Author Topic: Immunity in microorganisms  (Read 3946 times)

Offline Elite

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Immunity in microorganisms
« on: April 26, 2006, 11:05:54 AM »
This is all I'm stuck on in my new virus paradigm proposal ...

What defences do microorganisms have against viral attack?

How do they detect a virus? What do they do if infected?

Offline Numsgil

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Immunity in microorganisms
« Reply #1 on: April 26, 2006, 12:24:34 PM »
As I understand it their isn't any post infection defenses.  Once you're infected you can't really find and remove any foreign DNA/RNA.

Viruses can only enter cells for which they have the "password".  Viruses are highly specialized to certain species - certain protein markers on the surface of those cells.  The result is a constant arms race between the cells and the viruses. (vira )

Offline Elite

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Immunity in microorganisms
« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2006, 12:48:33 PM »
What do you think of this system?

When a virus 'reproduces' (inside a host) using .verpro, the number in .vrepro will become the 'shell code' of the new virus. If a new virus is created using .mkvirus, it recieves a random shell code. The shell code is a number from 1 to 128. To infect a cell, the virus' shell code must match with the bot's shell code. If the shell codes don't match the virus can't enter the cell.

A bot specifies it's shell code at the end of it's DNA. If the bot doesn't have a shell code a random one is selected by the program at the start. The shell code is passed down to children and but can be mutated. It is visible via the console but inaccessable to the bots themselves. Viruses will have to randomize their shell codes until they find a match and evolve to counter changing shell codes.

A virus may continually place random numbers in .vrepro, killing the host quickly, but producing many offspring that have a chance of infecting other bots.

Comments?
« Last Edit: April 26, 2006, 12:49:10 PM by Elite »

Offline Numsgil

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Immunity in microorganisms
« Reply #3 on: April 26, 2006, 01:15:42 PM »
I was thinking something like this:

Each organism has some sort of ID code (or shell code, semantics) that it uses for most battle related problems.  Ie: who does my venom effect and who does it work additively with?  Anything that works with conspec immunity would use this instead of ancient species lines.

Organisms may change their codes at anytime they wish.  Codes can range from, say, 1, 32000, and only the bot in question may modify or examine its code, or 0 which treats the bot as not conspec with anything at all.

Any intercellular DNA of any kind must match up with the code of the bot it finds in order to be injected in.  This would include HGT or viruses.    Bots with a code of 0 never intake DNA.

Once inside, viruses have all the same options that regular bots have, and may change attempt to change the ID code, or whatever it wishes.

Offline shvarz

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Immunity in microorganisms
« Reply #4 on: April 26, 2006, 01:39:20 PM »
I don't like the idea of codes - it is too basic and simplified.  I think the specificity should come from bot DNA and viral DNA.  Some kind of rule that compares the two and decides whether a virus can go in.  In real life the virus uses a molecule on the surface of the cell that actually does something for that cell.  So if a cell wants to change it, then it must either find a way to change it and preserve function or make do without that function.  Just changing a number or a code is no fun.  

In addition, numbers don't have the complexity needed for specificity.  Some viruses can infect many different kinds of cells, others infect only a very specific type.  How can you do that with numbers.
"Never underestimate the power of stupid things in big numbers" - Serious Sam

Offline Numsgil

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Immunity in microorganisms
« Reply #5 on: April 26, 2006, 01:59:52 PM »
Just did some reading and agree that simple codes is too... simplistic.

I don't know that comparing DNA is the best way either, but I think it's along the right track.  The problem at present is that bots are all morpholigically identical.

Offline Elite

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Immunity in microorganisms
« Reply #6 on: April 26, 2006, 02:10:16 PM »
How about scrapping immunity altogether and giving viruses free run of any bot they hit?

Hmm ... difficult

I am open to suggestions
« Last Edit: April 26, 2006, 02:10:36 PM by Elite »

Offline shvarz

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Immunity in microorganisms
« Reply #7 on: April 26, 2006, 05:22:17 PM »
We should just start with HGT, work out rules for that and viruses will come naturally from there.  I have some ideas, so I'll try to write them up later today.
"Never underestimate the power of stupid things in big numbers" - Serious Sam