Developer's Notes

01/30/2022

What is the "Virus" of the Growing Pandemic? 

First let's talk about some simple but complex things. There are 3 Fundamental Domains (sometimes two) of all known life. Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya.  

Archaea and Bacteria are often grouped together because they are ~mostly~ single celled organisms that have a distorted or non-membrane bound cell nucleus (really the brain of the cell); these types of cells are referred to as Prokaryotes.  

Viruses like COVID-19 belong to the Archaea Domain, whereas Bacteria like E. Coli, or Cyanobacteria, belong to the Bacteria Domain. They are often viewed as separate categories due to structural differences. Both are typically made up of RNA.

Eukarya are pretty much everything else, with membrane bound organelles including a nucleus with genetic material.  

Animals, Plants, Fungi and other complex Multi-Cellular and Single Cellular organisms exist within this category.  

(Thanks College Biology and Wikipedia!)

So what is the Organism that creates Infected? 

First, we clarify what an infection is, and that, simply put, it is the invasion of a foreign "agent" (micro-organism) into our cells.   

We should at least be familiar with the three main types of infections in our world, Viral, Bacterial, or Fungal.  

The forth, parasitic, is another form of infection, and while there is a fifth type (Prion), it is somewhat irrelevant to the Growing Pandemic.   

--- 

When I first started talking about the Growing Pandemic, I initially classified the infection as a viral one.  

There is a problem with this, viruses are the most basic form of life, and oftentimes considered organisms at the edge of life. While they contain genes and evolve, outside of a host cell they cannot reproduce. They are perfect for hijacking a host cell, but the purpose is force the host to assemble copies of the virus in the thousands, eventually filling the host cell to it's limits then bursting through the cellular wall of the host, a process which effectively kills the host cell.  

Bacterial isn't quite correct either, it's a micro-organism that invades and either feeds on the host, or feeds on what the host is consuming. While many bacterial infections are beneficial, we have many types of bacteria in the lining of our gut, it becomes a problem if the bacteria produces a toxin, or our immune system sees the bacterium as a threat. Ultimately they have the same goal, self-reproduction.  

Fungal Infections are interesting, because fungi are multi-cellular organism spread through spores. Similarly to Bacterial and Viral infections, Fungi are doing what they do to reproduce. The reason it's ever a problem is because they produce toxins, parasitize the host, or kill the host. But fascinatingly, fungi have the potential to mimic our own cellular behaviors.  

So, again, we are left with the question of what is the Growing Pandemic Infection?  

The answer is, none of these and all of these.  

...  

...What?

Nano-Organic Machine

The Growing Pandemic is something I've started to call a Nano-Organic Machine, or NOM. That is because the origin of this organism isn't natural. It was created, by artificial means, to serve a specific purpose. So, while it is organic, it's not natural.

In my universe's lore, Nano-Organic Machines were first developed by a group of Earth's scientists, with the help of an advanced Artificial Intelligence, to pursue the goal of creating an interface between environment and individual, and act as a facilitator of hyper-fast regeneration, unfortunately for combat purposes.   

Based on studies of viruses and fungi, a NOM is an AI guided organism that uses highly engineered spores to seed an environment with an intelligence-guided fungi that's only purpose is to gather raw elements from the environment and spread quickly through out it. 

Later, through a link to its host organism, bacterium and Viruses trigger spontaneous tissue regeneration, while being fed the raw fuel from the fungal network that was previously established.   

It showed promising results in trials, however the scientists in charge of the project were forced into complete isolation after a major disease outbreak and passed away before it saw completion.  

The Growing Pandemic is basically one of these NOM's.

-Troubled