Super Virus Vaccine- LOL!

[ClarkSupportsOrganic]

When Lex demonstrated to Lana his 'super cure' vaccine for every virus I had to laugh! :lol:

Quick lesson: The way viruses work is to take over the machinery of our cells. This makes them especially difficult to eradicate since we dont want to destroy our own cells. What makes viruses even harder to cure is that they are constantly mutating! For example, the common cold is a virus (the adenovirus) we cant cure it because it keeps mutating. The protein coat, the adhesion molecules, they change all the time.

So if conceivably Lex actually 'cured' a virus, if it mutated than the vaccine would be bunk. Its viruses changing structure that makes them so tricky and even Lex's vast fortune would not be enough to cure all the worlds ailments.

I know, I know. Its a show and I'm taking it too seriously. But just so you know, its ridiculous! ;)

[khufu]

If you have been following the Project Mercury blogs, they mention that the techniques that Lex's team employed in developing the vaccine were actually given to them by Fine and were unlike any process the were familiar with (i.e. they basically used Kryptonian science). So it's easy to accept this part of the story line.

[RedPhoenix23]

That Kryptonian science is like Voodoo, it doesn't make sense, but it doesn't have to because its fictional Voodoo!

[Icemizer]

What would be so difficult about creating a mutating vaccine? Once injected it reacts to the disease and destroys it. Obviously beyond our science at this time but not that of the Kryptonians. Just inject some nano-vaccine and poof anything entering the body that is foriegn is analyzed, countered and destroyed. Doesnt matter if it mutates and reenters, just reanalyzed and destroyed.

[Pal-El]

Whats the betting that next season, when the Fine/Zod arc is finished with, thats the last we hear of lex's super vaccine?

Obviously he could become the worlds RICHEST man if he used the potential of that, but I expect it will be forgotten once Zod is sent packing :lol:

[ClarkSupportsOrganic]

Originally posted by Icemizer
What would be so difficult about creating a mutating vaccine? Once injected it reacts to the disease and destroys it. Obviously beyond our science at this time but not that of the Kryptonians. Just inject some nano-vaccine and poof anything entering the body that is foriegn is analyzed, countered and destroyed. Doesnt matter if it mutates and reenters, just reanalyzed and destroyed.

Hmm, I suppose that could work in theory. We've already cracked the DNA code for humans but we would need to crack the RNA code to figure out which genes helped make which specific proteins. THEN you'd have to somehow get the antibodies (not really a vaccine, since a vaccine is dead pathogens and antigens (stuff the virus responds to)) to analyze the virus, figure out how it mutates, and attack it with certain enzymes that would harm the viral components but not the cell. Figuring out how the virus mutates would involve figuring out the viral code too and that would be tough with one virus and even tougher to figure out the code of every virus ever.

Whew! Anyway, that's all my nerdy thoughts. So yea, in theory you could figure out a way to make super smart mutating antibodies but that's probably as likely as Tipler's idea of putting our ideas and thoughts into a computer and living forever. ;)

Originally posted by khufu
If you have been following the Project Mercury blogs, they mention that the techniques that Lex's team employed in developing the vaccine were actually given to them by Fine and were unlike any process the were familiar with (i.e. they basically used Kryptonian science). So it's easy to accept this part of the story line.

Hmmm, I must have missed that part! Was that in the videos? I fear AOL's slow videos attacking and eating my computer. :p

Originally posted by pal-el
Whats the betting that next season, when the Fine/Zod arc is finished with, thats the last we hear of lex's super vaccine?

Obviously he could become the worlds RICHEST man if he used the potential of that, but I expect it will be forgotten once Zod is sent packing :lol:

Youre probably right! After all, Lex isn't supposed to be mankind's savoir after all.

[euterpe]

Of course the idea of a super vaccine is ridiculous. But then everything on this entire show is completely ridiculous. If you tried to apply logic to Smallville you would rip your hair out and go stark raving mad halfway through one episode...any episode. (I.e. How does a cloned girl that escaped from a secret lab get ahold of a large plexiglass cage and erect it out in an old abandoned barn?) That's where suspension of disbelief comes in.

[photogirl]

It's sience fiction. If we can believe that a man can run at superhuman speed and fly than I think we should be able to accept this super vaccine...even though it is totally ridiculous!!

[GooN]

people laughed at columbus when he said the earth was round.

[Zathraz]

If you think about science too long your society will create the ultimate monster. Just ask the Japanese... Godzilla is always out there waiting to be born. So kiddies do not think too hard about the science of the Kryptonians or we will have a Godzilla crossover into Smallville. On the other hand the way TPTB work we may have the crossover anyways during a sweeps week. :p

So anyway my mega science theory would be that the Super Antivirus or “Elixir of Life” for the more historic Alchemy people would be nothing more then the ultimate retrovirus gene therapy treatment. Constantly manipulating your cells to match the genes programmed into it upon injection. Thus curing any corrupt or virus genes that are introduced through foreign body disease processes. Also I may add extending your life as the genes could be coded to exclude the aging process. :o

Is that a plume of radiation in the desistance? Uh oh there goes Tokyo... Go Go Godzilla ;)