />
<br />
==Description and Significance==<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the [[Great Pandemic of 2049]]. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human immunodeficiency virus|Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ''Chimeravirus'' was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ''Chimeravirus'' refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
<br />
Classification of ''Chimeravirus'' was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction.<br />
<br />
==Genome Structure==<br />
<br />
"The genome of chimeravirus is dimeric, unsegmented and contains a single molecule of linear DNA. The genome is -RT and a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA. Minor species of non-genomic nucleic acid are also found in virions. The encapsidated nucleic acid is mainly of genomic origin but virions may also contain nucleic acid of host origin, including host RNA and fragments of host DNA believed to be incidental inclusions. The complete genome of one monomer is 7000-11000 nucleotides long. The 5'-end of the genome has a methylated nucleotide cap with a cap sequence type 1 m7G5ppp5'GmpNp. The 3'-terminus of each monomer has a poly (A) tract and the terminus has a tRNA-like structure." (See [[Retroviridae#Genome_Structure|Retroviridae]] and source: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/ICTVdB/00.061.htm ICTVdB])<br />
<br />
==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
<br />
"Chimeravirus virions consist of an envelope, a nucleocapsid, and a matrix protein. Virions are large and have a complex construction. They are spherical to pleomorphic, and can range from 150-200 nm in diameter and 1000-10000 nm long. The envelope has spike-like projections spaced widely apart and evenly covering the surface. The surface projections are embedded in a lipid bilayer. The nucleocapsid is 600-800 nm(-1000 nm, depending on the genus), 13-18 nm in diameter, and has helical symmetry." (See [[Paramyxoviridae#Virion_Structure_of_a_Paramyxovirus|Paramyxoviridae]] and source: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/ICTVdB/48000000.htm ICTVdB])<br />
<br />
==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
<br />
"Chimeravirus virions enter host cells through interaction between a virally-encoded envelope protein and a cellular receptor. Viral RNA is transcribed into a DNA copy by the enzyme reverse transcriptase which is present in the virion. The viral DNA copy is integrated into, and becomes a permanent part of, the host genome. This integrated DNA is referred to as a provirus. The host cell's transcriptional and translational machinery expresses the viral genes. The host RNA polymerase II transcribes the provirus to create new viral RNA, which is then transported out of the nucleus by other cellular processes. A fraction of these new RNAs are spliced to allow expression of some genes, while others are left as full-length RNAs. Viral proteins are synthesized by the host cell's translational machinery. Virions are assembled and bud from the host cell." (See [[Retroviridae#Reproduction_Cycle_of_a_Retroviridae_in_a_Host_Cell|Retroviridae]] and source: [http://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/cgi/reprint/52/4/493 Hu and Pathak])<br />
<br />
==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
<br />
Chimeravirus is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.<br />
<br />
<small>This page has been tagged [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</small></div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Microbots&diff=6084Microbots2006-12-08T18:07:54Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>''This article refers to the Asimov Immuno-supplementation Microrobots. For the Groton Microconstruction Bots or the Camino-Techron BrainLink Communicators, see [[Microbots (other uses)]]''<br />
<br />
'''Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots''' are [[micron]]-sized [[self-replicating]] machines, originally developed to combat HIV, which supplement the natural human immune system by scanning for and eradicating known [[pathogens]]. They were developed and are still maintained by [[Asamov Nanotech]] and were invented by its founder, [[Leda Asamov]].<br />
<br />
<br />
==Mechanics==<br />
The job of a microbot is to mimic and improve on the role of [[leukocytes]] (white blood cells). They come in two "species:" prowlers, which are approximately 2 microns in diameter (about 1/5 as large as a white blood cell), passively float through the [[bloodstream]], scanning their surroundings and attacking pathogens, while compilers, at 9 microns thick, harvest [[organic]] molecules from the bloodstream to build more microbots. The ratio of prowlers to compilers will rise from 150:1 to 200:1 as the population grows.<br />
<br />
[[Image:compPerProwl.gif|thumb|right|300px|As the microbot population grows, the proportion of compilers to prowlers decreases [[logistic function|logistically]].]]<br />
<br />
Though each possessing about 200 [[MFLOPS]] of processing power, microbots rely on [[radio]]-frequency communication with a surgically-implanted "central processor," usually installed near the [[solar plexus]], for most their functionality.<br />
<br />
Prowlers are only two microns thick and thus are able to spread throughout the entire bloodstream, easily crossing the [[blood-brain barrier]] and [[diffusion|diffusing]] through [[capillaries]]. Prowlers "instinctively" scan its surroundings using low-intensity [[X-rays]] (~1 [[electron volt|KeV]]). Since X-rays have a smaller [[wavelength]] than visible light, prowlers are able to provide much more detailed images than optical scanning. These X-ray images are transmitted via radio signal to the central processor for analysis. The central processor will analyze these images against a "virus definition file," a database of known pathogens. This file is regularly updated by Asamov Nanotech in order to combat emerging threats. When a pathogen (or a [[cancer]] cell) is identified by the central processor, the prowler will be ordered to irradiate the object using high-intensity X-rays. While at low levels, these X-rays do very little harm to their surroundings, when focused and used at high intensity, these X-rays prove efficient, quickly destroying the pathogen while causing minimal, if any, [[collateral damage]]. To emit these X-rays, a prowler stimulates [[photon emission]] by letting atoms in its structure fall into lower energy levels.<br />
<br />
A prowler is "born" with all the energy it will ever possess—once all its atoms fall into their lowest energy states, the microbot is "dead," useful only for the carbon it may harvested for. The average [[lifespan]] of a particular microbot is about six hours.<br />
<br />
The larger compilers move under their own power, using nanoscale motors to transport themselves through the [[circulatory system]], and are comparatively immortal, many functioning for years without failure or until the central processor orders its [[self-destruct]]. The sole function of a compilers is to take in [[carbon]] from the surrounding bloodstream and assemble more microbots. Given no instructions from the central processor, compilers will build prowlers, exclusively, to replace the ones that "die." However, during times of infection or during initial installation, when population levels need to be replaced more quickly, several compilers will work together to build additional compilers, a perfect example of [[self-replication]]. Compilers have the added functionality of being able to clean out [[Atheromatous plaque|plaque]]-ridden [[blood vessels]]. While compilers prefer to congregate near the [[small intestine]] (where the nutrient flow is richest), when a prowler identifies a [[cholesterol]]-ridden blood vessel, the central processor will reroute compilers to clean it out and make new microbots in the process.<br />
<br />
It is important to note that while microbots are made of carbon and mimic many functions of natural organisms, they themselves contain no DNA. Thus, they are completely immune to all [[retroviruses]], including the [[chimeravirus]].<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Today, the Asamov microbots are already present in the bloodstream at birth, requiring only the installation of a central processor, usually surgically implanted near the solar plexus. However, when the devices were first introduced, it took several weeks for an adult to build up an adequate microbot population.<br />
<br />
After the installation of the central processor, a doctor would inject a population of about one million microbots [[intravenously]] into a patient. Over the next eight weeks, this population would grow to 250 billion.<br />
<br />
This growth is not only modeled, but actually defined (since compiler growth rate is regulated by the central processor) by the [[logistic function|Verhulst equation]]:<br />
<br />
:[[Image:diff.gif|150px]] where ''C'' is the number of compilers, ''r'' is the ideal rate of compiler production and ''C<sub>f</sub>'' the maximum compiler population.<br />
<br />
Thus, the population of compilers in the bloodstream at any given time after injection is given by:<br />
<br />
:[[Image:verhulst.gif|200px]]<br />
<br />
The ratio of time a compiler spends building other compilers versus building prowlers is very low, so for most purposes it is sufficient to calculate the prowler population by multiplying the number of compilers by the the number of prowlers each compiler can build in six hours, the prowler "generation."<br />
<br />
Below is a small program written in [[C programming language|C]] of code written for Asamov Nanotech to crudely model microbot population growth:<br />
<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
//MicrobotSimulator, written by Antar Iliev (Asamov Nanotech), v1.0<br />
//Quickly and crudely simulate Microbot population growth data using current<br />
//figures. For this simulation, one-sixth of the prowler population dies each<br />
//hour (since a prowler's average lifespan is six hours).<br />
<br />
#include <stdio.h><br />
<br />
int main()<br />
{//main function<br />
FILE *fpoutp = fopen("microbotGrowth.dat","w"); //output file pointer<br />
<br />
const double initComp = 6134; //initial compiler population<br />
const double finalComp = 1.38e9; //final compiler population<br />
const double growthRate = 0.0133;//maximum comp growth rate (compilers/hour)<br />
const double prowlerRate = 30; //# of prowlers 1 compiler can make in 1 hour<br />
const double compRate = 0.5; //# of compilers 1 compiler can make in 1 hour<br />
<br />
double compPop = initComp; //compiler population, updated each generation<br />
double compHours = compPop; //number of compilers * number of hours<br />
double newComp; //new compilers produced in a generation<br />
double prowlerPop = 162*compPop; //prowler population<br />
double totalPop = compPop + prowlerPop; //total population<br />
<br />
for (int i=0; i<1500; i++)<br />
{//update every hour<br />
<br />
//write data to file <br />
fprintf(fpoutp,"\n%d\t%e\t%e\t%e",i,compPop,prowlerPop,totalPop);<br />
/*file contains:<br />
column 0: time in hours since injection<br />
column 1: compiler population<br />
column 2: prowler population<br />
column 3: total population*/<br />
<br />
//recalculate everything<br />
prowlerPop = 5*prowlerPop/6; //one-sixth of prowlers die each hour<br />
compHours = compPop; //get compiler-hours available<br />
newComp = growthRate*compPop*(1-compPop/finalComp); //build new comps<br />
//Compiler growth rate is defined by the Verhulst equation<br />
compHours -= newComp/compRate; //subtract compHrs it took to build comps<br />
compPop += newComp; //add new compilers to the population<br />
prowlerPop += compHours*prowlerRate; //use rest of compHrs on prowlers<br />
totalPop = compPop + prowlerPop; //update total population<br />
}<br />
<br />
//close file; end program<br />
fclose(fpoutp);<br />
return 0;<br />
}<br />
//v1.01 Completed 2048-12-05 -- Upped time-resolution from generations to hours<br />
//v1.00 Completed 2048-12-04 <br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
<br />
The Verhulst equation is [[logistic function|logistic]], forming an S-curve, with population growing slowly at first, speeding up exponentially, then slowing back down as the microbots reach their target population.<br />
<br />
[[Image:pctGraph.gif|thumb|right|300px|The microbot population grows [[logistic function|logistically]], reaching target population after about eight weeks.]]<br />
<br />
The most common side-effect during this time was an increase in metabolism, as the microbots built themselves out of nutrients in the bloodstream.<br />
<br />
The tragedy of microbot installation was that it was too slow for those who had already contracted the [[chimeravirus]]. The growth of the chimeravirus rapidly outstrips that of the microbot population. Thus, by the time the microbots are of sufficient numbers to combat the [[retrovirus]], the patient is usually already in the final stages of the disease.<br />
<br />
[[Image:MicrovChimera.gif|thumb|right|300px|The growth of the [[chimeravirus]] far outstrips that of the microbot population.]]<br />
<br />
==Development and Early Deployment==<br />
The Asamov microbots were invented and patented by [[Leda Asamov]] in [[2038]], three years after her daughter contracted [[HIV]] after accidentally being stuck with a contaminated needle while working as a [[medical intern]] ([[Asamov Nanotech]] had been founded more than two decade earlier as a small research firm specializing in creating micron-sized structures using nanoscale engineering).<br />
<br />
The original microbots were made of [[silicon]], were much larger, and needed to be manufactured in the lab (compilers had yet to be developed). These early prowlers functioned used visible-wavelength imaging, and the original central processors were only sophisticated enough to detect the distinct form of the [[HIV]] virus.<br />
<br />
As a consequence, the initial functionality of the microbots was limited to stopping the spread of HIV to others. The original [[2038 ]] "[[AIDS Blocker]]" deployment took the form of a music player-sized device which its user would straps to one's waist about five minutes before intercourse. The device contained the central processor as well as a microneedle which injected the user with the silicon-based microbots. Due to the limited range of the central processor, the microbots would stay localized in the genital region. The microbots were programmed exclusively to seek out (the larger prowlers were originally powered) and destroy HIV. When used with a [[condom]], this machine cut risk of transmission of the disease to zero—literally; not a single case of transmission was ever reported. Since these microbots were not self-replicating, they needed to be reinjected before each use.<br />
<br />
Due to the huge success of the "AIDS Blocker," Asamov Nanotech prospered, and two years later were able to release a second version which combat all known blood-born [[STD]]s. This "[[STD Blocker]]" was similar in effectiveness to its prototype and achieved widespread use recreationally.<br />
<br />
In the same year, Asamov Nanotech released the "Mommy" version of their HIV destroyer, which worked to prevent nursing mothers from passing the disease onto their children. What held Asamov Nanotech from releasing a full-scale version was the issue of self-replication; the amount of silicon a user would need to ingest to allow the microbots to reproduce was prohibitive. <br />
<br />
The issue was finally resolved in [[2045]]. The innovation came with the realization that the way to get around the silicon problem was, simply, to use [[carbon]]. Since the microbots could not be self-replicating, the costs involved in the manufacture and deployment went down to zero; a user would produce their own micromachines, and the central processor was no more expensive to build than a [[cell phone]]. Thus, the main cost from the microbots would come from "installation" of the central processor, a relatively simple surgical procedure.<br />
<br />
By now, Asamov Nanotech was a [[Fortune 500]] company, with heavy profits still rolling in from the "STD Blocker." Thus, it was feasible, in an act of unsurpassed [[philanthropy]], for Asamov Nanotech to provide the device for free to all the world's 50 million HIV/AIDS sufferers.<br />
<br />
Within a year, the entire world [[AIDS]] population had the device, and the HIV virus had been completely eradicated. This was followed by Asamov Nanotech making the device available cheaply to anyone with an [[immunodeficiency]] problem, including [[cancer]] patients undergoing [[chemotherapy]].<br />
<br />
As all the hardware was completely self-sufficient, and "virus definition updates" were managed, free of charge, as simply as on a computer, people "cured" of HIV/AIDS or who had finished chemotheraphy saw no reason to have the microbots removed or deactivated; even though their white cell counts had returned to normal levels, their immune systems proved far stronger than those of nonusers.<br />
<br />
In [[2048]], Asamov Nanotech went into negotiations with several [[HMO]] companies in an attempt to get the microbots available universally. However, the companies were reluctant, and by the time the chimeravirus broke loose, only approximately 100 million people globally were using microbots.<br />
<br />
==Current Capabilities and Limitations==<br />
Today the entire world population uses descendants of the Asamov microbots. In such a universal deployment, the machines' capabilities, as well as their limitations, are readily apparent.<br />
<br />
Not relying on antibodies, microbots are far more effective in detecting and destroying pathogens, as well as cancer and [[precancer]] cells in the latest deployments. The central processor uses a complex imaging algorithm, rather than relying on [[antibodies]] binding, to identify targets. Thus, microbots proved the final cure to the infamous "[[common cold]]," in addition to much more serious ailments. In addition, microbots will never attack nonthreatening "foreign materials," such as a transplanted kidney. As a result, many today choose to have their [[vestigial]] "natural" immune systems removed.<br />
<br />
However, it should be noted that micromachines are no [[panacea]]. Though they can destroy infections, disease, cancer and even cholesterol, they are powerless to repair failing organs or to fix broken blood vessels. As a consequence, though the average human lifespan has increased to 120 years (from 75 circa [[2000]]), [[immortality]] remains beyond us.<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
[[Asamov Nanotech]]<br />
<br />
[[Leda Asamov]]<br />
<br />
[[HIV]]<br />
<br />
[[Chimeravirus]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*[http://www.asamovnano.com Asamov Nanotech fact page]<br />
<br />
<small>This page has been tagged [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</small></div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Leda_Asamov&diff=6083Leda Asamov2006-12-08T18:07:36Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Leda.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Leda Asamov]]<br />
'''Leda Rebecca Asamov''' ([[April 10]], [[1988]] – [[July 15]], [[2085]]) was an [[American]] [[physicist]] best known for founding [[Asamov Nanotech]] and for designing the [[microbots|Asamov Immuno-supplementation Microbots]].<br />
<br />
==Early Life==<br />
Leda Asamov was born in the town of [[Gaithersburg]], [[Maryland]] in the [[United States]]. Her early aspirations were towards [[journalism]] (she was Editor-in-Chief of her [[high school]] publication), but by the time she graduated high school in 2006, her leanings were more towards science.<br />
<br />
In fall of 2006 she enrolled at [[Kenyon College]], a small [[liberal arts]] college in [[Ohio]] (United States). There she majored in [[physics]], graduating with Honors in 2010. From there, she moved on to [[Northwestern University]] in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]] to do her graduate work.<br />
<br />
Asamov was first introduced to the field of [[nanoscience]] at Kenyon. In the summer after her [[sophomore]] year, she co-published an article with her advisor modeling the effects of force on [[diffusion]] in the case of a sub-[[micron]] sized [[polystyrene]] sphere suspended in an aqueous solution between two glass plates.<br />
<br />
At Northwestern, her research continued, focusing more on nanoscale engineering, the construction of micron-sized objects with nanometer precision. Her Ph.D thesis was on [[self-replication]].<br />
<br />
In [[2012]], she married [[Antar Iliev]], another graduate student in her program who specialized in [[computer modeling]]. Their daughter, [[Jane Iliev|Jane]], was born in [[2015]].<br />
<br />
Upon leaving Northwestern in [[2016]], she founded her [[Asamov Nanotech|eponymous nanotechnology firm]]. The firm, which specialized in the creation of micron-sized structures using nanoscale engineering, remained small, but prosperous for the next 20 years. Iliev went into [[academia]], but frequently consulted on the firm's projects.<br />
<br />
==AIDS and Microbots==<br />
In [[2035]], while interning at a Chicago hospital, Jane Iliev was accidentally stuck with a needle contaminated with [[HIV]]. While treatable, the virus had no cure. The incident ended Jane's medical career, but necessitated her mother's entry into the field; in the same year, Asamov Nanotech announced that it would be shifting its focus to medical applications.<br />
<br />
Three years later, the "[[AIDS Blocker]]" was born. The original [[2038]] "AIDS Blocker" took the form of a music player-sized device which its user would straps to one's waist about five minutes before [[intercourse]]. The device injected and controlled [[silicon]]-based microbots which were capable of targeting and destroying the HIV virus. When used with a [[condom]], this machine cut risk of transmission of the disease to zero—literally; not a single case of transmission was ever reported. However, these microbots were not self-replicating, and their range was limited to the genital area, making this device far from a cure.<br />
<br />
In 2040, Asamov Nanotech released two new versions of their original device—the famously popular "[[STD Blocker]]," which was able to target all known blood-born [[sexually transmitted diseases]], and the "Mommy" version of the AIDS Blocker, designed to prevent nursing mothers from transmitting the disease to their offspring. Popular belief is that the Mommy version was developed for use by Jane. This rumor has proven to be apocryphal, as Jane Iliev, who at 115 has retired to a community outside her birthplace of Chicago, never had children (Jane, after leaving medicine, fell back on her B.A. in Journalism to become a foreign corespondent for ''[[The Washington Post]]'', and, in a bizarre twist of fate, was actually one of the first to report on the initial outbreak of the [[chimeravirus]]).<br />
