this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] Phineaz@feddit.org 257 points 1 month ago (1 children)

But isn't that what the first poster is playing on? It would certainly lower the chance of transmitting a virus

[–] Cheradenine@sh.itjust.works 102 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yep, plus better 5G coverage for the rest of us too...

[–] Klear@lemmy.world 21 points 1 month ago (1 children)

But better 5G coverage increases chance of transmitting a virus...

[–] IndiBrony@lemmy.world 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Only to anti-vaxxers, so we're good 👍

[–] Klear@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You can't vaccinate against computer viruses.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 month ago (3 children)

There is a new vaccine, it's called Linux

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[–] WhiteOakBayou@lemmy.world 231 points 1 month ago (4 children)

I think the commenter in the picture was wooshed

[–] marcos@lemmy.world 26 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Also, it's bothering me that it's not immediate.

If he was going to be wooshed, he could at least get the details right...

[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.org 18 points 1 month ago

I think a healthy body could survive a single instantaneous disappearance of current mRNA, as long as the mechanisms to create more mRNA remain functional. All cells would just respond to new conditions more slowly and less effectively for a few minutes to hours, leaving the body vulnerable to disbalancing conditions such as infections. Some cells would die but most of them can be replaced in days.

On the other hand, deleting DNA (and thus preventing the creation of RNA) cannot be survived. A great exploration of such scenario is in the No More DNA chapter in What If? by Randall Munroe: the syptoms would be like eating an Amanita mushroom such as the "Destroying Angel", whose amatoxin prevents DNA transcription, or acute gamma irradiation. The patient is fine for a few hours (or less with a theoretical DNA wipe), then start exhibiting cholera-like symptoms (vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea), then they start to feel better. However, at that point, since cells can't divide, immune system collapse or systemwide organ failure is inevitable.

[–] gitamar@feddit.org 12 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Simon is a communicator/influencer/pr guy from Bayer advising for science. He's doing a lot of meme stuff on LinkedIn. He has a science background so I think the shortening is just for effect

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[–] neons@lemmy.dbzer0.com 93 points 1 month ago

that's the joke, no?

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 67 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yeah, and you can't spread diesease while you're dead, can you Simon?

[–] bountygiver@lemmy.ml 36 points 1 month ago (1 children)

unfortunately you can, just not as effective as living people do.

[–] m4xie@lemmy.ca 24 points 1 month ago

Still "greatly reduce".

[–] hypeerror@sh.itjust.works 51 points 1 month ago

Think of the illnesses you could avoid if you removed your blood!

[–] Geodad@lemmy.world 50 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

This is how amatoxins from mushrooms kills you. They shut down mRNA synthesis in the liver.

[–] otter@lemmy.ca 38 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The amanitin toxin is heat stable, remaining toxic whether eaten raw or cooked. The mechanism of action of amatoxin is by inhibiting RNA polymerase, causing disruption of transcription of mRNA. As a result, hepatocytes cannot synthesize key protein coding genes, leading to the disintegration of nucleoli and pathologically centrilobular hepatic necrosis. This leads to the insidious onset of liver failure over 48 hours. Late onset (more than six hours after ingestion) of vomiting and watery diarrhea occur due to the second component in some of these mushrooms which are phallotoxin. Lepiota species lack phallotoxins so may not have the onset of vomiting and diarrhea until after 12 hours post-ingestion, or may just present with symptoms of liver failure at 24 hours post ingestion.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK431052/

Wow ok 😬

[–] Lumisal@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Well, heat stable to a point, though not sure how tasty mushroom ashes would be

[–] ArsonButCute@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Mushrooms, as long as its done slowly, can be cooked for extremely long times at extremely high temperatures as the spongy matrix that makes up the majority of their tissue is far more stable to heat than other protiens. They tend to go deep into maillard style caramelization type reactions instead of carbonizing as ling as you're not incinerating them rapidly.

Edit: autocorrupt "Fixed" a word for me

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[–] TexasDrunk@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I love reading about Death Cap mushrooms and their cousin, Destroying Angel. By the time symptoms appear, you've already got irreversible damage. Specifically for Destroying Angel, as of 2016 there was about a 50 percent survival rate, but by 2023 that number had jumped to 85-90%. There's no antidote. Mostly treatment is to hydrate the absolute fuck out of you so that you're peeing out the toxin and pumping you full of electrolytes. The key to survival is detecting it as soon as possible.

