EIGEN PARADOX and The OMICRON

1. Molecules that can grow:-
   1. In the evolutional ladder, inorganic molecules like H₂O, CO₂ appeared ahead of the Organic molecules. These can self elongate (grow) as long as right temp, pressure and substrates are available. Examples are the Long chain fatty acids, amino acids, glycoproteins, simple to complex molecules in that order.
2. Molecules that can self replicate:-
   1. Organic molecules are followed by the Nucleic acids which can grow and self replicate by base pairing, provided substrates are available in the primordial soup, ie. RNA and DNA molecule.

Manfred Eigen said that at first self replicating molecules are subject to mutational errors– spelling mistake. By applying law of probability, he showed that all base pairs have certain probability of being replaced by some other base pair. This will change the way molecule will interact with its environment and can be more fit or less fit for survival.

Darwin’s law of Survival of the fittest says that the unfit molecule will be replaced by only the fitter ones.

He actually calculated the Error threshold for such self replicating molecules and  postulated that:

• Without error correction enzyme, the maximum size of a replicating molecule is about 100 base pairs.

Then evolution fitted the next incumbent DNA with spell checker and life became stable.

RNA viruses are such self replicating evolutionary things that are surrounded by a lipid membrane. Now they will possess a sense of self versus Non-self and can infect non-self cells in the process.

So are RNA viruses living thing ?

The mRNA vaccine molecule consists of a small strand of RNA surrounded by a *LNP* Lipid Nano Particle that on being introduced into our deltoid muscles, infects our skin and myocytes, takes over the ribosomes and instructs to produce spike proteins.

Are the mRNA vaccines living things ?

-2-

When a RNA virus mutates, It can follow any of the following paths:

1. Increase its transmission ( Infect more people )
2. Increase its virulent ( more serious cases, Hospitalisation and Death)
3. Escape our antibodies. ( Reinfection of past cases)
4. Escape our tests ( test procedure to be updated)
5. Escape our vaccines ( Changing the spike that our vaccines target.)
6. Escape our Drugs and therapeutics: the monoclonal antibodies so effective need be updated )

1. By Eigen’s Paradox it can self annihilate and vanish.
2. The new mutation can antagonise its own earlier lethal portions and make it mild and less virulent.

Theobald Smith says that item A1 and B2 are evolutionarily favourable tools that helps propagation of the species.  Adaptation.

Killing the host is a dead end for the virus. B2 is Evolutionarily counter productive. 

In two years, the Virus must have few million mutations. Those strains have annihilated themselves. ( B1)

Of the 7 mutants Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Mu, Kappa including the mother strain from Wuhan have all gone extinct.

This virus teaches me many new tricks. I’m still learning.

So I shall keep my mouth shot, till this Omicron unravels its avatar one by one as our scriptures ordain: 

“It will reveal itself only to those who deserve to know it, 

Not to those who engage only in arguments, speeches or Ego.”

( Kathopanishad : Ch II-23-P-20)