<br />
As amazingly successful as these devices were, they fell short of a cure. The issue was self-replication: in order for the microbots to prove truly successful, they would have to manufacture themselves in the user's [[bloodstream]]. Unfortunately, the amount of silicon the user would consequently need to ingest would be fatal.<br />
<br />
The breakthrough came in [[2042]] (though the finished product wouldn't appear until three years later). As her daughter reports in her biography, Asamov's insight came while watching a news program on the construction of the [[Ecuadorian]] [[Space Elevator]]. Writes Iliev, <blockquote>The reporter was interviewing the chief engineer, who was boasting about the superiority of using [[carbon nanotubes]] over steel. My mother, frustrated as she was by the lack of progress, snickered that she should've gone into macroconstruction. After all, carbon was so much easier to work with than silicon. At that, she stopped, turned off the TV, and locked herself in her study.</blockquote><br />
<br />
Nearly all the nutrients humans ingest contain [[carbon]]. By producing her microbots out of carbon, Asamov had finally solved her self-replication problem. Three years later, the [[microbots|Asamov Immuno-supplementation Microbots]] were announced.<br />
<br />
In test trials, the self-replicating microbots proved 100% effective, not only in wiping out HIV, but in neutralizing all pathogens while producing minimal side-effects (the low-intensity [[X-rays]] the microbots use caused a slightly higher risk of [[cancer]], but future versions would prove effective in combatting these threats as well). Writes Iliev, <blockquote>She could have made billions—a cure, not only to AIDS, but to syphilis, herpes, yellow fever, Ebola... even the common cold. Her real greatness, then, is not in her brilliance, but her compassion.</blockquote><br />
<br />
By now, Asamov Nanotech was a [[Fortune 500]] company, with heavy profits still rolling in from the "STD Blocker." And there were very few costs associated with the microbots—once installed, they reproduced and maintained themselves. Even the control device was no more expensive to manufacture than a cell phone. The main cost per patient would come from a relatively simple surgical implantation. Thus, it was feasible, at the urging of its CEO and head researcher, for Asamov Nanotech to supply microbots to the world's 50 million HIV/AIDS sufferers, free of charge.<br />
<br />
Asamov was unwilling to stop there. The microbots proved effective for those with any [[immunodeficiency]] ailment, including those undergoing [[chemotherapy]]. Furthermore, Asamov insisted the machines should eventually be adopted by the entire world population, as her artificial immune system proved in trials hardier than the one nature had provided. As a gesture to this end, Asamov and her husband had microbots installed in themselves in [[2047]], with neither ever suffering adverse effects (Antar Iliev eventually had his natural immune system removed in [[2091]] to allow his body to accept a transplanted heart).<br />
<br />
By [[2048]], Leda Asamov was in intense negotiation with several [[HMO]] companies in an attempt to get the microbots available cheaply to the general public. However, the companies were reluctant, viewing use of microbots by the healthy as frivolous and unnecessary. Thus, despite her best efforts, by the time the chimeravirus broke loose, only approximately 100 million people globally had the artificial immune system to combat it.<br />
<br />
==Post Chimera==<br />
With the entire remaining world population surviving thanks to her microbots, Asamov Nanotech had its work cut out for it. The company continues to release software updates to this day, making sure the microbots are always several steps ahead of the newest viral scare.<br />
<br />
Asamov herself was offered leadership positions in the new [[World Government]], but politely refused them, staying with her company until [[2072]], when she accepted the presidency of Kenyon College, her alma mater. She was the institution's last president, with the school dissolving due to lack of enrollment in [[2083]].<br />
<br />
Asamov spent her final years with her husband in their home in rural [[Ohio]], innovating new adaptations to her microbots. She died in [[2085]] of a [[stroke]]. Her husband published her unfinished papers the following year. In 2090, Jane Iliev published her biography, ''[[Small Victories]]'', which remains a global best-seller.<br />
<br />
==Legacy==<br />
It is no exaggeration to claim that Leda Asamov was the savior of mankind. Her microbots saved humanity from certain death at the hands of the chimeravirus, and in the process nearly doubled human [[life expectancy]]. She was awarded three [[Nobel prizes]]: [[Nobel Prize in Medicine|Medicine]] in [[2044]] for the STD Blocker, [[Nobel Prize in Physics|Physics]] in [[2046]] for her self-replicating carbon-based microbots, and for [[Nobel Prize in Peace|Peace]] in the same year for making her treatments freely available to anyone who needed them.<br />
<br />
A statue of her stands before the [[World Government]] headquarters in [[Nairobi]].<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
[[Asamov Nanotech]]<br />
<br />
[[Microbots]]<br />
<br />
[[Chimeravirus]]<br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*Iliev, Jane (2090). ''Small Victories.'' Algiers, Algeria: New World Press. ISBN 1934211500.<br />
<br />
<small>This page has been tagged [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</small></div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Microbots&diff=6082Microbots2006-12-08T18:06:59Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>''This article refers to the Asimov Immuno-supplementation Microrobots. For the Groton Microconstruction Bots or the Camino-Techron BrainLink Communicators, see [[Microbots (other uses)]]''<br />
<br />
'''Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots''' are [[micron]]-sized [[self-replicating]] machines, originally developed to combat HIV, which supplement the natural human immune system by scanning for and eradicating known [[pathogens]]. They were developed and are still maintained by [[Asamov Nanotech]] and were invented by its founder, [[Leda Asamov]].<br />
<br />
<br />
==Mechanics==<br />
The job of a microbot is to mimic and improve on the role of [[leukocytes]] (white blood cells). They come in two "species:" prowlers, which are approximately 2 microns in diameter (about 1/5 as large as a white blood cell), passively float through the [[bloodstream]], scanning their surroundings and attacking pathogens, while compilers, at 9 microns thick, harvest [[organic]] molecules from the bloodstream to build more microbots. The ratio of prowlers to compilers will rise from 150:1 to 200:1 as the population grows.<br />
<br />
[[Image:compPerProwl.gif|thumb|right|300px|As the microbot population grows, the proportion of compilers to prowlers decreases [[logistic function|logistically]].]]<br />
<br />
Though each possessing about 200 [[MFLOPS]] of processing power, microbots rely on [[radio]]-frequency communication with a surgically-implanted "central processor," usually installed near the [[solar plexus]], for most their functionality.<br />
<br />
Prowlers are only two microns thick and thus are able to spread throughout the entire bloodstream, easily crossing the [[blood-brain barrier]] and [[diffusion|diffusing]] through [[capillaries]]. Prowlers "instinctively" scan its surroundings using low-intensity [[X-rays]] (~1 [[electron volt|KeV]]). Since X-rays have a smaller [[wavelength]] than visible light, prowlers are able to provide much more detailed images than optical scanning. These X-ray images are transmitted via radio signal to the central processor for analysis. The central processor will analyze these images against a "virus definition file," a database of known pathogens. This file is regularly updated by Asamov Nanotech in order to combat emerging threats. When a pathogen (or a [[cancer]] cell) is identified by the central processor, the prowler will be ordered to irradiate the object using high-intensity X-rays. While at low levels, these X-rays do very little harm to their surroundings, when focused and used at high intensity, these X-rays prove efficient, quickly destroying the pathogen while causing minimal, if any, [[collateral damage]]. To emit these X-rays, a prowler stimulates [[photon emission]] by letting atoms in its structure fall into lower energy levels.<br />
<br />
A prowler is "born" with all the energy it will ever possess—once all its atoms fall into their lowest energy states, the microbot is "dead," useful only for the carbon it may harvested for. The average [[lifespan]] of a particular microbot is about six hours.<br />
<br />
The larger compilers move under their own power, using nanoscale motors to transport themselves through the [[circulatory system]], and are comparatively immortal, many functioning for years without failure or until the central processor orders its [[self-destruct]]. The sole function of a compilers is to take in [[carbon]] from the surrounding bloodstream and assemble more microbots. Given no instructions from the central processor, compilers will build prowlers, exclusively, to replace the ones that "die." However, during times of infection or during initial installation, when population levels need to be replaced more quickly, several compilers will work together to build additional compilers, a perfect example of [[self-replication]]. Compilers have the added functionality of being able to clean out [[Atheromatous plaque|plaque]]-ridden [[blood vessels]]. While compilers prefer to congregate near the [[small intestine]] (where the nutrient flow is richest), when a prowler identifies a [[cholesterol]]-ridden blood vessel, the central processor will reroute compilers to clean it out and make new microbots in the process.<br />
<br />
It is important to note that while microbots are made of carbon and mimic many functions of natural organisms, they themselves contain no DNA. Thus, they are completely immune to all [[retroviruses]], including the [[chimeravirus]].<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Today, the Asamov microbots are already present in the bloodstream at birth, requiring only the installation of a central processor, usually surgically implanted near the solar plexus. However, when the devices were first introduced, it took several weeks for an adult to build up an adequate microbot population.<br />
<br />
After the installation of the central processor, a doctor would inject a population of about one million microbots [[intravenously]] into a patient. Over the next eight weeks, this population would grow to 250 billion.<br />
<br />
This growth is not only modeled, but actually defined (since compiler growth rate is regulated by the central processor) by the [[logistic function|Verhulst equation]]:<br />
<br />
:[[Image:diff.gif|150px]] where ''C'' is the number of compilers, ''r'' is the ideal rate of compiler production and ''C<sub>f</sub>'' the maximum compiler population.<br />
<br />
Thus, the population of compilers in the bloodstream at any given time after injection is given by:<br />
<br />
:[[Image:verhulst.gif|200px]]<br />
<br />
The ratio of time a compiler spends building other compilers versus building prowlers is very low, so for most purposes it is sufficient to calculate the prowler population by multiplying the number of compilers by the the number of prowlers each compiler can build in six hours, the prowler "generation."<br />
<br />
Below is a small program written in [[C programming language|C]] of code written for Asamov Nanotech to crudely model microbot population growth:<br />
<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
//MicrobotSimulator, written by Antar Iliev (Asamov Nanotech), v1.0<br />
//Quickly and crudely simulate Microbot population growth data using current<br />
//figures. For this simulation, one-sixth of the prowler population dies each<br />
//hour (since a prowler's average lifespan is six hours).<br />
<br />
#include <stdio.h><br />
<br />
int main()<br />
{//main function<br />
FILE *fpoutp = fopen("microbotGrowth.dat","w"); //output file pointer<br />
<br />
const double initComp = 6134; //initial compiler population<br />
const double finalComp = 1.38e9; //final compiler population<br />
const double growthRate = 0.0133;//maximum comp growth rate (compilers/hour)<br />
const double prowlerRate = 30; //# of prowlers 1 compiler can make in 1 hour<br />
const double compRate = 0.5; //# of compilers 1 compiler can make in 1 hour<br />
<br />
double compPop = initComp; //compiler population, updated each generation<br />
double compHours = compPop; //number of compilers * number of hours<br />
double newComp; //new compilers produced in a generation<br />
double prowlerPop = 162*compPop; //prowler population<br />
double totalPop = compPop + prowlerPop; //total population<br />
<br />
for (int i=0; i<1500; i++)<br />
{//update every hour<br />
<br />
//write data to file <br />
fprintf(fpoutp,"\n%d\t%e\t%e\t%e",i,compPop,prowlerPop,totalPop);<br />
/*file contains:<br />
column 0: time in hours since injection<br />
column 1: compiler population<br />
column 2: prowler population<br />
column 3: total population*/<br />
<br />
//recalculate everything<br />
prowlerPop = 5*prowlerPop/6; //one-sixth of prowlers die each hour<br />
compHours = compPop; //get compiler-hours available<br />
newComp = growthRate*compPop*(1-compPop/finalComp); //build new comps<br />
//Compiler growth rate is defined by the Verhulst equation<br />
compHours -= newComp/compRate; //subtract compHrs it took to build comps<br />
compPop += newComp; //add new compilers to the population<br />
prowlerPop += compHours*prowlerRate; //use rest of compHrs on prowlers<br />
totalPop = compPop + prowlerPop; //update total population<br />
}<br />
<br />
//close file; end program<br />
fclose(fpoutp);<br />
return 0;<br />
}<br />
//v1.01 Completed 2048-12-05 -- Upped time-resolution from generations to hours<br />
//v1.00 Completed 2048-12-04 <br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
<br />
The Verhulst equation is [[logistic function|logistic]], forming an S-curve, with population growing slowly at first, speeding up exponentially, then slowing back down as the microbots reach their target population.<br />
<br />
[[Image:pctGraph.gif|thumb|right|300px|The microbot population grows [[logistic function|logistically]], reaching target population after about eight weeks.]]<br />
<br />
The most common side-effect during this time was an increase in metabolism, as the microbots built themselves out of nutrients in the bloodstream.<br />
<br />
The tragedy of microbot installation was that it was too slow for those who had already contracted the [[chimeravirus]]. The growth of the chimeravirus rapidly outstrips that of the microbot population. Thus, by the time the microbots are of sufficient numbers to combat the [[retrovirus]], the patient is usually already in the final stages of the disease.<br />
<br />
[[Image:MicrovChimera.gif|thumb|right|300px|The growth of the [[chimeravirus]] far outstrips that of the microbot population.]]<br />
<br />
==Development and Early Deployment==<br />
The Asamov microbots were invented and patented by [[Leda Asamov]] in [[2038]], three years after her daughter contracted [[HIV]] after accidentally being stuck with a contaminated needle while working as a [[medical intern]] ([[Asamov Nanotech]] had been founded more than two decade earlier as a small research firm specializing in creating micron-sized structures using nanoscale engineering).<br />
<br />
The original microbots were made of [[silicon]], were much larger, and needed to be manufactured in the lab (compilers had yet to be developed). These early prowlers functioned used visible-wavelength imaging, and the original central processors were only sophisticated enough to detect the distinct form of the [[HIV]] virus.<br />
<br />
As a consequence, the initial functionality of the microbots was limited to stopping the spread of HIV to others. The original [[2038 ]] "[[AIDS Blocker]]" deployment took the form of a music player-sized device which its user would straps to one's waist about five minutes before intercourse. The device contained the central processor as well as a microneedle which injected the user with the silicon-based microbots. Due to the limited range of the central processor, the microbots would stay localized in the genital region. The microbots were programmed exclusively to seek out (the larger prowlers were originally powered) and destroy HIV. When used with a [[condom]], this machine cut risk of transmission of the disease to zero—literally; not a single case of transmission was ever reported. Since these microbots were not self-replicating, they needed to be reinjected before each use.<br />
<br />
Due to the huge success of the "AIDS Blocker," Asamov Nanotech prospered, and two years later were able to release a second version which combat all known blood-born [[STD]]s. This "[[STD Blocker]]" was similar in effectiveness to its prototype and achieved widespread use recreationally.<br />
<br />
In the same year, Asamov Nanotech released the "Mommy" version of their HIV destroyer, which worked to prevent nursing mothers from passing the disease onto their children. What held Asamov Nanotech from releasing a full-scale version was the issue of self-replication; the amount of silicon a user would need to ingest to allow the microbots to reproduce was prohibitive. <br />
<br />
The issue was finally resolved in [[2045]]. The innovation came with the realization that the way to get around the silicon problem was, simply, to use [[carbon]]. Since the microbots could not be self-replicating, the costs involved in the manufacture and deployment went down to zero; a user would produce their own micromachines, and the central processor was no more expensive to build than a [[cell phone]]. Thus, the main cost from the microbots would come from "installation" of the central processor, a relatively simple surgical procedure.<br />
<br />
By now, Asamov Nanotech was a [[Fortune 500]] company, with heavy profits still rolling in from the "STD Blocker." Thus, it was feasible, in an act of unsurpassed [[philanthropy]], for Asamov Nanotech to provide the device for free to all the world's 50 million HIV/AIDS sufferers.<br />
<br />
Within a year, the entire world [[AIDS]] population had the device, and the HIV virus had been completely eradicated. This was followed by Asamov Nanotech making the device available cheaply to anyone with an [[immunodeficiency]] problem, including [[cancer]] patients undergoing [[chemotherapy]].<br />
<br />
As all the hardware was completely self-sufficient, and "virus definition updates" were managed, free of charge, as simply as on a computer, people "cured" of HIV/AIDS or who had finished chemotheraphy saw no reason to have the microbots removed or deactivated; even though their white cell counts had returned to normal levels, their immune systems proved far stronger than those of nonusers.<br />
<br />
In [[2048]], Asamov Nanotech went into negotiations with several [[HMO]] companies in an attempt to get the microbots available universally. However, the companies were reluctant, and by the time the chimeravirus broke loose, only approximately 100 million people globally were using microbots.<br />
<br />
==Current Capabilities and Limitations==<br />
Today the entire world population uses descendants of the Asamov microbots. In such a universal deployment, the machines' capabilities, as well as their limitations, are readily apparent.<br />
<br />
Not relying on antibodies, microbots are far more effective in detecting and destroying pathogens, as well as cancer and [[precancer]] cells in the latest deployments. The central processor uses a complex imaging algorithm, rather than relying on [[antibodies]] binding, to identify targets. Thus, microbots proved the final cure to the infamous "[[common cold]]," in addition to much more serious ailments. In addition, microbots will never attack nonthreatening "foreign materials," such as a transplanted kidney. As a result, many today choose to have their [[vestigial]] "natural" immune systems removed.<br />
<br />
However, it should be noted that micromachines are no [[panacea]]. Though they can destroy infections, disease, cancer and even cholesterol, they are powerless to repair failing organs or to fix broken blood vessels. As a consequence, though the average human lifespan has increased to 120 years (from 75 circa [[2000]]), [[immortality]] remains beyond us.<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
[[Asamov Nanotech]]<br />
<br />
[[Leda Asamov]]<br />
<br />
[[HIV]]<br />
<br />
[[Chimeravirus]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*[http://www.asamovnano.com Asamov Nanotech fact page]<br />
<br />
<small>This page has been labeled [[Microbial Science Fiction]].</small></div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6077Chimeravirus2006-12-06T19:10:35Z<p>Mschlemm: /* Description and Significance */</p>
<hr />
<div>''This article is on the biology of the Chimeravirus. For history, see the [[Great Pandemic of 2049]].''<br />
[[Image:chimeravirus.png|thumb|right|200px|EM image of Chimeravirus.]]<br />
<br />
==Baltimore Classification==<br />
<br />
===Higher order taxa===<br />
<br />
Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
<br />
===Genera===<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus''<br />
<br />
==Description and Significance==<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the [[Great Pandemic of 2049]]. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human immunodeficiency virus|Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ''Chimeravirus'' was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ''Chimeravirus'' refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
<br />
Classification of ''Chimeravirus'' was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction.<br />
<br />
==Genome Structure==<br />
<br />
"The genome of chimeravirus is dimeric, unsegmented and contains a single molecule of linear DNA. The genome is -RT and a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA. Minor species of non-genomic nucleic acid are also found in virions. The encapsidated nucleic acid is mainly of genomic origin but virions may also contain nucleic acid of host origin, including host RNA and fragments of host DNA believed to be incidental inclusions. The complete genome of one monomer is 7000-11000 nucleotides long. The 5'-end of the genome has a methylated nucleotide cap with a cap sequence type 1 m7G5ppp5'GmpNp. The 3'-terminus of each monomer has a poly (A) tract and the terminus has a tRNA-like structure." (See [[Retroviridae#Genome_Structure|Retroviridae]] and source: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/ICTVdB/00.061.htm ICTVdB])<br />
