this post was submitted on 30 Dec 2023
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Science Memes

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submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It feels so weird to me that the small change in degrees might actually kill a virus. I mean, wouldn't all viruses by now have become accustomed to "warmer climates"?

Or is it a cat / mouse game, our bodies being able to heat up more and them getting more fire resistant by the year. Was a fever less hot a couple of hundred years ago?

[–] TIMMAY 22 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I am not an expert but I believe the temp threshold is for when proteins denature due to the ambient heat overcoming the strength of the bonds (mostly h-bonding i believe) that hold the protein in its specific tertiary structure and when you exceed it the proteins unfold/break

[–] NoSpotOfGround 38 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I read that this is a common misconception: the high heat is not enough to denature any proteins (else it would kill you too) and, what's more surprising, it actually makes viruses/bacteria more active. But it also makes your immune system more active, with an overall win in effectiveness over the microbes, which is what makes it useful.

[–] TIMMAY 15 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Interesting! Im going to have to rabbit-hole this I suppose.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Yep - our bodies turn the thermostat up, increasing metabolism/cellular functions, which increases body temperature. Fatigue slows us down as our bodies redirect resources towards supporting our immune systems and producing cells to fight off the infection, vs spending that energy on being mentally and physically active.

Once our bodies get a handle on things, the fever "breaks" and we start recovery and return to homeostasis.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

But you do sound like an expert.

[–] TIMMAY 8 points 11 months ago

too much youtube 🤷‍♂️