20 - 027 Covid-19 and Human Genes

 Reading the headline that “Genes Linked to the Worst Cases” in the Times on Saturday the 12^th December 2020 was really no surprise to this Digital Human. Just like computer viruses are dependent upon the underlying source code they attack on your computer then it is no surprise that human viruses adopt a similar strategy when attacking the human body. Computer viruses look for weaknesses to find their way into your computer. Human viruses must adopt a similar strategy. But they also can cause different levels of increased havoc dependent on your genetic makeup which is your equivalent to your computers source code. Your genetic makeup is the luck of the draw with it being established at the time of your conception. You are on then established on the roulette wheel of life. So what has been established so far in respect of Covid-19?

Scientists have identified mutations in five genes as having links to the disease becoming a life threatening illness for patients. The article goes on to say the Roslin Institute, Edinburgh University compared the genes of 2,244 critically ill British coronavirus patients with those of healthy volunteers. Variations in five genes – IFNAR2, TYK2, OASI, DPP9 and CCR2 – were associated with severe Covid-19 complications. These genes point to the importance of using antiviral and anti-inflammatory treatments to lower the illness experienced in these patients. In terms of risk of death they are not significant factors, but still worth addressing, with age and the underlying health of the patient still remaining the key risk of death determinates.

Consider these genes in detail.

For IFNAR2 look at :-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IFNAR2

For TYK2 look at :-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tyrosine_kinase_2

For OAS1 look at :-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OAS1

For DPP9 look at :-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DPP9

For CCR2 look at :-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CCR2

If nothing else reading through these will introduce to the complexity of the genes of the Digital Human. In fact the Covid-19 virus is very simple compared with the complexity of the human body and the human cells it enters. Now if you just consider that it can all be defined in digital code then broken down to this basic level it can be easily analysed. The genes are small blocks of digital code. Genes link to genes like having hyperlinks. A virus entering the body is a piece of code that will establish its own links whilst the body will react by using anti-bodies to break these links. It can all be logically and digitally defined. Remember the work of Edward O. Wilson on Consilience. It is digitisation that is going to fully validate the concept of consilience.