<br />
==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
<br />
"Chimeravirus virions consist of an envelope, a nucleocapsid, and a matrix protein. Virions are large and have a complex construction. They are spherical to pleomorphic, and can range from 150-200 nm in diameter and 1000-10000 nm long. The envelope has spike-like projections spaced widely apart and evenly covering the surface. The surface projections are embedded in a lipid bilayer. The nucleocapsid is 600-800 nm(-1000 nm, depending on the genus), 13-18 nm in diameter, and has helical symmetry." (See [[Paramyxoviridae#Virion_Structure_of_a_Paramyxovirus|Paramyxoviridae]] and source: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/ICTVdB/48000000.htm ICTVdB])<br />
<br />
==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
<br />
"Chimeravirus virions enter host cells through interaction between a virally-encoded envelope protein and a cellular receptor. Viral RNA is transcribed into a DNA copy by the enzyme reverse transcriptase which is present in the virion. The viral DNA copy is integrated into, and becomes a permanent part of, the host genome. This integrated DNA is referred to as a provirus. The host cell's transcriptional and translational machinery expresses the viral genes. The host RNA polymerase II transcribes the provirus to create new viral RNA, which is then transported out of the nucleus by other cellular processes. A fraction of these new RNAs are spliced to allow expression of some genes, while others are left as full-length RNAs. Viral proteins are synthesized by the host cell's translational machinery. Virions are assembled and bud from the host cell." (See [[Retroviridae#Reproduction_Cycle_of_a_Retroviridae_in_a_Host_Cell|Retroviridae]] and source: [http://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/cgi/reprint/52/4/493 Hu and Pathak])<br />
<br />
==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
<br />
Chimeravirus is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6076Chimeravirus2006-12-06T19:09:56Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>''This article is on the biology of the Chimeravirus. For history, see the [[Great Pandemic of 2049]].''<br />
[[Image:chimeravirus.png|thumb|right|200px|EM image of Chimeravirus.]]<br />
<br />
==Baltimore Classification==<br />
<br />
===Higher order taxa===<br />
<br />
Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
<br />
===Genera===<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus''<br />
<br />
==Description and Significance==<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the [[Great Pandemic of 2049]]. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ''Chimeravirus'' was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ''Chimeravirus'' refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
<br />
Classification of ''Chimeravirus'' was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction. <br />
<br />
==Genome Structure==<br />
<br />
"The genome of chimeravirus is dimeric, unsegmented and contains a single molecule of linear DNA. The genome is -RT and a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA. Minor species of non-genomic nucleic acid are also found in virions. The encapsidated nucleic acid is mainly of genomic origin but virions may also contain nucleic acid of host origin, including host RNA and fragments of host DNA believed to be incidental inclusions. The complete genome of one monomer is 7000-11000 nucleotides long. The 5'-end of the genome has a methylated nucleotide cap with a cap sequence type 1 m7G5ppp5'GmpNp. The 3'-terminus of each monomer has a poly (A) tract and the terminus has a tRNA-like structure." (See [[Retroviridae#Genome_Structure|Retroviridae]] and source: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/ICTVdB/00.061.htm ICTVdB])<br />
<br />
==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
<br />
"Chimeravirus virions consist of an envelope, a nucleocapsid, and a matrix protein. Virions are large and have a complex construction. They are spherical to pleomorphic, and can range from 150-200 nm in diameter and 1000-10000 nm long. The envelope has spike-like projections spaced widely apart and evenly covering the surface. The surface projections are embedded in a lipid bilayer. The nucleocapsid is 600-800 nm(-1000 nm, depending on the genus), 13-18 nm in diameter, and has helical symmetry." (See [[Paramyxoviridae#Virion_Structure_of_a_Paramyxovirus|Paramyxoviridae]] and source: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/ICTVdB/48000000.htm ICTVdB])<br />
<br />
==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
<br />
"Chimeravirus virions enter host cells through interaction between a virally-encoded envelope protein and a cellular receptor. Viral RNA is transcribed into a DNA copy by the enzyme reverse transcriptase which is present in the virion. The viral DNA copy is integrated into, and becomes a permanent part of, the host genome. This integrated DNA is referred to as a provirus. The host cell's transcriptional and translational machinery expresses the viral genes. The host RNA polymerase II transcribes the provirus to create new viral RNA, which is then transported out of the nucleus by other cellular processes. A fraction of these new RNAs are spliced to allow expression of some genes, while others are left as full-length RNAs. Viral proteins are synthesized by the host cell's translational machinery. Virions are assembled and bud from the host cell." (See [[Retroviridae#Reproduction_Cycle_of_a_Retroviridae_in_a_Host_Cell|Retroviridae]] and source: [http://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/cgi/reprint/52/4/493 Hu and Pathak])<br />
<br />
==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
<br />
Chimeravirus is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Microbots&diff=6075Microbots2006-12-06T19:07:39Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>''This article refers to the Asimov Immuno-supplementation Microrobots. For the Groton Microconstruction Bots or the Camino-Techron BrainLink Communicators, see [[Microbots (other uses)]]''<br />
<br />
'''Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots''' are [[micron]]-sized [[self-replicating]] machines, originally developed to combat HIV, which supplement the natural human immune system by scanning for and eradicating known [[pathogens]]. They were developed and are still maintained by [[Asamov Nanotech]] and were invented by its founder, [[Leda Asamov]].<br />
<br />
<br />
==Mechanics==<br />
The job of a microbot is to mimic and improve on the role of [[leukocytes]] (white blood cells). They come in two "species:" prowlers, which are approximately 2 microns in diameter (about 1/5 as large as a white blood cell), passively float through the [[bloodstream]], scanning their surroundings and attacking pathogens, while compilers, at 9 microns thick, harvest [[organic]] molecules from the bloodstream to build more microbots. The ratio of prowlers to compilers will rise from 150:1 to 200:1 as the population grows.<br />
<br />
[[Image:compPerProwl.gif|thumb|right|300px|As the microbot population grows, the proportion of compilers to prowlers decreases [[logistic function|logistically]].]]<br />
<br />
Though each possessing about 200 [[MFLOPS]] of processing power, microbots rely on [[radio]]-frequency communication with a surgically-implanted "central processor," usually installed near the [[solar plexus]], for most their functionality.<br />
<br />
Prowlers are only two microns thick and thus are able to spread throughout the entire bloodstream, easily crossing the [[blood-brain barrier]] and [[diffusion|diffusing]] through [[capillaries]]. Prowlers "instinctively" scan its surroundings using low-intensity [[X-rays]] (~1 [[electron volt|KeV]]). Since X-rays have a smaller [[wavelength]] than visible light, prowlers are able to provide much more detailed images than optical scanning. These X-ray images are transmitted via radio signal to the central processor for analysis. The central processor will analyze these images against a "virus definition file," a database of known pathogens. This file is regularly updated by Asamov Nanotech in order to combat emerging threats. When a pathogen (or a [[cancer]] cell) is identified by the central processor, the prowler will be ordered to irradiate the object using high-intensity X-rays. While at low levels, these X-rays do very little harm to their surroundings, when focused and used at high intensity, these X-rays prove efficient, quickly destroying the pathogen while causing minimal, if any, [[collateral damage]]. To emit these X-rays, a prowler stimulates [[photon emission]] by letting atoms in its structure fall into lower energy levels.<br />
<br />
A prowler is "born" with all the energy it will ever possess—once all its atoms fall into their lowest energy states, the microbot is "dead," useful only for the carbon it may harvested for. The average [[lifespan]] of a particular microbot is about six hours.<br />
<br />
The larger compilers move under their own power, using nanoscale motors to transport themselves through the [[circulatory system]], and are comparatively immortal, many functioning for years without failure or until the central processor orders its [[self-destruct]]. The sole function of a compilers is to take in [[carbon]] from the surrounding bloodstream and assemble more microbots. Given no instructions from the central processor, compilers will build prowlers, exclusively, to replace the ones that "die." However, during times of infection or during initial installation, when population levels need to be replaced more quickly, several compilers will work together to build additional compilers, a perfect example of [[self-replication]]. Compilers have the added functionality of being able to clean out [[Atheromatous plaque|plaque]]-ridden [[blood vessels]]. While compilers prefer to congregate near the [[small intestine]] (where the nutrient flow is richest), when a prowler identifies a [[cholesterol]]-ridden blood vessel, the central processor will reroute compilers to clean it out and make new microbots in the process.<br />
<br />
It is important to note that while microbots are made of carbon and mimic many functions of natural organisms, they themselves contain no DNA. Thus, they are completely immune to all [[retroviruses]], including the [[chimeravirus]].<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Today, the Asamov microbots are already present in the bloodstream at birth, requiring only the installation of a central processor, usually surgically implanted near the solar plexus. However, when the devices were first introduced, it took several weeks for an adult to build up an adequate microbot population.<br />
<br />
After the installation of the central processor, a doctor would inject a population of about one million microbots [[intravenously]] into a patient. Over the next eight weeks, this population would grow to 250 billion.<br />
<br />
This growth is not only modeled, but actually defined (since compiler growth rate is regulated by the central processor) by the [[logistic function|Verhulst equation]]:<br />
<br />
:[[Image:diff.gif|150px]] where ''C'' is the number of compilers, ''r'' is the ideal rate of compiler production and ''C<sub>f</sub>'' the maximum compiler population.<br />
<br />
Thus, the population of compilers in the bloodstream at any given time after injection is given by:<br />
<br />
:[[Image:verhulst.gif|200px]]<br />
<br />
The ratio of time a compiler spends building other compilers versus building prowlers is very low, so for most purposes it is sufficient to calculate the prowler population by multiplying the number of compilers by the the number of prowlers each compiler can build in six hours, the prowler "generation."<br />
<br />
Below is a small program written in [[C programming language|C]] of code written for Asamov Nanotech to crudely model microbot population growth:<br />
<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
//MicrobotSimulator, written by Antar Iliev (Asamov Nanotech), v1.0<br />
//Quickly and crudely simulate Microbot population growth data using current<br />
//figures. For this simulation, one-sixth of the prowler population dies each<br />
//hour (since a prowler's average lifespan is six hours).<br />
<br />
#include <stdio.h><br />
<br />
int main()<br />
{//main function<br />
FILE *fpoutp = fopen("microbotGrowth.dat","w"); //output file pointer<br />
<br />
const double initComp = 6134; //initial compiler population<br />
const double finalComp = 1.38e9; //final compiler population<br />
const double growthRate = 0.0133;//maximum comp growth rate (compilers/hour)<br />
const double prowlerRate = 30; //# of prowlers 1 compiler can make in 1 hour<br />
const double compRate = 0.5; //# of compilers 1 compiler can make in 1 hour<br />
<br />
double compPop = initComp; //compiler population, updated each generation<br />
double compHours = compPop; //number of compilers * number of hours<br />
double newComp; //new compilers produced in a generation<br />
double prowlerPop = 162*compPop; //prowler population<br />
double totalPop = compPop + prowlerPop; //total population<br />
<br />
for (int i=0; i<1500; i++)<br />
{//update every hour<br />
<br />
//write data to file <br />
fprintf(fpoutp,"\n%d\t%e\t%e\t%e",i,compPop,prowlerPop,totalPop);<br />
/*file contains:<br />
column 0: time in hours since injection<br />
column 1: compiler population<br />
column 2: prowler population<br />
column 3: total population*/<br />
<br />
//recalculate everything<br />
prowlerPop = 5*prowlerPop/6; //one-sixth of prowlers die each hour<br />
compHours = compPop; //get compiler-hours available<br />
newComp = growthRate*compPop*(1-compPop/finalComp); //build new comps<br />
//Compiler growth rate is defined by the Verhulst equation<br />
compHours -= newComp/compRate; //subtract compHrs it took to build comps<br />
compPop += newComp; //add new compilers to the population<br />
prowlerPop += compHours*prowlerRate; //use rest of compHrs on prowlers<br />
totalPop = compPop + prowlerPop; //update total population<br />
}<br />
<br />
//close file; end program<br />
fclose(fpoutp);<br />
return 0;<br />
}<br />
//v1.01 Completed 2048-12-05 -- Upped time-resolution from generations to hours<br />
//v1.00 Completed 2048-12-04 <br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
<br />
The Verhulst equation is [[logistic function|logistic]], forming an S-curve, with population growing slowly at first, speeding up exponentially, then slowing back down as the microbots reach their target population.<br />
<br />
[[Image:pctGraph.gif|thumb|right|300px|The microbot population grows [[logistic function|logistically]], reaching target population after about eight weeks.]]<br />
<br />
The most common side-effect during this time was an increase in metabolism, as the microbots built themselves out of nutrients in the bloodstream.<br />
<br />
The tragedy of microbot installation was that it was too slow for those who had already contracted the [[chimeravirus]]. The growth of the chimeravirus rapidly outstrips that of the microbot population. Thus, by the time the microbots are of sufficient numbers to combat the [[retrovirus]], the patient is usually already in the final stages of the disease.<br />
<br />
[[Image:MicrovChimera.gif|thumb|right|300px|The growth of the [[chimeravirus]] far outstrips that of the microbot population.]]<br />
<br />
==Development and Early Deployment==<br />
The Asamov microbots were invented and patented by [[Leda Asamov]] in [[2038]], three years after her daughter contracted [[HIV]] after accidentally being stuck with a contaminated needle while working as a [[medical intern]] ([[Asamov Nanotech]] had been founded more than two decade earlier as a small research firm specializing in creating micron-sized structures using nanoscale engineering).<br />
<br />
The original microbots were made of [[silicon]], were much larger, and needed to be manufactured in the lab (compilers had yet to be developed). These early prowlers functioned used visible-wavelength imaging, and the original central processors were only sophisticated enough to detect the distinct form of the [[HIV]] virus.<br />
<br />
As a consequence, the initial functionality of the microbots was limited to stopping the spread of HIV to others. The original [[2038 ]] "[[AIDS Blocker]]" deployment took the form of a music player-sized device which its user would straps to one's waist about five minutes before intercourse. The device contained the central processor as well as a microneedle which injected the user with the silicon-based microbots. Due to the limited range of the central processor, the microbots would stay localized in the genital region. The microbots were programmed exclusively to seek out (the larger prowlers were originally powered) and destroy HIV. When used with a [[condom]], this machine cut risk of transmission of the disease to zero—literally; not a single case of transmission was ever reported. Since these microbots were not self-replicating, they needed to be reinjected before each use.<br />
<br />
Due to the huge success of the "AIDS Blocker," Asamov Nanotech prospered, and two years later were able to release a second version which combat all known blood-born [[STD]]s. This "[[STD Blocker]]" was similar in effectiveness to its prototype and achieved widespread use recreationally.<br />
<br />
In the same year, Asamov Nanotech released the "Mommy" version of their HIV destroyer, which worked to prevent nursing mothers from passing the disease onto their children. What held Asamov Nanotech from releasing a full-scale version was the issue of self-replication; the amount of silicon a user would need to ingest to allow the microbots to reproduce was prohibitive. <br />
<br />
The issue was finally resolved in [[2045]]. The innovation came with the realization that the way to get around the silicon problem was, simply, to use [[carbon]]. Since the microbots could not be self-replicating, the costs involved in the manufacture and deployment went down to zero; a user would produce their own micromachines, and the central processor was no more expensive to build than a [[cell phone]]. Thus, the main cost from the microbots would come from "installation" of the central processor, a relatively simple surgical procedure.<br />
<br />
By now, Asamov Nanotech was a [[Fortune 500]] company, with heavy profits still rolling in from the "STD Blocker." Thus, it was feasible, in an act of unsurpassed [[philanthropy]], for Asamov Nanotech to provide the device for free to all the world's 50 million HIV/AIDS sufferers.<br />
<br />
Within a year, the entire world [[AIDS]] population had the device, and the HIV virus had been completely eradicated. This was followed by Asamov Nanotech making the device available cheaply to anyone with an [[immunodeficiency]] problem, including [[cancer]] patients undergoing [[chemotherapy]].<br />
<br />
As all the hardware was completely self-sufficient, and "virus definition updates" were managed, free of charge, as simply as on a computer, people "cured" of HIV/AIDS or who had finished chemotheraphy saw no reason to have the microbots removed or deactivated; even though their white cell counts had returned to normal levels, their immune systems proved far stronger than those of nonusers.<br />
<br />
In [[2048]], Asamov Nanotech went into negotiations with several [[HMO]] companies in an attempt to get the microbots available universally. However, the companies were reluctant, and by the time the chimeravirus broke loose, only approximately 100 million people globally were using microbots.<br />
<br />
==Current Capabilities and Limitations==<br />
Today the entire world population uses descendants of the Asamov microbots. In such a universal deployment, the machines' capabilities, as well as their limitations, are readily apparent.<br />
<br />
Not relying on antibodies, microbots are far more effective in detecting and destroying pathogens, as well as cancer and [[precancer]] cells in the latest deployments. The central processor uses a complex imaging algorithm, rather than relying on [[antibodies]] binding, to identify targets. Thus, microbots proved the final cure to the infamous "[[common cold]]," in addition to much more serious ailments. In addition, microbots will never attack nonthreatening "foreign materials," such as a transplanted kidney. As a result, many today choose to have their [[vestigial]] "natural" immune systems removed.<br />
<br />
However, it should be noted that micromachines are no [[panacea]]. Though they can destroy infections, disease, cancer and even cholesterol, they are powerless to repair failing organs or to fix broken blood vessels. As a consequence, though the average human lifespan has increased to 120 years (from 75 circa [[2000]]), [[immortality]] remains beyond us.<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
[[Asamov Nanotech]]<br />
<br />
[[Leda Asamov]]<br />
<br />
[[HIV]]<br />
<br />
[[Chimeravirus]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*[http://www.asamovnano.com Asamov Nanotech fact page]</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:Chimeravirus.png&diff=6074File:Chimeravirus.png2006-12-06T18:28:10Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>Manipulation by Molly Schlemmer of an EM micrograph image of simian virus SV40, in the family [[Paramyxoviridae]]. Used in the ficional article [[Chimeravirus]], a page of the Fall 2006 Biology in Science Fiction web project by Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer, at Kenyon College. Original image from the [[http://www.cdc.gov CDC].</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:Chimeravirus.png&diff=6073File:Chimeravirus.png2006-12-06T18:27:39Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>Manipulation by Molly Schlemmer of an EM micrograph image of simian virus SV40, a [[Paramyxovirus]]. Used in the ficional article [[Chimeravirus]], a page of the Fall 2006 Biology in Science Fiction web project by Gilad Barlev and Molly Schlemmer, at Kenyon College. Original image from the [[http://www.cdc.gov CDC].</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6072Chimeravirus2006-12-06T18:21:56Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>''This article is on the biology of the Chimeravirus. For history, see the [[Great Pandemic of 2049]].''<br />
[[Image:chimeravirus.png|thumb|right|200px|EM image of Chimeravirus.]]<br />
<br />
==Baltimore Classification==<br />
<br />
===Higher order taxa===<br />
<br />
Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
<br />
===Genera===<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus''<br />
<br />
==Description and Significance==<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the [[Great Pandemic of 2049]]. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ''Chimeravirus'' was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ''Chimeravirus'' refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
