Biochemistry & Disease

[maksimsmelchak]

Hi All,

I recently read a really great article about biochemistry and disease for a science fiction game... I just can't remember whether it was for FFE Traveller, GURPs Traveller, or GURPS Space.

It had a great system of levels for how diseases port across to different chemistries.

*** Does this ring a bell with anyone? ***

I really liked the web page and now I can't find it. So frustrating.

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

 

[maksimsmelchak]

Hi All,

I'd still love to hear if anyone has any ideas regarding disease portability across sophonts or creatures with differing biochemistries, but it looks like I'm getting no leads so I brushed off my old chemistry, medicine, and biology texts (I'm a former military medic and practiced pharmacology for a number of years) to re-create the idea of how differing biochemistries can and cannot react to each other...

I'd love to hear any ideas or feedback for that concept. Thanks!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

 

[McPerth]

My guess is that any disease from different biochemistry organisms should be more in the way of intexication tan in the way of infection, as to infect biochemistry must be compatible.

To give you an example, I don't believe a clorine based (instead of oxigen based) organism could infect a human, as it could not even feed from it, but it could intoxícate it, depending on where in the body it could bo, or due to pH changes.

 

[maksimsmelchak]

I was experimenting with the idea yesterday and built the information into a table.

*** Is it possible to copy and paste a table into the CotI forum? ***

Thanks!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

 

[Limburger59]

Our Terran DNA stores information using 4 bases: A, G, T, C.

If an alien biochemical DNA was coded with 5 bases: A, G, K, W, C; their diseases/bacteria may not be able to invade our cells easily. On the other hand, their food would be difficult to digest. The basic building blocks could be the same - carbon, nitrogen, iron, etc. - but complex proteins would be indigestible.