Comments on: Why H1N1 developed a resistance to Tamiflu http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/why-tamiflu-no-longer-fights-h1n1/ Research news from leading universities Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:52:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Roy Niles http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/why-tamiflu-no-longer-fights-h1n1/comment-page-1/#comment-13199 Roy Niles Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:56:56 +0000 http://futurity.org/?p=13009#comment-13199 Jesse, there are those that disagree and feel that trial and error is a learning process wherein these organisms discover ways to spot and take advantage of these otherwise random events - that natural selection has its calculative aspects that factor in the organism's past experience. So if I'm wrong about the premise of my question, I nevertheless must ask it to find out. Jesse, there are those that disagree and feel that trial and error is a learning process wherein these organisms discover ways to spot and take advantage of these otherwise random events – that natural selection has its calculative aspects that factor in the organism’s past experience. So if I’m wrong about the premise of my question, I nevertheless must ask it to find out.

]]> By: Jesse Bloom http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/why-tamiflu-no-longer-fights-h1n1/comment-page-1/#comment-13197 Jesse Bloom Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:58:01 +0000 http://futurity.org/?p=13009#comment-13197 Hi Roy, The viral mutations are a random process, made by errors when the virus is copying its genes. So there is no "intent" in the mutations that the virus makes. Once a mutation occurs, whether it spreads in the population (like the H274Y drug resistance mutation did) or simply dies out is due to a combination of selection by evolution and random processes. In general, selection will favor a mutation that helps the virus replicate and spread, and disfavor a mutation that is bad for virus replication or spread. But there is also a random component -- for example, a mutation might help the virus replicate, but due to random chance the virus with that mutation might fail to spread for some other reason. So evolution is a bit like trial and error on the part of the virus, although technically the virus is not intentionally "trying" to do any of this -- it just happens due to random mutations and then natural selection. --Jesse Hi Roy,

The viral mutations are a random process, made by errors when the virus is copying its genes. So there is no “intent” in the mutations that the virus makes. Once a mutation occurs, whether it spreads in the population (like the H274Y drug resistance mutation did) or simply dies out is due to a combination of selection by evolution and random processes. In general, selection will favor a mutation that helps the virus replicate and spread, and disfavor a mutation that is bad for virus replication or spread. But there is also a random component — for example, a mutation might help the virus replicate, but due to random chance the virus with that mutation might fail to spread for some other reason. So evolution is a bit like trial and error on the part of the virus, although technically the virus is not intentionally “trying” to do any of this — it just happens due to random mutations and then natural selection.

–Jesse

]]> By: Roy Niles http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/why-tamiflu-no-longer-fights-h1n1/comment-page-1/#comment-13193 Roy Niles Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:19:00 +0000 http://futurity.org/?p=13009#comment-13193 Do these viruses use a form of trial and error or do they just run through a set of preselected options until one happens to work? Do these viruses use a form of trial and error or do they just run through a set of preselected options until one happens to work?

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