<br />
Classification of ''Chimeravirus'' was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction. <br />
<br />
==Genome Structure==<br />
<br />
The genome of chimeravirus is dimeric, unsegmented and contains a single molecule of linear DNA. The genome is -RT and a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA. Minor species of non-genomic nucleic acid are also found in virions. The encapsidated nucleic acid is mainly of genomic origin but virions may also contain nucleic acid of host origin, including host RNA and fragments of host DNA believed to be incidental inclusions. The complete genome of one monomer is 7000-11000 nucleotides long. The 5'-end of the genome has a methylated nucleotide cap with a cap sequence type 1 m7G5ppp5'GmpNp. The 3'-terminus of each monomer has a poly (A) tract and the terminus has a tRNA-like structure. (See [[Retroviridae#Genome_Structure|Retroviridae]] and source: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/ICTVdB/00.061.htm ICTVdB])<br />
<br />
==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
<br />
Chimeravirus virions consist of an envelope, a nucleocapsid, and a matrix protein. Virions are large and have a complex construction. They are spherical to pleomorphic, and can range from 150-200 nm in diameter and 1000-10000 nm long. The envelope has spike-like projections spaced widely apart and evenly covering the surface. The surface projections are embedded in a lipid bilayer. The nucleocapsid is 600-800 nm(-1000 nm, depending on the genus), 13-18 nm in diameter, and has helical symmetry. (See [[Paramyxoviridae#Virion_Structure_of_a_Paramyxovirus|Paramyxoviridae]] and source: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/ICTVdB/48000000.htm ICTVdB])<br />
<br />
==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
<br />
Chimeravirus virions enter host cells through interaction between a virally-encoded envelope protein and a cellular receptor. Viral RNA is transcribed into a DNA copy by the enzyme reverse transcriptase which is present in the virion. The viral DNA copy is integrated into, and becomes a permanent part of, the host genome. This integrated DNA is referred to as a provirus. The host cell's transcriptional and translational machinery expresses the viral genes. The host RNA polymerase II transcribes the provirus to create new viral RNA, which is then transported out of the nucleus by other cellular processes. A fraction of these new RNAs are spliced to allow expression of some genes, while others are left as full-length RNAs. Viral proteins are synthesized by the host cell's translational machinery. Virions are assembled and bud from the host cell. (See [[Retroviridae#Reproduction_Cycle_of_a_Retroviridae_in_a_Host_Cell|Retroviridae]] and source: [http://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/cgi/reprint/52/4/493 Hu and Pathak])<br />
<br />
==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
<br />
Chimeravirus is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Microbots&diff=6071Microbots2006-12-06T18:21:48Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>''This article refers to the Asimov Immuno-supplementation Microrobots. For the Groton Microconstruction Bots or the Camino-Techron BrainLink Communicators, see [[Microbots (other uses)]]''<br />
<br />
'''Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots''' are [[micron]]-sized [[self-replicating]] machines, originally developed to combat HIV, which supplement the natural human immune system by scanning for and eradicating known [[pathogens]]. They were developed and are still maintained by [[Asamov Nanotech]] and were invented by its founder, [[Leda Asamov]].<br />
<br />
<br />
==Mechanics==<br />
The job of a microbot is to mimic and improve on the role of [[leukocytes]] (white blood cells). They come in two "species:" prowlers, which are approximately 2 microns in diameter (about 1/5 as large as a white blood cell), passively float through the [[bloodstream]], scanning their surroundings and attacking pathogens, while compilers, at 9 microns thick, harvest [[organic]] molecules from the bloodstream to build more microbots. The ratio of prowlers to compilers will rise from 150:1 to 200:1 as the population grows.<br />
<br />
[[Image:compPerProwl.gif|thumb|right|300px|As the microbot population grows, the proportion of compilers to prowlers decreases [[logistic function|logistically]].]]<br />
<br />
Though each possessing about 200 [[MFLOPS]] of processing power, microbots rely on [[radio]]-frequency communication with a surgically-implanted "central processor," usually installed near the [[solar plexus]], for most their functionality.<br />
<br />
Prowlers are only two microns thick and thus are able to spread throughout the entire bloodstream, easily crossing the [[blood-brain barrier]] and [[diffusion|diffusing]] through [[capillaries]]. Prowlers "instinctively" scan its surroundings using low-intensity [[X-rays]] (~1 [[electron volt|KeV]]). Since X-rays have a smaller [[wavelength]] than visible light, prowlers are able to provide much more detailed images than optical scanning. These X-ray images are transmitted via radio signal to the central processor for analysis. The central processor will analyze these images against a "virus definition file," a database of known pathogens. This file is regularly updated by Asamov Nanotech in order to combat emerging threats. When a pathogen (or a [[cancer]] cell) is identified by the central processor, the prowler will be ordered to irradiate the object using high-intensity X-rays. While at low levels, these X-rays do very little harm to their surroundings, when focused and used at high intensity, these X-rays prove efficient, quickly destroying the pathogen while causing minimal, if any, [[collateral damage]]. To emit these X-rays, a prowler stimulates [[photon emission]] by letting atoms in its structure fall into lower energy levels.<br />
<br />
A prowler is "born" with all the energy it will ever possess—once all its atoms fall into their lowest energy states, the microbot is "dead," useful only for the carbon it may harvested for. The average [[lifespan]] of a particular microbot is about six hours.<br />
<br />
The larger compilers move under their own power, using nanoscale motors to transport themselves through the [[circulatory system]], and are comparatively immortal, many functioning for years without failure or until the central processor orders its [[self-destruct]]. The sole function of a compilers is to take in [[carbon]] from the surrounding bloodstream and assemble more microbots. Given no instructions from the central processor, compilers will build prowlers, exclusively, to replace the ones that "die." However, during times of infection or during initial installation, when population levels need to be replaced more quickly, several compilers will work together to build additional compilers, a perfect example of [[self-replication]]. Compilers have the added functionality of being able to clean out [[Atheromatous plaque|plaque]]-ridden [[blood vessels]]. While compilers prefer to congregate near the [[small intestine]] (where the nutrient flow is richest), when a prowler identifies a [[cholesterol]]-ridden blood vessel, the central processor will reroute compilers to clean it out and make new microbots in the process.<br />
<br />
It is important to note that while microbots are made of carbon and mimic many functions of natural organisms, they themselves contain no DNA. Thus, they are completely immune to all [[retroviruses]], including the [[chimeravirus]].<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Today, the Asamov microbots are already present in the bloodstream at birth, requiring only the installation of a central processor, usually surgically implanted near the solar plexus. However, when the devices were first introduced, it took several weeks for an adult to build up an adequate microbot population.<br />
<br />
After the installation of the central processor, a doctor would inject a population of about one million microbots [[intravenously]] into a patient. Over the next eight weeks, this population would grow to 250 billion.<br />
<br />
This growth is not only modeled, but actually defined (since compiler growth rate is regulated by the central processor) by the [[logistic function|Verhulst equation]]:<br />
<br />
:[[Image:diff.gif|150px]] where ''C'' is the number of compilers, ''r'' is the ideal rate of compiler production and ''C<sub>f</sub>'' the maximum compiler population.<br />
<br />
Thus, the population of compilers in the bloodstream at any given time after injection is given by:<br />
<br />
:[[Image:verhulst.gif|200px]]<br />
<br />
The ratio of time a compiler spends building other compilers versus building prowlers is very low, so for most purposes it is sufficient to calculate the prowler population by multiplying the number of compilers by the the number of prowlers each compiler can build in six hours, the prowler "generation."<br />
<br />
Below is a small program written in [[C programming language|C]] of code written for Asamov Nanotech to crudely model microbot population growth:<br />
<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
//MicrobotSimulator, written by Antar Iliev (Asamov Nanotech), v1.0<br />
//Quickly and crudely simulate Microbot population growth data using current<br />
//figures. For this simulation, one-sixth of the prowler population dies each<br />
//hour (since a prowler's average lifespan is six hours).<br />
<br />
#include <stdio.h><br />
<br />
int main()<br />
{//main function<br />
FILE *fpoutp = fopen("microbotGrowth.dat","w"); //output file pointer<br />
<br />
const double initComp = 6134; //initial compiler population<br />
const double finalComp = 1.38e9; //final compiler population<br />
const double growthRate = 0.0133;//maximum comp growth rate (compilers/hour)<br />
const double prowlerRate = 30; //# of prowlers 1 compiler can make in 1 hour<br />
const double compRate = 0.5; //# of compilers 1 compiler can make in 1 hour<br />
<br />
double compPop = initComp; //compiler population, updated each generation<br />
double compHours = compPop; //number of compilers * number of hours<br />
double newComp; //new compilers produced in a generation<br />
double prowlerPop = 162*compPop; //prowler population<br />
double totalPop = compPop + prowlerPop; //total population<br />
<br />
for (int i=0; i<1500; i++)<br />
{//update every hour<br />
<br />
//write data to file <br />
fprintf(fpoutp,"\n%d\t%e\t%e\t%e",i,compPop,prowlerPop,totalPop);<br />
/*file contains:<br />
column 0: time in hours since injection<br />
column 1: compiler population<br />
column 2: prowler population<br />
column 3: total population*/<br />
<br />
//recalculate everything<br />
prowlerPop = 5*prowlerPop/6; //one-sixth of prowlers die each hour<br />
compHours = compPop; //get compiler-hours available<br />
newComp = growthRate*compPop*(1-compPop/finalComp); //build new comps<br />
//Compiler growth rate is defined by the Verhulst equation<br />
compHours -= newComp/compRate; //subtract compHrs it took to build comps<br />
compPop += newComp; //add new compilers to the population<br />
prowlerPop += compHours*prowlerRate; //use rest of compHrs on prowlers<br />
totalPop = compPop + prowlerPop; //update total population<br />
}<br />
<br />
//close file; end program<br />
fclose(fpoutp);<br />
return 0;<br />
}<br />
//v1.01 Completed 2048-12-05 -- Upped time-resolution from generations to hours<br />
//v1.00 Completed 2048-12-04 <br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
<br />
The Verhulst equation is [[logistic function|logistic]], forming an S-curve, with population growing slowly at first, speeding up exponentially, then slowing back down as the microbots reach their target population.<br />
<br />
[[Image:pctGraph.gif|thumb|right|300px|The microbot population grows [[logistic function|logistically]], reaching target population after about eight weeks.]]<br />
<br />
The most common side-effect during this time was an increase in metabolism, as the microbots built themselves out of nutrients in the bloodstream.<br />
<br />
The tragedy of microbot installation was that it was too slow for those who had already contracted the [[chimeravirus]]. The growth of the chimeravirus rapidly outstrips that of the microbot population. Thus, by the time the microbots are of sufficient numbers to combat the [[retrovirus]], the patient is usually already in the final stages of the disease.<br />
<br />
[[Image:MicrovChimera.gif|thumb|right|300px|The growth of the [[chimeravirus]] far outstrips that of the microbot population.]]<br />
<br />
==Development and Early Deployment==<br />
The Asamov microbots were invented and patented by [[Leda Asamov]] in [[2038]], three years after her daughter contracted [[HIV]] after accidentally being stuck with a contaminated needle while working as a [[medical intern]] ([[Asamov Nanotech]] had been founded more than two decade earlier as a small research firm specializing in creating micron-sized structures using nanoscale engineering).<br />
<br />
The original microbots were made of [[silicon]], were much larger, and needed to be manufactured in the lab (compilers had yet to be developed). These early prowlers functioned used visible-wavelength imaging, and the original central processors were only sophisticated enough to detect the distinct form of the [[HIV]] virus.<br />
<br />
As a consequence, the initial functionality of the microbots was limited to stopping the spread of HIV to others. The original [[2038 ]] "[[AIDS Blocker]]" deployment took the form of a music player-sized device which its user would straps to one's waist about five minutes before intercourse. The device contained the central processor as well as a microneedle which injected the user with the silicon-based microbots. Due to the limited range of the central processor, the microbots would stay localized in the genital region. The microbots were programmed exclusively to seek out (the larger prowlers were originally powered) and destroy HIV. When used with a [[condom]], this machine cut risk of transmission of the disease to zero—literally; not a single case of transmission was ever reported. Since these microbots were not self-replicating, they needed to be reinjected before each use.<br />
<br />
Due to the huge success of the "AIDS Blocker," Asamov Nanotech prospered, and two years later were able to release a second version which combat all known blood-born [[STD]]s. This "[[STD Blocker]]" was similar in effectiveness to its prototype and achieved widespread use recreationally.<br />
<br />
In the same year, Asamov Nanotech released the "Mommy" version of their HIV destroyer, which worked to prevent nursing mothers from passing the disease onto their children. What held Asamov Nanotech from releasing a full-scale version was the issue of self-replication; the amount of silicon a user would need to ingest to allow the microbots to reproduce was prohibitive. <br />
<br />
The issue was finally resolved in [[2045]]. The innovation came with the realization that the way to get around the silicon problem was, simply, to use [[carbon]]. Since the microbots could not be self-replicating, the costs involved in the manufacture and deployment went down to zero; a user would produce their own micromachines, and the central processor was no more expensive to build than a [[cell phone]]. Thus, the main cost from the microbots would come from "installation" of the central processor, a relatively simple surgical procedure.<br />
<br />
By now, Asamov Nanotech was a [[Fortune 500]] company, with heavy profits still rolling in from the "STD Blocker." Thus, it was feasible, in an act of unsurpassed [[philanthropy]], for Asamov Nanotech to provide the device for free to all the world's 50 million HIV/AIDS sufferers.<br />
<br />
Within a year, the entire world [[AIDS]] population had the device, and the HIV virus had been completely eradicated. This was followed by Asamov Nanotech making the device available cheaply to anyone with an [[immunodeficiency]] problem, including [[cancer]] patients undergoing [[chemotherapy]].<br />
<br />
As all the hardware was completely self-sufficient, and "virus definition updates" were managed, free of charge, as simply as on a computer, people "cured" of HIV/AIDS or who had finished chemotheraphy saw no reason to have the microbots removed or deactivated; even though their white cell counts had returned to normal levels, their immune systems proved far stronger than those of nonusers.<br />
<br />
In [[2048]], Asamov Nanotech went into negotiations with several [[HMO]] companies in an attempt to get the microbots available universally. However, the companies were reluctant, and by the time the chimeravirus broke loose, only approximately 100 million people globally were using microbots.<br />
<br />
==Current Capabilities and Limitations==<br />
Today the entire world population uses descendants of the Asamov microbots. In such a universal deployment, the machines' capabilities, as well as their limitations, are readily apparent.<br />
<br />
Not relying on antibodies, microbots are far more effective in detecting and destroying pathogens, as well as cancer and [[precancer]] cells in the latest deployments. The central processor uses a complex imaging algorithm, rather than relying on [[DNA]] matches, to identify targets. Thus, microbots proved the final cure to the infamous "[[common cold]]," in addition to much more serious ailments. In addition, microbots will never attack nonthreatening "foreign materials," such as a transplanted kidney. As a result, many today choose to have their [[vestigial]] "natural" immune systems removed.<br />
<br />
However, it should be noted that micromachines are no [[panacea]]. Though they can destroy infections, disease, cancer and even cholesterol, they are powerless to repair failing organs or to fix broken blood vessels. As a consequence, though the average human lifespan has increased to 120 years (from 75 circa [[2000]]), [[immortality]] remains beyond us.<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
[[Asamov Nanotech]]<br />
<br />
[[Leda Asamov]]<br />
<br />
[[HIV]]<br />
<br />
[[Chimeravirus]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*[http://www.asamovnano.com Asamov Nanotech fact page]</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:Verhulst.gif&diff=6070File:Verhulst.gif2006-12-06T18:15:16Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:Diff.gif&diff=6069File:Diff.gif2006-12-06T18:15:05Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Microbots&diff=6068Microbots2006-12-06T14:39:41Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>''This article refers to the Asimov Immuno-supplementation Microrobots. For the Groton Microconstruction Bots or the Camino-Techron BrainLink Communicators, see [[Microbots (other uses)]]''<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots''' are [[micron]]-sized [[self-replicating]] machines, originally developed to combat HIV, which supplement the natural human immune system by scanning for and eradicating known [[pathogens]]. They were developed and are still maintained by [[Asamov Nanotech]] and were invented by its founder, [[Leda Asamov]].<br />
<br />
<br />
==Mechanics==<br />
The job of a microbot is to mimic and improve on the role of [[leukocytes]] (white blood cells). They come in two "species:" prowlers, which are approximately 2 microns in diameter (about 1/5 as large as a white blood cell), passively float through the [[bloodstream]], scanning their surroundings and attacking pathogens, while compilers, at 9 microns thick, harvest [[organic]] molecules from the bloodstream to build more microbots. The ratio of prowlers to compilers will rise from 150:1 to 200:1 as the population grows.<br />
<br />
[[Image:compPerProwl.gif|thumb|right|300px|As the microbot population grows, the proportion of compilers to prowlers decreases [[logistic function|logistically]].]]<br />
<br />
Though each possessing about 200 [[MFLOPS]] of processing power, microbots rely on [[radio]]-frequency communication with a surgically-implanted "central processor," usually installed near the [[solar plexus]], for most their functionality.<br />
<br />
Prowlers are only two microns thick and thus are able to spread throughout the entire bloodstream, easily crossing the [[blood-brain barrier]] and [[diffusion|diffusing]] through [[capillaries]]. Prowlers "instinctively" scan its surroundings using low-intensity [[X-rays]] (~1 [[electron volt|KeV]]). Since X-rays have a smaller [[wavelength]] than visible light, prowlers are able to provide much more detailed images than optical scanning. These X-ray images are transmitted via radio signal to the central processor for analysis. The central processor will analyze these images against a "virus definition file," a database of known pathogens. This file is regularly updated by Asamov Nanotech in order to combat emerging threats. When a pathogen (or a [[cancer]] cell) is identified by the central processor, the prowler will be ordered to irradiate the object using high-intensity X-rays. While at low levels, these X-rays do very little harm to their surroundings, when focused and used at high intensity, these X-rays prove efficient, quickly destroying the pathogen while causing minimal, if any, [[collateral damage]]. To emit these X-rays, a prowler stimulates [[photon emission]] by letting atoms in its structure fall into lower energy levels.<br />
<br />
A prowler is "born" with all the energy it will ever possess—once all its atoms fall into their lowest energy states, the microbot is "dead," useful only for the carbon it may harvested for. The average [[lifespan]] of a particular microbot is about six hours.<br />
<br />
The larger compilers move under their own power, using nanoscale motors to transport themselves through the [[circulatory system]], and are comparatively immortal, many functioning for years without failure or until the central processor orders its [[self-destruct]]. The sole function of a compilers is to take in [[carbon]] from the surrounding bloodstream and assemble more microbots. Given no instructions from the central processor, compilers will build prowlers, exclusively, to replace the ones that "die." However, during times of infection or during initial installation, when population levels need to be replaced more quickly, several compilers will work together to build additional compilers, a perfect example of [[self-replication]]. Compilers have the added functionality of being able to clean out [[Atheromatous plaque|plaque]]-ridden [[blood vessels]]. While compilers prefer to congregate near the [[small intestine]] (where the nutrient flow is richest), when a prowler identifies a [[cholesterol]]-ridden blood vessel, the central processor will reroute compilers to clean it out and make new microbots in the process.<br />
<br />