[–] ryedaft@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Were they the mushrooms that woman in Australia used to murder her ex-in-laws?

Allegedly.

[–] TexasDrunk@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That was the Death Caps. They're a bit more survivable than Destroying Angel, but I wouldn't want to eat either of them.

[–] ryedaft@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 month ago

2 out of 4 died. That also sounds like 50% to me. You can have that science for free. A little treat.

[–] Geodad@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Not allegedly. She was just convicted on 3 murder counts

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[–] halvar@lemy.lol 47 points 1 month ago (3 children)

i thought that was the point

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[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 44 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Certain temperatures can completely denature viruses like HIV and covid. Anything above 600 degrees should do the trick.

[–] MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 month ago (3 children)

600 degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit?

I'm not sure it matters, bluntly.

[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

First one, then the other.

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[–] drosophila@lemmy.blahaj.zone 26 points 1 month ago (6 children)

I actually wonder how long it would take to notice if all your mRNA stopped working.

I don't think neuron action potentials rely directly on mRNA, so I think you'd be able to keep thinking for a bit, and probably moving your muscles too. The closest comparable thing is people that received massive radiation doses (can't make new RNA out of shredded DNA) and in those cases it takes a bit before you start melting.

[–] fullsquare@awful.systems 20 points 1 month ago

I think it would be comparable to situation where all mRNA is suddenly unusable, ie protein synthesis can't run at all. This would be something like ricin or diphteria toxin poisoning, but instead of being limited to gastrointestinal lining it's spread all over. I'd guess hours to days before anything visible starts happening (symptoms only start to appear when deficit in new protein synthesis becomes noticeable; all protein already made continues to work for sone time)

[–] ryedaft@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 month ago

Transcription + translation response time to stimulus is on the hour scale. So it wouldn't be instant. But if your other RNA buggered off then I have no idea. The non-mRNA.

[–] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think I would prefer immediate death, thanks.

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[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 25 points 1 month ago (14 children)

Waitaminute. Are you telling me there are stupid people on the internet talking about things they don't understand?

The internet is the worst thing we've ever done to ourselves. I mean, it was fine at first. But we didn't have enough cynicism to account for what corporations would do with it and that's, sadly, our own fault for being too naive.

[–] psivchaz@reddthat.com 8 points 1 month ago

We also underestimated the number of idiots in the population. Or their ability to find little niches in which to congregate.

[–] SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I like us building alternatives on the internet. The fediverse makes me hopeful again.

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[–] stevedice@sh.itjust.works 24 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)
[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago

Came here to say this.

She's technically correct, the best kind of correct.

[–] Infamousblt@hexbear.net 21 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think everyone who wants all of their mRNA removed from their bodies should be allowed to do that

[–] plinky@hexbear.net 7 points 1 month ago

there are some fungicides which stop new protein synthesis pointblank, a valid substitute i think.

[–] soft@sh.itjust.works 17 points 1 month ago

that's the joke

[–] ZkhqrD5o@lemmy.world 16 points 1 month ago

Someone is flexing his additional chromosomes.

[–] underisk@hexbear.net 13 points 1 month ago

This is the kind of person that falls for the Dihydrogen Monoxide meme.

[–] waterSticksToMyBalls@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Wow they got our bodies addicted to mrna and now if we take them out we will die??!!!??

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[–] hperrin@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 month ago

While you’re at it, can you take out all the acid and all the chemicals?

[–] usernamesAreTricky@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 month ago

First they fixate over protein metrics, and now they don't want the actual protein synthesis? Having high intake of amino acids was already not doing most of what they claimed, but now we're just gonna have our body not even use them? What a waste of resources. 0/10 (/s)

[–] biotin7@sopuli.xyz 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The person doesn't know how viruses work

[–] Piemanding@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 month ago

I mean killing a major portion of all viruses will stop transmission. So would killing the person. Exactly how drinking bleach kills the virus.

[–] monkeyslikebananas2@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

Ssshhhhh don’t tell them

[–] plinky@hexbear.net 7 points 1 month ago

doggirl-smart not immediately surely, but like in an hour

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