It is important to note that while microbots are made of carbon and mimic many functions of natural organisms, they themselves contain no DNA. Thus, they are completely immune to all [[retroviruses]], including the [[chimeravirus]].<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Today, the Asamov microbots are already present in the bloodstream at birth, requiring only the installation of a central processor, usually surgically implanted near the solar plexus. However, when the devices were first introduced, it took several weeks for an adult to build up an adequate microbot population.<br />
<br />
After the installation of the central processor, a doctor would inject a population of about one million microbots [[intravenously]] into a patient. Over the next eight weeks, this population would grow to 250 billion.<br />
<br />
This growth is not only modeled, but actually defined (since compiler growth rate is regulated by the central processor) by the [[logistic function|Verhulst equation]]:<br />
<br />
<math>\dfrac{dC}{dt}=rC(1-\frac{C}{C_f})</math> where ''C'' is the number of compilers, ''r'' is the ideal rate of compiler production and <math>C_f</math> the maximum compiler population.<br />
<br />
Thus, the population of compilers in the bloodstream at any given time after injection is given by:<br />
<br />
:<math>C(t) = \dfrac{C_f C_i e^{rt}}{C_f + C_i \left( e^{rt} - 1\right)}</math><br />
<br />
The ratio of time a compiler spends building other compilers versus building prowlers is very low, so for most purposes it is sufficient to calculate the prowler population by multiplying the number of compilers by the the number of prowlers each compiler can build in six hours, the prowler "generation."<br />
<br />
Below is a small program written in [[C programming language|C]] of code written for Asamov Nanotech to crudely model microbot population growth:<br />
<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
//MicrobotSimulator, written by Antar Iliev (Asamov Nanotech), v1.0<br />
//Quickly and crudely simulate Microbot population growth data using current<br />
//figures. For this simulation, one-sixth of the prowler population dies each<br />
//hour (since a prowler's average lifespan is six hours).<br />
<br />
#include <stdio.h><br />
<br />
int main()<br />
{//main function<br />
FILE *fpoutp = fopen("microbotGrowth.dat","w"); //output file pointer<br />
<br />
const double initComp = 6134; //initial compiler population<br />
const double finalComp = 1.38e9; //final compiler population<br />
const double growthRate = 0.0133;//maximum comp growth rate (compilers/hour)<br />
const double prowlerRate = 30; //# of prowlers 1 compiler can make in 1 hour<br />
const double compRate = 0.5; //# of compilers 1 compiler can make in 1 hour<br />
<br />
double compPop = initComp; //compiler population, updated each generation<br />
double compHours = compPop; //number of compilers * number of hours<br />
double newComp; //new compilers produced in a generation<br />
double prowlerPop = 162*compPop; //prowler population<br />
double totalPop = compPop + prowlerPop; //total population<br />
<br />
for (int i=0; i<1500; i++)<br />
{//update every hour<br />
<br />
//write data to file <br />
fprintf(fpoutp,"\n%d\t%e\t%e\t%e",i,compPop,prowlerPop,totalPop);<br />
/*file contains:<br />
column 0: time in hours since injection<br />
column 1: compiler population<br />
column 2: prowler population<br />
column 3: total population*/<br />
<br />
//recalculate everything<br />
prowlerPop = 5*prowlerPop/6; //one-sixth of prowlers die each hour<br />
compHours = compPop; //get compiler-hours available<br />
newComp = growthRate*compPop*(1-compPop/finalComp); //build new comps<br />
//Compiler growth rate is defined by the Verhulst equation<br />
compHours -= newComp/compRate; //subtract compHrs it took to build comps<br />
compPop += newComp; //add new compilers to the population<br />
prowlerPop += compHours*prowlerRate; //use rest of compHrs on prowlers<br />
totalPop = compPop + prowlerPop; //update total population<br />
}<br />
<br />
//close file; end program<br />
fclose(fpoutp);<br />
return 0;<br />
}<br />
//v1.01 Completed 2048-12-05 -- Upped time-resolution from generations to hours<br />
//v1.00 Completed 2048-12-04 <br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
<br />
The Verhulst equation is [[logistic function|logistic]], forming an S-curve, with population growing slowly at first, speeding up exponentially, then slowing back down as the microbots reach their target population.<br />
<br />
[[Image:pctGraph.gif|thumb|right|300px|The microbot population grows [[logistic function|logistically]], reaching target population after about eight weeks.]]<br />
<br />
The most common side-effect during this time was an increase in metabolism, as the microbots built themselves out of nutrients in the bloodstream.<br />
<br />
The tragedy of microbot installation was that it was too slow for those who had already contracted the [[chimeravirus]]. The growth of the chimeravirus rapidly outstrips that of the microbot population. Thus, by the time the microbots are of sufficient numbers to combat the [[retrovirus]], the patient is usually already in the final stages of the disease.<br />
<br />
[[Image:MicrovChimera.gif|thumb|right|300px|The growth of the [[chimeravirus]] far outstrips that of the microbot population.]]<br />
<br />
==Development and Early Deployment==<br />
The Asamov microbots were invented and patented by [[Leda Asamov]] in [[2038]], three years after her daughter contracted [[HIV]] after accidentally being stuck with a contaminated needle while working as a [[medical intern]] ([[Asamov Nanotech]] had been founded more than two decade earlier as a small research firm specializing in creating micron-sized structures using nanoscale engineering).<br />
<br />
The original microbots were made of [[silicon]], were much larger, and needed to be manufactured in the lab (compilers had yet to be developed). These early prowlers functioned used visible-wavelength imaging, and the original central processors were only sophisticated enough to detect the distinct form of the [[HIV]] virus.<br />
<br />
As a consequence, the initial functionality of the microbots was limited to stopping the spread of HIV to others. The original [[2038 ]] "[[AIDS Blocker]]" deployment took the form of a music player-sized device which its user would straps to one's waist about five minutes before intercourse. The device contained the central processor as well as a microneedle which injected the user with the silicon-based microbots. Due to the limited range of the central processor, the microbots would stay localized in the genital region. The microbots were programmed exclusively to seek out (the larger prowlers were originally powered) and destroy HIV. When used with a [[condom]], this machine cut risk of transmission of the disease to zero—literally; not a single case of transmission was ever reported. Since these microbots were not self-replicating, they needed to be reinjected before each use.<br />
<br />
Due to the huge success of the "AIDS Blocker," Asamov Nanotech prospered, and two years later were able to release a second version which combat all known blood-born [[STD]]s. This "[[STD Blocker]]" was similar in effectiveness to its prototype and achieved widespread use recreationally.<br />
<br />
In the same year, Asamov Nanotech released the "Mommy" version of their HIV destroyer, which worked to prevent nursing mothers from passing the disease onto their children. What held Asamov Nanotech from releasing a full-scale version was the issue of self-replication; the amount of silicon a user would need to ingest to allow the microbots to reproduce was prohibitive. <br />
<br />
The issue was finally resolved in [[2045]]. The innovation came with the realization that the way to get around the silicon problem was, simply, to use [[carbon]]. Since the microbots could not be self-replicating, the costs involved in the manufacture and deployment went down to zero; a user would produce their own micromachines, and the central processor was no more expensive to build than a [[cell phone]]. Thus, the main cost from the microbots would come from "installation" of the central processor, a relatively simple surgical procedure.<br />
<br />
By now, Asamov Nanotech was a [[Fortune 500]] company, with heavy profits still rolling in from the "STD Blocker." Thus, it was feasible, in an act of unsurpassed [[philanthropy]], for Asamov Nanotech to provide the device for free to all the world's 50 million HIV/AIDS sufferers.<br />
<br />
Within a year, the entire world [[AIDS]] population had the device, and the HIV virus had been completely eradicated. This was followed by Asamov Nanotech making the device available cheaply to anyone with an [[immunodeficiency]] problem, including [[cancer]] patients undergoing [[chemotherapy]].<br />
<br />
As all the hardware was completely self-sufficient, and "virus definition updates" were managed, free of charge, as simply as on a computer, people "cured" of HIV/AIDS or who had finished chemotheraphy saw no reason to have the microbots removed or deactivated; even though their white cell counts had returned to normal levels, their immune systems proved far stronger than those of nonusers.<br />
<br />
In [[2048]], Asamov Nanotech went into negotiations with several [[HMO]] companies in an attempt to get the microbots available universally. However, the companies were reluctant, and by the time the chimeravirus broke loose, only approximately 100 million people globally were using microbots.<br />
<br />
==Current Capabilities and Limitations==<br />
Today the entire world population uses descendants of the Asamov microbots. In such a universal deployment, the machines' capabilities, as well as their limitations, are readily apparent.<br />
<br />
Not relying on antibodies, microbots are far more effective in detecting and destroying pathogens, as well as cancer and [[precancer]] cells in the latest deployments. The central processor uses a complex imaging algorithm, rather than relying on [[DNA]] matches, to identify targets. Thus, microbots proved the final cure to the infamous "[[common cold]]," in addition to much more serious ailments. In addition, microbots will never attack nonthreatening "foreign materials," such as a transplanted kidney. As a result, many today choose to have their [[vestigial]] "natural" immune systems removed.<br />
<br />
However, it should be noted that micromachines are no [[panacea]]. Though they can destroy infections, disease, cancer and even cholesterol, they are powerless to repair failing organs or to fix broken blood vessels. As a consequence, though the average human lifespan has increased to 120 years (from 75 circa [[2000]]), [[immortality]] remains beyond us.<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
[[Asamov Nanotech]]<br />
<br />
[[Leda Asamov]]<br />
<br />
[[HIV]]<br />
<br />
[[Chimeravirus]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*[http://www.asamovnano.com Asamov Nanotech fact page]</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Great_Pandemic_of_2049&diff=6067Great Pandemic of 20492006-12-06T14:28:32Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''The Great Pandemic of 2049''' refers to the release of the hybrid [[chimeravirus]] by religious extremists in 2049. The pandemic nearly caused the extinction of the human race in less than six months, but nearly 100 million people survived thanks to [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]].<br />
<br />
==Origins==<br />
The [[chimeravirus]] was developed by an unknown Russian geneticist in 2048. Commissioned by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]], the geneticist created a hybrid of [[Human immunodeficiency virus|Human Immunodeficiency Virus]] and [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], two of the deadliest viruses at the time, and combined them with [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], an airborne virus that causes lower respiratory infections. [[4 Horsemen]] intended to use the virus as a [[terrorism|terrorist]] weapon in their cause to bring about the [[apocalypse]], but records show that even they were not prepared for how deadly the virus would be.<br />
<br />
[[Patient Zero]] was [[Eugene Reyes]], a member of 4 Horsemen who called himself "Pestilence," after the first of the [[Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse]]. Living in [[Jerusalem]], [[Israel]], he purposefully infected himself with the virus with the intention of infecting the entire Middle East--where 4 Horsemen believed the final battle between the [[Antichrist]] and [[Jesus]] would take place--and eventually the world. He died three weeks later, with the pandemic just beginning to be apparent.<br />
<br />
==Spread==<br />
The virus showed a 100% mortality rate--no natural antibodies could combat the disease.<br />
<br />
Being airborne, the disease spread quickly classified [[Biosafety Level 4]] by the CDC). It is estimated that by the time the first patients started showing symptoms, 15% of the world was already infected. Quarantine efforts were useless. Even small, remote villages were unable to escape the disease.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the spread of the pandemic caused neither rioting nor panic; the human race seemed content to go to its end with a whimper instead of a bang.<br />
<br />
==Microbots==<br />
<br />
Even early in the virus' spread, it became apparent that there was one population that was unaffected. Former sufferers of [[Human immunodeficiency virus|HIV]] and some who had undergone [[chemotheraphy]] who had allowed themselves to be installed with [[microbots]] seemed utterly unaffected. Analysis of the virus shows why: chimeravirus, in its initial stages, attacks white blood cells primarily, thus disabling any potential immune response in the later stages. Microbots, being of artificial construct, are invulnerable to [[retrovirus|retroviral]] attacks. Furthermore, microbots need not wait for the immune system to produce [[antibodies]], but instead a "virus definition update," which the microbot's manufacturer, [[Asamov Nanotech]], provided free of charge.<br />
<br />
As effective as the microbots were, for those already infected, they offered no salvation. The "installation" of microbots takes several weeks, by which time the chimeravirus is already in its final stages. Used preventatively, however, an estimated 15 million lives were saved by having the microbots installed prior to infection.<br />
<br />
[[Image:MicrovChimera.gif|thumb|right|300px|The growth of the [[chimeravirus]] far outstrips that of the microbot population.]] <br />
<br />
Popular folklore has it that Reyes learned that the world AIDS population would survive his plague on his deathbed, to which he laughed and responded simply, "The meek shall inherit the earth."<br />
<br />
==Aftermath==<br />
The pandemic was over in less than six months, leaving a world population of barely 120 million humans. While the virus has run out of hosts, it is believed to remain dormant in several remote locations, necessitating the importance of installing microbots in each new generation.<br />
<br />
As devastating as the pandemic was, like the [[bubonic plague]] of a millennium before, the survivors of the chimeravirus found themselves in a better world. At barely one percent of the pre-chimera population, the remaining world inhabitants were finally able to set aside their few remaining differences and join together into one [[World Government]].<br />
<br />
Many theorists believe our current era of peace, which has been ongoing for seven decades, is contingent on the world population not increasing beyond 250 million. Interestingly, given normal population patterns, the human race does not seem likely to push this limit any time soon--the world population has remained stable at approximately 150 million for the past two generations, which is even more surprising considering the average human [[lifespan]] has doubled since the adoption of microbots.<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*Romney, Jacobs (2090). ''Chimeravirus: A History.'' Rabat, Morocco: Publius. ISBN 2838513104.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Leda_Asamov&diff=6065Leda Asamov2006-12-06T14:13:54Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Leda.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Leda Asamov]]<br />
'''Leda Rebecca Asamov''' ([[April 10]], [[1988]] – [[July 15]], [[2085]]) was an [[American]] [[physicist]] best known for founding [[Asamov Nanotech]] and for designing the [[microbots|Asamov Immuno-supplementation Microbots]].<br />
<br />
==Early Life==<br />
Leda Asamov was born in the town of [[Gaithersburg]], [[Maryland]] in the [[United States]]. Her early aspirations were towards [[journalism]] (she was Editor-in-Chief of her [[high school]] publication), but by the time she graduated high school in 2006, her leanings were more towards science.<br />
<br />
In fall of 2006 she enrolled at [[Kenyon College]], a small [[liberal arts]] college in [[Ohio]] (United States). There she majored in [[physics]], graduating with Honors in 2010. From there, she moved on to [[Northwestern University]] in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]] to do her graduate work.<br />
<br />
Asamov was first introduced to the field of [[nanoscience]] at Kenyon. In the summer after her [[sophomore]] year, she co-published an article with her advisor modeling the effects of force on [[diffusion]] in the case of a sub-[[micron]] sized [[polystyrene]] sphere suspended in an aqueous solution between two glass plates.<br />
<br />
At Northwestern, her research continued, focusing more on nanoscale engineering, the construction of micron-sized objects with nanometer precision. Her Ph.D thesis was on [[self-replication]].<br />
<br />
In [[2012]], she married [[Antar Iliev]], another graduate student in her program who specialized in [[computer modeling]]. Their daughter, [[Jane Iliev|Jane]], was born in [[2015]].<br />
<br />
Upon leaving Northwestern in [[2016]], she founded her [[Asamov Nanotech|eponymous nanotechnology firm]]. The firm, which specialized in the creation of micron-sized structures using nanoscale engineering, remained small, but prosperous for the next 20 years. Iliev went into [[academia]], but frequently consulted on the firm's projects.<br />
<br />
==AIDS and Microbots==<br />
In [[2035]], while interning at a Chicago hospital, Jane Iliev was accidentally stuck with a needle contaminated with [[HIV]]. While treatable, the virus had no cure. The incident ended Jane's medical career, but necessitated her mother's entry into the field; in the same year, Asamov Nanotech announced that it would be shifting its focus to medical applications.<br />
<br />
Three years later, the "[[AIDS Blocker]]" was born. The original [[2038]] "AIDS Blocker" took the form of a music player-sized device which its user would straps to one's waist about five minutes before [[intercourse]]. The device injected and controlled [[silicon]]-based microbots which were capable of targeting and destroying the HIV virus. When used with a [[condom]], this machine cut risk of transmission of the disease to zero—literally; not a single case of transmission was ever reported. However, these microbots were not self-replicating, and their range was limited to the genital area, making this device far from a cure.<br />
<br />
In 2040, Asamov Nanotech released two new versions of their original device—the famously popular "[[STD Blocker]]," which was able to target all known blood-born [[sexually transmitted diseases]], and the "Mommy" version of the AIDS Blocker, designed to prevent nursing mothers from transmitting the disease to their offspring. Popular belief is that the Mommy version was developed for use by Jane. This rumor has proven to be apocryphal, as Jane Iliev, who at 115 has retired to a community outside her birthplace of Chicago, never had children (Jane, after leaving medicine, fell back on her B.A. in Journalism to become a foreign corespondent for ''[[The Washington Post]]'', and, in a bizarre twist of fate, was actually one of the first to report on the initial outbreak of the [[chimeravirus]]).<br />
<br />
As amazingly successful as these devices were, they fell short of a cure. The issue was self-replication: in order for the microbots to prove truly successful, they would have to manufacture themselves in the user's [[bloodstream]]. Unfortunately, the amount of silicon the user would consequently need to ingest would be fatal.<br />
<br />
The breakthrough came in [[2042]] (though the finished product wouldn't appear until three years later). As her daughter reports in her biography, Asamov's insight came while watching a news program on the construction of the [[Ecuadorian]] [[Space Elevator]]. Writes Iliev, <blockquote>The reporter was interviewing the chief engineer, who was boasting about the superiority of using [[carbon nanotubes]] over steel. My mother, frustrated as she was by the lack of progress, snickered that she should've gone into macroconstruction. After all, carbon was so much easier to work with than silicon. At that, she stopped, turned off the TV, and locked herself in her study.</blockquote><br />
<br />
Nearly all the nutrients humans ingest contain [[carbon]]. By producing her microbots out of carbon, Asamov had finally solved her self-replication problem. Three years later, the [[microbots|Asamov Immuno-supplementation Microbots]] were announced.<br />
<br />
In test trials, the self-replicating microbots proved 100% effective, not only in wiping out HIV, but in neutralizing all pathogens while producing minimal side-effects (the low-intensity [[X-rays]] the microbots use caused a slightly higher risk of [[cancer]], but future versions would prove effective in combatting these threats as well). Writes Iliev, <blockquote>She could have made billions—a cure, not only to AIDS, but to syphilis, herpes, yellow fever, Ebola... even the common cold. Her real greatness, then, is not in her brilliance, but her compassion.</blockquote><br />
<br />
By now, Asamov Nanotech was a [[Fortune 500]] company, with heavy profits still rolling in from the "STD Blocker." And there were very few costs associated with the microbots—once installed, they reproduced and maintained themselves. Even the control device was no more expensive to manufacture than a cell phone. The main cost per patient would come from a relatively simple surgical implantation. Thus, it was feasible, at the urging of its CEO and head researcher, for Asamov Nanotech to supply microbots to the world's 50 million HIV/AIDS sufferers, free of charge.<br />
<br />
Asamov was unwilling to stop there. The microbots proved effective for those with any [[immunodeficiency]] ailment, including those undergoing [[chemotherapy]]. Furthermore, Asamov insisted the machines should eventually be adopted by the entire world population, as her artificial immune system proved in trials hardier than the one nature had provided. As a gesture to this end, Asamov and her husband had microbots installed in themselves in [[2047]], with neither ever suffering adverse effects (Antar Iliev eventually had his natural immune system removed in [[2091]] to allow his body to accept a transplanted heart).<br />
<br />
By [[2048]], Leda Asamov was in intense negotiation with several [[HMO]] companies in an attempt to get the microbots available cheaply to the general public. However, the companies were reluctant, viewing use of microbots by the healthy as frivolous and unnecessary. Thus, despite her best efforts, by the time the chimeravirus broke loose, only approximately 100 million people globally had the artificial immune system to combat it.<br />
<br />
==Post Chimera==<br />
With the entire remaining world population surviving thanks to her microbots, Asamov Nanotech had its work cut out for it. The company continues to release software updates to this day, making sure the microbots are always several steps ahead of the newest viral scare.<br />
<br />
Asamov herself was offered leadership positions in the new [[World Government]], but politely refused them, staying with her company until [[2072]], when she accepted the presidency of Kenyon College, her alma mater. She was the institution's last president, with the school dissolving due to lack of enrollment in [[2083]].<br />
<br />
Asamov spent her final years with her husband in their home in rural [[Ohio]], innovating new adaptations to her microbots. She died in [[2085]] of a [[stroke]]. Her husband published her unfinished papers the following year. In 2090, Jane Iliev published her biography, ''[[Small Victories]]'', which remains a global best-seller.<br />
<br />
==Legacy==<br />
It is no exaggeration to claim that Leda Asamov was the savior of mankind. Her microbots saved humanity from certain death at the hands of the chimeravirus, and in the process nearly doubled human [[life expectancy]]. She was awarded three [[Nobel prizes]]: [[Nobel Prize in Medicine|Medicine]] in [[2044]] for the STD Blocker, [[Nobel Prize in Physics|Physics]] in [[2046]] for her self-replicating carbon-based microbots, and for [[Nobel Prize in Peace|Peace]] in the same year for making her treatments freely available to anyone who needed them.<br />
<br />
A statue of her stands before the [[World Government]] headquarters in [[Nairobi]].<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
[[Asamov Nanotech]]<br />
<br />
[[Microbots]]<br />
<br />
[[Chimeravirus]]<br />
<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*Iliev, Jane (2090). ''Small Victories.'' Algiers, Algeria: New World Press. ISBN 1934211500.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Microbots&diff=6064Microbots2006-12-06T14:12:41Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>''This article refers to the Asimov Immuno-supplementation Microrobots. For the Groton Microconstruction Bots or the Camino-Techron BrainLink Communicators, see [[Microbots (other uses)]]''<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots''' are [[micron]]-sized [[self-replicating]] machines, originally developed to combat HIV, which supplement the natural human immune system by scanning for and eradicating known [[pathogens]]. They were developed and are still maintained by [[Asamov Nanotech]] and were invented by its founder, [[Leda Asamov]].<br />
<br />
<br />
==Mechanics==<br />
The job of a microbot is to mimic and improve on the role of [[leukocytes]] (white blood cells). They come in two "species:" prowlers, which are approximately 2 microns in diameter (about 1/5 as large as a white blood cell), passively float through the [[bloodstream]], scanning their surroundings and attacking pathogens, while compilers, at 9 microns thick, harvest [[organic]] molecules from the bloodstream to build more microbots. The ratio of prowlers to compilers will rise from 150:1 to 200:1 as the population grows.<br />
<br />
[[Image:compPerProwl.gif|thumb|right|300px|As the microbot population grows, the proportion of compilers to prowlers decreases [[logistic function|logistically]].]]<br />
<br />
Though each possessing about 200 [[MFLOPS]] of processing power, microbots rely on [[radio]]-frequency communication with a surgically-implanted "central processor," usually installed near the [[solar plexus]], for most their functionality.<br />
<br />
Prowlers are only two microns thick and thus are able to spread throughout the entire bloodstream, easily crossing the [[blood-brain barrier]] and [[diffusion|diffusing]] through [[capillaries]]. Prowlers "instinctively" scan its surroundings using low-intensity [[X-rays]] (~1 [[electron volt|KeV]]). Since X-rays have a smaller [[wavelength]] than visible light, prowlers are able to provide much more detailed images than optical scanning. These X-ray images are transmitted via radio signal to the central processor for analysis. The central processor will analyze these images against a "virus definition file," a database of known pathogens. This file is regularly updated by Asamov Nanotech in order to combat emerging threats. When a pathogen (or a [[cancer]] cell) is identified by the central processor, the prowler will be ordered to irradiate the object using high-intensity X-rays. While at low levels, these X-rays do very little harm to their surroundings, when focused and used at high intensity, these X-rays prove efficient, quickly destroying the pathogen while causing minimal, if any, [[collateral damage]]. To emit these X-rays, a prowler stimulates [[photon emission]] by letting atoms in its structure fall into lower energy levels.<br />
<br />
A prowler is "born" with all the energy it will ever possess—once all its atoms fall into their lowest energy states, the microbot is "dead," useful only for the carbon it may harvested for. The average [[lifespan]] of a particular microbot is about six hours.<br />
<br />
The larger compilers move under their own power, using nanoscale motors to transport themselves through the [[circulatory system]], and are comparatively immortal, many functioning for years without failure or until the central processor orders its [[self-destruct]]. The sole function of a compilers is to take in [[carbon]] from the surrounding bloodstream and assemble more microbots. Given no instructions from the central processor, compilers will build prowlers, exclusively, to replace the ones that "die." However, during times of infection or during initial installation, when population levels need to be replaced more quickly, several compilers will work together to build additional compilers, a perfect example of [[self-replication]]. Compilers have the added functionality of being able to clean out [[Atheromatous plaque|plaque]]-ridden [[blood vessels]]. While compilers prefer to congregate near the [[small intestine]] (where the nutrient flow is richest), when a prowler identifies a [[cholesterol]]-ridden blood vessel, the central processor will reroute compilers to clean it out and make new microbots in the process.<br />
<br />
It is important to note that while microbots are made of carbon and mimic many functions of natural organisms, they themselves contain no DNA. Thus, they are completely immune to all [[retroviruses]], including the [[chimeravirus]].<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Today, the Asamov microbots are already present in the bloodstream at birth, requiring only the installation of a central processor, usually surgically implanted near the solar plexus. However, when the devices were first introduced, it took several weeks for an adult to build up an adequate microbot population.<br />
<br />
After the installation of the central processor, a doctor would inject a population of about one million microbots [[intravenously]] into a patient. Over the next eight weeks, this population would grow to 250 billion.<br />
<br />
This growth is not only modeled, but actually defined (since compiler growth rate is regulated by the central processor) by the [[logistic function|Verhulst equation]]:<br />
<br />
<math>\dfrac{dC}{dt}=rC(1-\frac{C}{C_f})</math> where ''C'' is the number of compilers, ''r'' is the ideal rate of compiler production and <math>C_f</math> the maximum compiler population.<br />
<br />
Thus, the population of compilers in the bloodstream at any given time after injection is given by:<br />
<br />
:<math>C(t) = \dfrac{C_f C_i e^{rt}}{C_f + C_i \left( e^{rt} - 1\right)}</math><br />
<br />
The ratio of time a compiler spends building other compilers versus building prowlers is very low, so for most purposes it is sufficient to calculate the prowler population by multiplying the number of compilers by the the number of prowlers each compiler can build in six hours, the prowler "generation."<br />
<br />
Below is a small program written in [[C programming language|C]] of code written for Asamov Nanotech to crudely model microbot population growth:<br />
<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
//MicrobotSimulator, written by Antar Iliev (Asamov Nanotech), v1.0<br />
//Quickly and crudely simulate Microbot population growth data using current<br />
//figures. For this simulation, one-sixth of the prowler population dies each<br />
//hour (since a prowler's average lifespan is six hours).<br />
<br />
#include <stdio.h><br />
<br />
int main()<br />
{//main function<br />
FILE *fpoutp = fopen("microbotGrowth.dat","w"); //output file pointer<br />
<br />
const double initComp = 6134; //initial compiler population<br />
const double finalComp = 1.38e9; //final compiler population<br />
const double growthRate = 0.0133;//maximum comp growth rate (compilers/hour)<br />
const double prowlerRate = 30; //# of prowlers 1 compiler can make in 1 hour<br />
const double compRate = 0.5; //# of compilers 1 compiler can make in 1 hour<br />
<br />
double compPop = initComp; //compiler population, updated each generation<br />
double compHours = compPop; //number of compilers * number of hours<br />
double newComp; //new compilers produced in a generation<br />
double prowlerPop = 162*compPop; //prowler population<br />
double totalPop = compPop + prowlerPop; //total population<br />
<br />
for (int i=0; i<1500; i++)<br />
{//update every hour<br />
<br />
//write data to file <br />
fprintf(fpoutp,"\n%d\t%e\t%e\t%e",i,compPop,prowlerPop,totalPop);<br />
/*file contains:<br />
column 0: time in hours since injection<br />
column 1: compiler population<br />
column 2: prowler population<br />
column 3: total population*/<br />
<br />
//recalculate everything<br />
prowlerPop = 5*prowlerPop/6; //one-sixth of prowlers die each hour<br />
compHours = compPop; //get compiler-hours available<br />
newComp = growthRate*compPop*(1-compPop/finalComp); //build new comps<br />
//Compiler growth rate is defined by the Verhulst equation<br />
compHours -= newComp/compRate; //subtract compHrs it took to build comps<br />
compPop += newComp; //add new compilers to the population<br />
prowlerPop += compHours*prowlerRate; //use rest of compHrs on prowlers<br />
totalPop = compPop + prowlerPop; //update total population<br />
}<br />
<br />
//close file; end program<br />
fclose(fpoutp);<br />
return 0;<br />
}<br />
//v1.01 Completed 2048-12-05 -- Upped time-resolution from generations to hours<br />
//v1.00 Completed 2048-12-04 <br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
<br />
The Verhulst equation is [[logistic function|logistic]], forming an S-curve, with population growing slowly at first, speeding up exponentially, then slowing back down as the microbots reach their target population.<br />
<br />
[[Image:pctGraph.gif|thumb|right|300px|The microbot population grows [[logistic function|logistically]], reaching target population after about eight weeks.]]<br />
<br />
The most common side-effect during this time was an increase in metabolism, as the microbots built themselves out of nutrients in the bloodstream.<br />
<br />
The tragedy of microbot installation was that it was too slow for those who had already contracted the [[chimeravirus]]. The growth of the chimeravirus rapidly outstrips that of the microbot population. Thus, by the time the microbots are of sufficient numbers to combat the [[retrovirus]], the patient is usually already in the final stages of the disease.<br />
<br />
[[Image:MicrovChimera.gif|thumb|right|300px|The growth of the c[[himeravirus]] far outstrips that of the microbot population.]]<br />
<br />
==Development and Early Deployment==<br />
The Asamov microbots were invented and patented by [[Leda Asamov]] in [[2038]], three years after her daughter contracted [[HIV]] after accidentally being stuck with a contaminated needle while working as a [[medical intern]] ([[Asamov Nanotech]] had been founded more than two decade earlier as a small research firm specializing in creating micron-sized structures using nanoscale engineering).<br />
<br />
The original microbots were made of [[silicon]], were much larger, and needed to be manufactured in the lab (compilers had yet to be developed). These early prowlers functioned used visible-wavelength imaging, and the original central processors were only sophisticated enough to detect the distinct form of the [[HIV]] virus.<br />
<br />
As a consequence, the initial functionality of the microbots was limited to stopping the spread of HIV to others. The original [[2038 ]] "[[AIDS Blocker]]" deployment took the form of a music player-sized device which its user would straps to one's waist about five minutes before intercourse. The device contained the central processor as well as a microneedle which injected the user with the silicon-based microbots. Due to the limited range of the central processor, the microbots would stay localized in the genital region. The microbots were programmed exclusively to seek out (the larger prowlers were originally powered) and destroy HIV. When used with a [[condom]], this machine cut risk of transmission of the disease to zero—literally; not a single case of transmission was ever reported. Since these microbots were not self-replicating, they needed to be reinjected before each use.<br />
<br />
Due to the huge success of the "AIDS Blocker," Asamov Nanotech prospered, and two years later were able to release a second version which combat all known blood-born [[STD]]s. This "[[STD Blocker]]" was similar in effectiveness to its prototype and achieved widespread use recreationally.<br />
<br />
In the same year, Asamov Nanotech released the "Mommy" version of their HIV destroyer, which worked to prevent nursing mothers from passing the disease onto their children. What held Asamov Nanotech from releasing a full-scale version was the issue of self-replication; the amount of silicon a user would need to ingest to allow the microbots to reproduce was prohibitive. <br />
<br />
The issue was finally resolved in [[2045]]. The innovation came with the realization that the way to get around the silicon problem was, simply, to use [[carbon]]. Since the microbots could not be self-replicating, the costs involved in the manufacture and deployment went down to zero; a user would produce their own micromachines, and the central processor was no more expensive to build than a [[cell phone]]. Thus, the main cost from the microbots would come from "installation" of the central processor, a relatively simple surgical procedure.<br />
<br />
By now, Asamov Nanotech was a [[Fortune 500]] company, with heavy profits still rolling in from the "STD Blocker." Thus, it was feasible, in an act of unsurpassed [[philanthropy]], for Asamov Nanotech to provide the device for free to all the world's 50 million HIV/AIDS sufferers.<br />
<br />
Within a year, the entire world [[AIDS]] population had the device, and the HIV virus had been completely eradicated. This was followed by Asamov Nanotech making the device available cheaply to anyone with an [[immunodeficiency]] problem, including [[cancer]] patients undergoing [[chemotherapy]].<br />
<br />
As all the hardware was completely self-sufficient, and "virus definition updates" were managed, free of charge, as simply as on a computer, people "cured" of HIV/AIDS or who had finished chemotheraphy saw no reason to have the microbots removed or deactivated; even though their white cell counts had returned to normal levels, their immune systems proved far stronger than those of nonusers.<br />
<br />
In [[2048]], Asamov Nanotech went into negotiations with several [[HMO]] companies in an attempt to get the microbots available universally. However, the companies were reluctant, and by the time the chimeravirus broke loose, only approximately 100 million people globally were using microbots.<br />
<br />
==Current Capabilities and Limitations==<br />
Today the entire world population uses descendants of the Asamov microbots. In such a universal deployment, the machines' capabilities, as well as their limitations, are readily apparent.<br />
<br />
Not relying on antibodies, microbots are far more effective in detecting and destroying pathogens, as well as cancer and [[precancer]] cells in the latest deployments. The central processor uses a complex imaging algorithm, rather than relying on [[DNA]] matches, to identify targets. Thus, microbots proved the final cure to the infamous "[[common cold]]," in addition to much more serious ailments. In addition, microbots will never attack nonthreatening "foreign materials," such as a transplanted kidney. As a result, many today choose to have their [[vestigial]] "natural" immune systems removed.<br />
<br />
However, it should be noted that micromachines are no [[panacea]]. Though they can destroy infections, disease, cancer and even cholesterol, they are powerless to repair failing organs or to fix broken blood vessels. As a consequence, though the average human lifespan has increased to 120 years (from 75 circa [[2000]]), [[immortality]] remains beyond us.<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
[[Asamov Nanotech]]<br />
<br />
[[Leda Asamov]]<br />
<br />
[[HIV]]<br />
<br />
[[Chimeravirus]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*[http://www.asamovnano.com Asamov Nanotech fact page]</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Great_Pandemic_of_2049&diff=6063Great Pandemic of 20492006-12-06T14:10:31Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>The Great Pandemic of 2049 refers to the release of the hybrid [[chimeravirus]] by religious extremists in 2049. The pandemic nearly caused the extinction of the human race in less than six months, but nearly 100 million people survived thanks to [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]].<br />
<br />
==Origins==<br />
The [[chimeravirus]] was developed by an unknown Russian geneticist in 2048. Commissioned by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]], the geneticist created a hybrid of [[Human immunodeficiency virus|Human Immunodeficiency Virus]] and [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], two of the deadliest viruses at the time, and combined them with [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], an airborne virus that causes lower respiratory infections. [[4 Horsemen]] intended to use the virus as a [[terrorism|terrorist]] weapon in their cause to bring about the [[apocalypse]], but records show that even they were not prepared for how deadly the virus would be.<br />
<br />
[[Patient Zero]] was [[Eugene Reyes]], a member of 4 Horsemen who called himself "Pestilence," after the first of the [[Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse]]. Living in [[Jerusalem]], [[Israel]], he purposefully infected himself with the virus with the intention of infecting the entire Middle East--where 4 Horsemen believed the final battle between the [[Antichrist]] and [[Jesus]] would take place--and eventually the world. He died three weeks later, with the pandemic just beginning to be apparent.<br />
<br />
==Spread==<br />
The virus showed a 100% mortality rate--no natural antibodies could combat the disease.<br />
<br />
Being airborne, the disease spread quickly classified [[Biosafety Level 4]] by the CDC). It is estimated that by the time the first patients started showing symptoms, 15% of the world was already infected. Quarantine efforts were useless. Even small, remote villages were unable to escape the disease.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the spread of the pandemic caused neither rioting nor panic; the human race seemed content to go to its end with a whimper instead of a bang.<br />
<br />
==Microbots==<br />
<br />
Even early in the virus' spread, it became apparent that there was one population that was unaffected. Former sufferers of [[Human immunodeficiency virus|HIV]] and some who had undergone [[chemotheraphy]] who had allowed themselves to be installed with [[microbots]] seemed utterly unaffected. Analysis of the virus shows why: chimeravirus, in its initial stages, attacks white blood cells primarily, thus disabling any potential immune response in the later stages. Microbots, being of artificial construct, are invulnerable to [[retrovirus|retroviral]] attacks. Furthermore, microbots need not wait for the immune system to produce [[antibodies]], but instead a "virus definition update," which the microbot's manufacturer, [[Asamov Nanotech]], provided free of charge.<br />
<br />
As effective as the microbots were, for those already infected, they offered no salvation. The "installation" of microbots takes several weeks, by which time the chimeravirus is already in its final stages. Used preventatively, however, an estimated 15 million lives were saved by having the microbots installed prior to infection.<br />
<br />
[[Image:MicrovChimera.gif|thumb|right|300px|The growth of the [[chimeravirus]] far outstrips that of the microbot population.]] <br />
<br />
Popular folklore has it that Reyes learned that the world AIDS population would survive his plague on his deathbed, to which he laughed and responded simply, "The meek shall inherit the earth."<br />
<br />
==Aftermath==<br />
The pandemic was over in less than six months, leaving a world population of barely 120 million humans. While the virus has run out of hosts, it is believed to remain dormant in several remote locations, necessitating the importance of installing microbots in each new generation.<br />
<br />
As devastating as the pandemic was, like the [[bubonic plague]] of a millennium before, the survivors of the chimeravirus found themselves in a better world. At barely one percent of the pre-chimera population, the remaining world inhabitants were finally able to set aside their few remaining differences and join together into one [[World Government]].<br />
<br />
Many theorists believe our current era of peace, which has been ongoing for seven decades, is contingent on the world population not increasing beyond 250 million. Interestingly, given normal population patterns, the human race does not seem likely to push this limit any time soon--the world population has remained stable at approximately 150 million for the past two generations, which is even more surprising considering the average human [[lifespan]] has doubled since the adoption of microbots.<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*Romney, Jacobs (2090). ''Chimeravirus: A History.'' Rabat, Morocco: Publius. ISBN 2838513104.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Great_Pandemic_of_2049&diff=6062Great Pandemic of 20492006-12-06T14:08:32Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>The Great Pandemic of 2049 refers to the release of the hybrid [[chimeravirus]] by religious extremists in 2049. The pandemic nearly caused the extinction of the human race in less than six months, but nearly 100 million people survived thanks to [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]].<br />
<br />
==Origins==<br />
The [[chimeravirus]] was developed by an unknown Russian geneticist in 2048. Commissioned by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]], the geneticist created a hybrid of [[Human immunodeficiency virus|Human Immunodeficiency Virus]] and [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], two of the deadliest viruses at the time, and combined them with [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], an airborne virus that causes lower respiratory infections. [[4 Horsemen]] intended to use the virus as a [[terrorism|terrorist]] weapon in their cause to bring about the [[apocalypse]], but records show that even they were not prepared for how deadly the virus would be.<br />
<br />
[[Patient Zero]] was [[Eugene Reyes]], a member of 4 Horsemen who called himself "Pestilence," after the first of the [[Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse]]. Living in [[Jerusalem]], [[Israel]], he purposefully infected himself with the virus with the intention of infecting the entire Middle East--where 4 Horsemen believed the final battle between the [[Antichrist]] and [[Jesus]] would take place--and eventually the world. He died three weeks later, with the pandemic just beginning to be apparent.<br />
<br />
==Spread==<br />
The virus showed a 100% mortality rate--no natural antibodies could combat the disease.<br />
<br />
Being airborne, the disease spread quickly classified [[Biosafety Level 4]] by the CDC). It is estimated that by the time the first patients started showing symptoms, 15% of the world was already infected. Quarantine efforts were useless. Even small, remote villages were unable to escape the disease.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the spread of the pandemic caused neither rioting nor panic; the human race seemed content to go to its end with a whimper instead of a bang.<br />
<br />
==Microbots==<br />
<br />
Even early in the virus' spread, it became apparent that there was one population that was unaffected. Former sufferers of [[Human immunodeficiency virus|HIV]] and some who had undergone [[chemotheraphy]] who had allowed themselves to be installed with [[microbots]] seemed utterly unaffected. Analysis of the virus shows why: chimeravirus, in its initial stages, attacks white blood cells primarily, thus disabling any potential immune response in the later stages. Microbots, being of artificial construct, are invulnerable to [[retrovirus|retroviral]] attacks. Furthermore, microbots need not wait for the immune system to produce [[antibodies]], but instead a "virus definition update," which the microbot's manufacturer, [[Asamov Nanotech]], provided free of charge.<br />
<br />
As effective as the microbots were, for those already infected, they offered no salvation. The "installation" of microbots takes several weeks, by which time the chimeravirus is already in its final stages. Used preventatively, however, an estimated 15 million lives were saved by having the microbots installed prior to infection.<br />
<br />
[[Image:MicrovChimera.gif|thumb|right|300px|The growth of the [[chimeravirus]] far outstrips that of the microbot population.]] <br />
<br />
Popular folklore has it that Reyes learned that the world AIDS population would survive his plague on his deathbed, to which he laughed and responded simply, "The meek shall inherit the earth."<br />
<br />
==Aftermath==<br />
The pandemic was over in less than six months, leaving a world population of barely 120 million humans. While the virus has run out of hosts, it is believed to remain dormant in several remote locations, necessitating the importance of installing microbots in each new generation.<br />
<br />
As devastating as the pandemic was, like the [[bubonic plague]] of a millennium before, the survivors of the chimeravirus found themselves in a better world. At barely one percent of the pre-chimera population, the remaining world inhabitants were finally able to set aside their few remaining differences and join together into one [[World Government]].<br />
<br />
Many theorists believe our current era of peace, which has been ongoing for seven decades, is contingent on the world population not increasing beyond 250 million. Interestingly, given normal population patterns, the human race does not seem likely to push this limit any time soon--the world population has remained stable at approximately 150 million for the past two generations, which is even more surprising considering the average human [[lifespan]] has doubled since the adoption of microbots.<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
*Romney, Jacobs. ''Chimeravirus: A History.'' 2100:</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Great_Pandemic_of_2049&diff=6061Great Pandemic of 20492006-12-06T14:07:14Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>The Great Pandemic of 2049 refers to the release of the hybrid [[chimeravirus]] by religious extremists in 2049. The pandemic nearly caused the extinction of the human race in less than six months, but nearly 100 million people survived thanks to [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]].<br />
<br />
==Origins==<br />
The [[chimeravirus]] was developed by an unknown Russian geneticist in 2048. Commissioned by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]], the geneticist created a hybrid of [[Human immunodeficiency virus|Human Immunodeficiency Virus]] and [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], two of the deadliest viruses at the time, and combined them with [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], an airborne virus that causes lower respiratory infections. [[4 Horsemen]] intended to use the virus as a [[terrorism|terrorist]] weapon in their cause to bring about the [[apocalypse]], but records show that even they were not prepared for how deadly the virus would be.<br />
<br />
[[Patient Zero]] was [[Eugene Reyes]], a member of 4 Horsemen who called himself "Pestilence," after the first of the [[Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse]]. Living in [[Jerusalem]], [[Israel]], he purposefully infected himself with the virus with the intention of infecting the entire Middle East--where 4 Horsemen believed the final battle between the [[Antichrist]] and [[Jesus]] would take place--and eventually the world. He died three weeks later, with the pandemic just beginning to be apparent.<br />
<br />
==Spread==<br />
The virus showed a 100% mortality rate--no natural antibodies could combat the disease.<br />
<br />
Being airborne, the disease spread quickly classified [[Biosafety Level 4]] by the CDC). It is estimated that by the time the first patients started showing symptoms, 15% of the world was already infected. Quarantine efforts were useless. Even small, remote villages were unable to escape the disease.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the spread of the pandemic caused neither rioting nor panic; the human race seemed content to go to its end with a whimper instead of a bang.<br />
<br />
==Microbots==<br />
<br />
Even early in the virus' spread, it became apparent that there was one population that was unaffected. Former sufferers of [[Human immunodeficiency virus|HIV]] and some who had undergone [[chemotheraphy]] who had allowed themselves to be installed with [[microbots]] seemed utterly unaffected. Analysis of the virus shows why: chimeravirus, in its initial stages, attacks white blood cells primarily, thus disabling any potential immune response in the later stages. Microbots, being of artificial construct, are invulnerable to [[retrovirus|retroviral]] attacks. Furthermore, microbots need not wait for the immune system to produce [[antibodies]], but instead a "virus definition update," which the microbot's manufacturer, [[Asamov Nanotech]], provided free of charge.<br />
<br />
As effective as the microbots were, for those already infected, they offered no salvation. The "installation" of microbots takes several weeks, by which time the chimeravirus is already in its final stages. Used preventatively, however, an estimated 15 million lives were saved by having the microbots installed prior to infection.<br />
<br />
[[Image:MicrovChimera.gif|thumb|right|300px|The growth of the [[chimeravirus]] far outstrips that of the microbot population.]] <br />
<br />
Popular folklore has it that Reyes learned that the world AIDS population would survive his plague on his deathbed, to which he laughed and responded simply, "The meek shall inherit the earth."<br />
<br />
==Aftermath==<br />
The pandemic was over in less than six months, leaving a world population of barely 120 million humans. While the virus has run out of hosts, it is believed to remain dormant in several remote locations, necessitating the importance of installing microbots in each new generation.<br />
<br />
As devastating as the pandemic was, like the [[bubonic plague]] of a millennium before, the survivors of the chimeravirus found themselves in a better world. At barely one percent of the pre-chimera population, the remaining world inhabitants were finally able to set aside their few remaining differences and join together into one [[World Government]].<br />
<br />
Many theorists believe our current era of peace, which has been ongoing for seven decades, is contingent on the world population not increasing beyond 250 million. Interestingly, given normal population patterns, the human race does not seem likely to push this limit any time soon--the world population has remained stable at approximately 150 million for the past two generations, which is even more surprising considering the average human [[lifespan]] has doubled since the adoption of microbots.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Great_Pandemic_of_2049&diff=6060Great Pandemic of 20492006-12-06T14:05:01Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>The Great Pandemic of 2049 refers to the release of the hybrid [[chimeravirus]] by religious extremists in 2049. The pandemic nearly caused the extinction of the human race in less than six months, but nearly 100 million people survived thanks to [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]].<br />
<br />
==Origins==<br />
The [[chimeravirus]] was developed by an unknown Russian geneticist in 2048. Commissioned by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]], the geneticist created a hybrid of [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]] and [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], two of the deadliest viruses at the time, and combined them with [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], an airborne virus that causes lower respiratory infections. [[4 Horsemen]] intended to use the virus as a [[terrorism|terrorist]] weapon in their cause to bring about the [[apocalypse]], but records show that even they were not prepared for how deadly the virus would be.<br />
<br />
[[Patient Zero]] was [[Eugene Reyes]], a member of 4 Horsemen who called himself "Pestilence," after the first of the [[Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse]]. Living in [[Jerusalem]], [[Israel]], he purposefully infected himself with the virus with the intention of infecting the entire Middle East--where 4 Horsemen believed the final battle between the [[Antichrist]] and [[Jesus]] would take place--and eventually the world. He died three weeks later, with the pandemic just beginning to be apparent.<br />
<br />
==Spread==<br />
The virus showed a 100% mortality rate--no natural antibodies could combat the disease.<br />
<br />
Being airborne, the disease spread quickly classified [[Biosafety Level 4]] by the CDC). It is estimated that by the time the first patients started showing symptoms, 15% of the world was already infected. Quarantine efforts were useless. Even small, remote villages were unable to escape the disease.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, the spread of the pandemic caused neither rioting nor panic; the human race seemed content to go to its end with a whimper instead of a bang.<br />
<br />
==Microbots==<br />
<br />
Even early in the virus' spread, it became apparent that there was one population that was unaffected. Former sufferers of [[HIV]] and some who had undergone [[chemotheraphy]] who had allowed themselves to be installed with [[microbots]] seemed utterly unaffected. Analysis of the virus shows why: chimeravirus, in its initial stages, attacks white blood cells primarily, thus disabling any potential immune response in the later stages. Microbots, being of artificial construct, are invulnerable to [[retrovirus|retroviral]] attacks. Furthermore, microbots need not wait for the immune system to produce [[antibodies]], but instead a "virus definition update," which the microbot's manufacturer, [[Asamov Nanotech]], provided free of charge.<br />
<br />
As effective as the microbots were, for those already infected, they offered no salvation. The "installation" of microbots takes several weeks, by which time the chimeravirus is already in its final stages. Used preventatively, however, an estimated 15 million lives were saved by having the microbots installed prior to infection.<br />
<br />
[[Image:MicrovChimera.gif|thumb|right|300px|The growth of the [[chimeravirus]] far outstrips that of the microbot population.]] <br />
<br />
Popular folklore has it that Reyes learned that the world AIDS population would survive his plague on his deathbed, to which he laughed and responded simply, "The meek shall inherit the earth."<br />
<br />
==Aftermath==<br />
The pandemic was over in less than six months, leaving a world population of barely 120 million humans. While the virus has run out of hosts, it is believed to remain dormant in several remote locations, necessitating the importance of installing microbots in each new generation.<br />
<br />
As devastating as the pandemic was, like the [[bubonic plague]] of a millennium before, the survivors of the chimeravirus found themselves in a better world. At barely one percent of the pre-chimera population, the remaining world inhabitants were finally able to set aside their few remaining differences and join together into one [[World Government]].<br />
<br />
Many theorists believe our current era of peace, which has been ongoing for seven decades, is contingent on the world population not increasing beyond 250 million. Interestingly, given normal population patterns, the human race does not seem likely to push this limit any time soon--the world population has remained stable at approximately 150 million for the past two generations, which is even more surprising considering the average human [[lifespan]] has doubled since the adoption of microbots.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6059Chimeravirus2006-12-06T13:23:18Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>''This article is on the biology of the Chimeravirus. For history, see the [[Great Pandemic of 2049]].''<br />
[[Image:chimeravirus.png|thumb|right|300px|EM image of Chimeravirus.]]<br />
<br />
==Baltimore Classification==<br />
<br />
===Higher order taxa===<br />
<br />
Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
<br />
===Genera===<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus''<br />
<br />
==Description and Significance==<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the [[Great Pandemic of 2049]]. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ‘’Chimeravirus’’ refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
<br />
Classification of ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction. <br />
<br />
==Genome Structure==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
<br />
(get info from HIV and edit for effects of virus)<br />
<br />
==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
<br />
‘’Chimeravirus’’ is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Microbots&diff=6056Microbots2006-12-06T13:19:23Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>''This article refers to the Asimov Immuno-supplementation Microrobots. For the Groton Microconstruction Bots or the Camino-Techron BrainLink Communicators, see [[Microbots (other uses)]]''<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots''' are [[micron]]-sized [[self-replicating]] machines, originally developed to combat HIV, which supplement the natural human immune system by scanning for and eradicating known [[pathogens]]. They were developed and are still maintained by [[Asamov Nanotech]] and were invented by its founder, [[Leda Asamov]].<br />
<br />
<br />
==Mechanics==<br />
The job of a microbot is to mimic and improve on the role of [[leukocytes]] (white blood cells). They come in two "species:" prowlers, which are approximately 2 microns in diameter (about 1/5 as large as a white blood cell), passively float through the [[bloodstream]], scanning their surroundings and attacking pathogens, while compilers, at 9 microns thick, harvest [[organic]] molecules from the bloodstream to build more microbots. The ratio of prowlers to compilers will rise from 150:1 to 200:1 as the population grows.<br />
<br />
[[Image:compPerProwl.gif|thumb|right|300px|As the microbot population grows, the proportion of compilers to prowlers decreases [[logistic function|logistically]].]]<br />
<br />
Though each possessing about 200 [[MFLOPS]] of processing power, microbots rely on [[radio]]-frequency communication with a surgically-implanted "central processor," usually installed near the [[solar plexus]], for most their functionality.<br />
<br />
Prowlers are only two microns thick and thus are able to spread throughout the entire bloodstream, easily crossing the [[blood-brain barrier]] and [[diffusion|diffusing]] through [[capillaries]]. Prowlers "instinctively" scan its surroundings using low-intensity [[X-rays]] (~1 [[electron volt|KeV]]). Since X-rays have a smaller [[wavelength]] than visible light, prowlers are able to provide much more detailed images than optical scanning. These X-ray images are transmitted via radio signal to the central processor for analysis. The central processor will analyze these images against a "virus definition file," a database of known pathogens. This file is regularly updated by Asamov Nanotech in order to combat emerging threats. When a pathogen (or a [[cancer]] cell) is identified by the central processor, the prowler will be ordered to irradiate the object using high-intensity X-rays. While at low levels, these X-rays do very little harm to their surroundings, when focused and used at high intensity, these X-rays prove efficient, quickly destroying the pathogen while causing minimal, if any, [[collateral damage]]. To emit these X-rays, a prowler stimulates [[photon emission]] by letting atoms in its structure fall into lower energy levels.<br />
<br />
A prowler is "born" with all the energy it will ever possess—once all its atoms fall into their lowest energy states, the microbot is "dead," useful only for the carbon it may harvested for. The average [[lifespan]] of a particular microbot is about six hours.<br />
<br />
The larger compilers move under their own power, using nanoscale motors to transport themselves through the [[circulatory system]], and are comparatively immortal, many functioning for years without failure or until the central processor orders its [[self-destruct]]. The sole function of a compilers is to take in [[carbon]] from the surrounding bloodstream and assemble more microbots. Given no instructions from the central processor, compilers will build prowlers, exclusively, to replace the ones that "die." However, during times of infection or during initial installation, when population levels need to be replaced more quickly, several compilers will work together to build additional compilers, a perfect example of [[self-replication]]. Compilers have the added functionality of being able to clean out [[Atheromatous plaque|plaque]]-ridden [[blood vessels]]. While compilers prefer to congregate near the [[small intestine]] (where the nutrient flow is richest), when a prowler identifies a [[cholesterol]]-ridden blood vessel, the central processor will reroute compilers to clean it out and make new microbots in the process.<br />
<br />
It is important to note that while microbots are made of carbon and mimic many functions of natural organisms, they themselves contain no DNA. Thus, they are completely immune to all [[retroviruses]], including the [[chimeravirus]].<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Today, the Asamov microbots are already present in the bloodstream at birth, requiring only the installation of a central processor, usually surgically implanted near the solar plexus. However, when the devices were first introduced, it took several weeks for an adult to build up an adequate microbot population.<br />
<br />
After the installation of the central processor, a doctor would inject a population of about one million microbots [[intravenously]] into a patient. Over the next eight weeks, this population would grow to 250 billion.<br />
<br />
This growth is not only modeled, but actually defined (since compiler growth rate is regulated by the central processor) by the [[logistic function|Verhulst equation]]:<br />
<br />
<math>\dfrac{dC}{dt}=rC(1-\frac{C}{C_f})</math> where ''C'' is the number of compilers, ''r'' is the ideal rate of compiler production and <math>C_f</math> the maximum compiler population.<br />
<br />
Thus, the population of compilers in the bloodstream at any given time after injection is given by:<br />
<br />
:<math>C(t) = \dfrac{C_f C_i e^{rt}}{C_f + C_i \left( e^{rt} - 1\right)}</math><br />
<br />
The ratio of time a compiler spends building other compilers versus building prowlers is very low, so for most purposes it is sufficient to calculate the prowler population by multiplying the number of compilers by the the number of prowlers each compiler can build in six hours, the prowler "generation."<br />
<br />
Below is a small program written in [[C programming language|C]] of code written for Asamov Nanotech to crudely model microbot population growth:<br />
<br />
<pre><nowiki><br />
//MicrobotSimulator, written by Antar Iliev (Asamov Nanotech), v1.0<br />
//Quickly and crudely simulate Microbot population growth data using current<br />
//figures. For this simulation, one-sixth of the prowler population dies each<br />
//hour (since a prowler's average lifespan is six hours).<br />
<br />
#include <stdio.h><br />
<br />
int main()<br />
{//main function<br />
FILE *fpoutp = fopen("microbotGrowth.dat","w"); //output file pointer<br />
<br />
const double initComp = 6134; //initial compiler population<br />
const double finalComp = 1.38e9; //final compiler population<br />
const double growthRate = 0.0133;//maximum comp growth rate (compilers/hour)<br />
const double prowlerRate = 30; //# of prowlers 1 compiler can make in 1 hour<br />
const double compRate = 0.5; //# of compilers 1 compiler can make in 1 hour<br />
<br />
double compPop = initComp; //compiler population, updated each generation<br />
double compHours = compPop; //number of compilers * number of hours<br />
double newComp; //new compilers produced in a generation<br />
double prowlerPop = 162*compPop; //prowler population<br />
double totalPop = compPop + prowlerPop; //total population<br />
<br />
for (int i=0; i<1500; i++)<br />
{//update every hour<br />
<br />
//write data to file <br />
fprintf(fpoutp,"\n%d\t%e\t%e\t%e",i,compPop,prowlerPop,totalPop);<br />
/*file contains:<br />
column 0: time in hours since injection<br />
column 1: compiler population<br />
column 2: prowler population<br />
column 3: total population*/<br />
<br />
//recalculate everything<br />
prowlerPop = 5*prowlerPop/6; //one-sixth of prowlers die each hour<br />
compHours = compPop; //get compiler-hours available<br />
newComp = growthRate*compPop*(1-compPop/finalComp); //build new comps<br />
//Compiler growth rate is defined by the Verhulst equation<br />
compHours -= newComp/compRate; //subtract compHrs it took to build comps<br />
compPop += newComp; //add new compilers to the population<br />
prowlerPop += compHours*prowlerRate; //use rest of compHrs on prowlers<br />
totalPop = compPop + prowlerPop; //update total population<br />
}<br />
<br />
//close file; end program<br />
fclose(fpoutp);<br />
return 0;<br />
}<br />
//v1.01 Completed 2048-12-05 -- Upped time-resolution from generations to hours<br />
//v1.00 Completed 2048-12-04 <br />
</nowiki></pre><br />
<br />
The Verhulst equation is [[logistic function|logistic]], forming an S-curve, with population growing slowly at first, speeding up exponentially, then slowing back down as the microbots reach their target population.<br />
<br />
[[Image:pctGraph.gif|thumb|right|300px|The microbot population grows [[logistic function|logistically]], reaching target population after about eight weeks.]]<br />
<br />
The most common side-effect during this time was an increase in metabolism, as the microbots built themselves out of nutrients in the bloodstream.<br />
<br />
The tragedy of microbot installation was that it was too slow for those who had already contracted the [[chimeravirus]]. The growth of the chimeravirus rapidly outstrips that of the microbot population. Thus, by the time the microbots are of sufficient numbers to combat the [[retrovirus]], the patient is usually already in the final stages of the disease.<br />
<br />
[[Image:MicrovChimera.gif|thumb|right|300px|The growth of the c[[himeravirus]] far outstrips that of the microbot population.]]<br />
<br />
==Development and Early Deployment==<br />
The Asamov microbots were invented and patented by [[Leda Asamov]] in [[2038]], three years after her daughter contracted [[HIV]] after accidentally being stuck with a contaminated needle while working as a [[medical intern]] ([[Asamov Nanotech]] had been founded more than two decade earlier as a small research firm specializing in creating micron-sized structures using nanoscale engineering).<br />
<br />
The original microbots were made of [[silicon]], were much larger, and needed to be manufactured in the lab (compilers had yet to be developed). These early prowlers functioned used visible-wavelength imaging, and the original central processors were only sophisticated enough to detect the distinct form of the [[HIV]] virus.<br />
<br />
As a consequence, the initial functionality of the microbots was limited to stopping the spread of HIV to others. The original [[2038 ]] "[[AIDS Blocker]]" deployment took the form of a music player-sized device which its user would straps to one's waist about five minutes before intercourse. The device contained the central processor as well as a microneedle which injected the user with the silicon-based microbots. Due to the limited range of the central processor, the microbots would stay localized in the genital region. The microbots were programmed exclusively to seek out (the larger prowlers were originally powered) and destroy HIV. When used with a [[condom]], this machine cut risk of transmission of the disease to zero—literally; not a single case of transmission was ever reported. Since these microbots were not self-replicating, they needed to be reinjected before each use.<br />
<br />
Due to the huge success of the "AIDS Blocker," Asamov Nanotech prospered, and two years later were able to release a second version which combat all known blood-born [[STD]]s. This "[[STD Blocker]]" was similar in effectiveness to its prototype and achieved widespread use recreationally.<br />
<br />
In the same year, Asamov Nanotech released the "Mommy" version of their HIV destroyer, which worked to prevent nursing mothers from passing the disease onto their children. What held Asamov Nanotech from releasing a full-scale version was the issue of self-replication; the amount of silicon a user would need to ingest to allow the microbots to reproduce was prohibitive. <br />
<br />
The issue was finally resolved in [[2045]]. The innovation came with the realization that the way to get around the silicon problem was, simply, to use [[carbon]]. Since the microbots could not be self-replicating, the costs involved in the manufacture and deployment went down to zero; a user would produce their own micromachines, and the central processor was no more expensive to build than a [[cell phone]]. Thus, the main cost from the microbots would come from "installation" of the central processor, a relatively simple surgical procedure.<br />
<br />
By now, Asamov Nanotech was a [[Fortune 500]] company, with heavy profits still rolling in from the "STD Blocker." Thus, it was feasible, in an act of unsurpassed [[philanthropy]], for Asamov Nanotech to provide the device for free to all the world's 50 million HIV/AIDS sufferers.<br />
<br />
Within a year, the entire world [[AIDS]] population had the device, and the HIV virus had been completely eradicated. This was followed by Asamov Nanotech making the device available cheaply to anyone with an [[immunodeficiency]] problem, including [[cancer]] patients undergoing [[chemotherapy]].<br />
<br />
As all the hardware was completely self-sufficient, and "virus definition updates" were managed, free of charge, as simply as on a computer, people "cured" of HIV/AIDS or who had finished chemotheraphy saw no reason to have the microbots removed or deactivated; even though their white cell counts had returned to normal levels, their immune systems proved far stronger than those of nonusers.<br />
<br />
In [[2048]], Asamov Nanotech went into negotiations with several [[HMO]] companies in an attempt to get the microbots available universally. However, the companies were reluctant, and by the time the chimeravirus broke loose, only approximately 100 million people globally were using microbots.<br />
<br />
==Current Capabilities and Limitations==<br />
Today the entire world population uses descendants of the Asamov microbots. In such a universal deployment, the machines' capabilities, as well as their limitations, are readily apparent.<br />
<br />
Not relying on antibodies, microbots are far more effective in detecting and destroying pathogens, as well as cancer and [[precancer]] cells in the latest deployments. The central processor uses a complex imaging algorithm, rather than relying on [[DNA]] matches, to identify targets. Thus, microbots proved the final cure to the infamous "[[common cold]]," in addition to much more serious ailments. In addition, microbots will never attack nonthreatening "foreign materials," such as a transplanted kidney. As a result, many today choose to have their [[vestigial]] "natural" immune systems removed.<br />
<br />
However, it should be noted that micromachines are no [[panacea]]. Though they can destroy infections, disease, cancer and even cholesterol, they are powerless to repair failing organs or to fix broken blood vessels. As a consequence, though the average human lifespan has increased to 120 years (from 75 circa [[2000]]), [[immortality]] remains beyond us.<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
[[Asamov Nanotech]]<br />
<br />
[[Leda Asamov]]<br />
<br />
[[HIV]]<br />
<br />
[[Chimeravirus]]<br />
<br />
==References==</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Great_Pandemic_of_2049&diff=6055Great Pandemic of 20492006-12-06T13:17:23Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>The Great Pandemic of 2049 refers to the release of the hybrid [[Chimeravirus]] by religious extremists in 2049. The pandemic nearly caused the extinction of the human race in less than six months, but nearly 100 million people survived due to [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]].<br />
<br />
The [[Chimeravirus]] was developed by an unknown Russian geneticist in 2048. Commissioned by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]], the geneticist created a hybrid of [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]] and [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], two of the deadliest viruses at the time, and combined them with [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], an airborne virus that causes lower respiratory infections. [[4 Horsemen]] intended to use the virus as a terrorist weapon in their cause to bring about the apocalypse, but records show that even they were not prepared for how deadly the virus would be.<br />
<br />
[[Patient Zero]] was [[Eugene Reyes]], a member of 4 Horsemen who called himself “Pestilence,” after the first of the [[Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse]]. Living in [[Jerusalem]], [[Israel]], he purposefully infected himself with the virus with the intention of infecting everyone in the Middle East, where 4 Horsemen believed the final battle between the Antichrist and Jesus would take place, and eventually the world. He died three weeks later, when the pandemic was just becoming to be apparent.<br />
<br />
The virus spread quickly, becoming a pandemic within weeks of the first cases being reported. Scientists raced to find a way to contain and cure the virus, but the highly virulent nature (classified [[Biosafety Level 4]] by the CDC) of the virus made study difficult. It became apparent, though, that AIDS and cancer patients who had received [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]] as part of their treatment were immune to the disease. Once this was known, doctors tried to use the microbots as treatment for the Chimeravirus, only to find that the virus replicated faster than the microbots, overpowering the microbots ability to destroy the virus particles. <br />
<br />
The Pandemic was over in less than six months, leaving a population of around 100 million humans. Because all of these remaining humans had microbots, the virus died out, unable to find hosts to infect. The decimated population slowly began to rebuild the human race again.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6054Chimeravirus2006-12-06T13:16:37Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:chimeravirus.png|thumb|right|300px|EM image of Chimeravirus.]]<br />
<br />
==Baltimore Classification==<br />
<br />
===Higher order taxa===<br />
<br />
Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
<br />
===Genera===<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus''<br />
<br />
==Description and Significance==<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the Great Pandemic of 2049. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ‘’Chimeravirus’’ refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
<br />
Classification of ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction. <br />
<br />
==Genome Structure==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
<br />
(get info from HIV and edit for effects of virus)<br />
<br />
==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
<br />
‘’Chimeravirus’’ is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6053Chimeravirus2006-12-06T13:14:59Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>Chimeravirus (biological)<br />
<br />
[[Image:pctGraph.gif|thumb|right|300px|EM image of Chimeravirus.]<br />
<br />
==Baltimore Classification==<br />
<br />
===Higher order taxa===<br />
<br />
Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
<br />
===Genera===<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus''<br />
<br />
==Description and Significance==<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the Great Pandemic of 2049. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ‘’Chimeravirus’’ refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
<br />
Classification of ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction. <br />
<br />
==Genome Structure==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
<br />
(get info from HIV and edit for effects of virus)<br />
<br />
==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
<br />
‘’Chimeravirus’’ is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6052Chimeravirus2006-12-06T13:13:20Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:chimeravirus.png|thumb|right|300px|EM image of Chimeravirus.]<br />
<br />
==Baltimore Classification==<br />
<br />
===Higher order taxa===<br />
<br />
Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
<br />
===Genera===<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus''<br />
<br />
==Description and Significance==<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the Great Pandemic of 2049. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ‘’Chimeravirus’’ refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
<br />
Classification of ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction. <br />
<br />
==Genome Structure==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
<br />
(get info from HIV and edit for effects of virus)<br />
<br />
==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
<br />
‘’Chimeravirus’’ is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6051Chimeravirus2006-12-06T13:12:41Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:chimeravirus.png|thumb|300px|right|EM image of Chimeravirus.]<br />
<br />
==Baltimore Classification==<br />
<br />
===Higher order taxa===<br />
<br />
Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
<br />
===Genera===<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus''<br />
<br />
==Description and Significance==<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the Great Pandemic of 2049. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ‘’Chimeravirus’’ refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
<br />
Classification of ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction. <br />
<br />
==Genome Structure==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
<br />
(get info from HIV and edit for effects of virus)<br />
<br />
==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
<br />
‘’Chimeravirus’’ is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:Chimeravirus.png&diff=6050File:Chimeravirus.png2006-12-06T13:12:27Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6049Chimeravirus2006-12-06T13:12:08Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Virus.png|thumb|300px|right|EM image of Chimeravirus.]<br />
<br />
==Baltimore Classification==<br />
<br />
===Higher order taxa===<br />
<br />
Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
<br />
===Genera===<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus''<br />
<br />
==Description and Significance==<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the Great Pandemic of 2049. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ‘’Chimeravirus’’ refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
<br />
Classification of ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction. <br />
<br />
==Genome Structure==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
<br />
(get info from HIV and edit for effects of virus)<br />
<br />
==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
<br />
‘’Chimeravirus’’ is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6048Chimeravirus2006-12-06T13:11:34Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:virus.png|thumb|300px|right|EM image of Chimeravirus.]<br />
<br />
==Baltimore Classification==<br />
<br />
===Higher order taxa===<br />
<br />
Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
<br />
===Genera===<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus''<br />
<br />
==Description and Significance==<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the Great Pandemic of 2049. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ‘’Chimeravirus’’ refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
<br />
Classification of ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction. <br />
<br />
==Genome Structure==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
<br />
(get info from HIV and edit for effects of virus)<br />
<br />
==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
<br />
‘’Chimeravirus’’ is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6047Chimeravirus2006-12-06T13:10:53Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image: virus.png|thumb|300px|right|EM image of Chimeravirus.]<br />
<br />
==Baltimore Classification==<br />
<br />
===Higher order taxa===<br />
<br />
Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
<br />
===Genera===<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus''<br />
<br />
==Description and Significance==<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the Great Pandemic of 2049. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ‘’Chimeravirus’’ refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
<br />
Classification of ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction. <br />
<br />
==Genome Structure==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
<br />
(get info from HIV and edit for effects of virus)<br />
<br />
==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
<br />
‘’Chimeravirus’’ is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6046Chimeravirus2006-12-06T13:10:11Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image: virus.gif|thumb|300px|right|EM image of Chimeravirus.]<br />
<br />
==Baltimore Classification==<br />
<br />
===Higher order taxa===<br />
<br />
Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
<br />
===Genera===<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus''<br />
<br />
==Description and Significance==<br />
<br />
''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the Great Pandemic of 2049. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ‘’Chimeravirus’’ refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
<br />
Classification of ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction. <br />
<br />
==Genome Structure==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
<br />
(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
<br />
==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
<br />
(get info from HIV and edit for effects of virus)<br />
<br />
==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
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‘’Chimeravirus’’ is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=Chimeravirus&diff=6045Chimeravirus2006-12-06T13:09:49Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
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<div>[[Image: virus.jpg|thumb|300px|right|EM image of Chimeravirus.]<br />
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==Baltimore Classification==<br />
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===Higher order taxa===<br />
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Viruses; Retro-transcribing viruses; Chimeraviridae<br />
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===Genera===<br />
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''Chimeravirus''<br />
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==Description and Significance==<br />
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''Chimeravirus'', "the virus that shook the world", was the cause of over 8 billion deaths in the Great Pandemic of 2049. A genetic hybrid of [[Paramyxoviridae|Respiratory Syncytial Virus]], [[Filoviridae|Ebolavirus]], and [[Human Immunodeficiency Virus]], ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was created and released by the Christian extremist group [[4 Horsemen]]. Within six months, nearly the entire world population was dead. The remaining population of around 100 million people were saved due to the [[Microbots|Asamov Immuno-Supplementation Microbots]]. The name ‘’Chimeravirus’’ refers to the mythological [[Chimera]], which was made of the parts of multiple animals.<br />
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Classification of ‘’Chimeravirus’’ was difficult, due to the combination of genes. The virus was eventually classified in Group VI due to the reverse transcription of RNA that occurs during reproduction. <br />
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==Genome Structure==<br />
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(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
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==Virion Structure of a Chimeravirus==<br />
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(get info from paramyxoviridae)<br />
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==Reproduction Cycle of a Chimeravirus in a Host Cell==<br />
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(get info from HIV and edit for effects of virus)<br />
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==Viral Ecology & Pathology==<br />
<br />
‘’Chimeravirus’’ is transmitted via airborne vector. The infection happens in “waves,” as the virus first attacks the T4 lymphocytes, then runs rampant through the body once the immune system has been suppressed. This second wave of the infection causes hemorrhagic fever similar to the symptoms caused by the [[Filoviridae]]. Time from first infection to onset of symptoms is approximately 3-4 weeks. Infected persons are able to spread the infection before symptoms are apparent. The death rate for the virus is close to 100% for non-immuno-boosted individuals.</div>Mschlemmhttps://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php?title=File:Virus.png&diff=6044File:Virus.png2006-12-06T13:09:20Z<p>Mschlemm: </p>
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<div></div>Mschlemm