Recent comments in /f/askscience

Anonymous_Otters t1_j93x237 wrote

Reply to Why are fevers cyclical? by Key-Marionberry-9854

Biochemical feedback systems mean that basically no part of your biochemistry is static on or off, but constantly in flux. The chaotic interactions of these feedback loops mean you'll have surges and ebbs in just about every process, including body temperatures during infections.

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Skarr87 t1_j93wpsi wrote

Reply to comment by fuerdiesache in How are we able to observe the early universe? by four-lima-golf

Correct we don’t have direct evidence from that early right after the Big Bang but we can use mathematical models we’ve developed from centuries from scientific experimentation. We then work these models back to conditions that we would expect that early in the universe. These models then make specific predictions that we can perform other experiments to see how accurate our models are. For example the standard model predicted that in conditions with very high temperatures the fundamental forces become one and at slightly lower temperatures something called quark gluon plasma would form where protons and neutrons themselves break down into almost a soup. When we were able to engineer particle accelerators to have enough energy we were able to actually produce quark gluon plasma and partially prove that at least the weak force and electromagnetic force combine into the electroweak force.

It’s all kind of like a big jigsaw puzzle. Every time we make a new discovery it’s like we add another piece telling us more and more about the nature of the whole picture. If you have 60% of the puzzle finished and you see a corn field it’s reasonable to assume the rest isn’t going to be something like an underwater scene.

We don’t know everything about what happened immediately after the Big Bang, but assuming the laws of physics weren’t simply different then it’s not going to be drastically different than what we think barring some new paradigm shifting discovery.

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mumtathil t1_j93vgo4 wrote

Reply to comment by Robbeee in If a human being is bleeding internally say in their mouth or stomach would they still have a risk of anemia? by Robbeee

Iron absorption from tablets is actually quite poor. High dose iron supplementation just tends to cause more side effects (constipation, abdominal discomfort) without a significant improvement in iron levels and subsequent rise in haemoglobin levels.
Vitamin C helps improve absorption and the tannins in tea makes it worse. Generally taking Fe supplements with food is better than on an empty stomach.
Often with profound Fe deficiency giving the iron as an IV infusion is more effective at gaining a boost in Hb levels.

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EBtwopoint3 t1_j93tgsd wrote

Reply to comment by mschweini in Was reading something related to Rock Salt mining. In places like the Himalayas where rock salt mining is done in cold temperatures, a lot of miners report burns. Why is it so that salt burns in a colder surroundings? Would it be the same reason why the salt ice challenge was so dangerous? by vvdmoneymuttornot

The salt itself doesn’t make the water any colder. It just lets the water get colder before freezing, and increases the rate of heat transfer. For sweat, if it’s not much below freezing it’s really no different than being wet. With that said, sweating when it’s really cold out actually is dangerous.

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fack_yuo t1_j93t4bk wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Why are fevers cyclical? by Key-Marionberry-9854

lol. well arguably, if the fever does not injure you then it will clear the virus faster yes. Unfortunately evolution is a case of what does not prevent reproduction as opposed to what is most optimal. Fever kills virus, but it also can injure the host. General rule - don't reduce fever unless the fever is dangerous. (if clearing the virus is the top priority- generally survival is top prioirty and its preferable to manage the fever and prolong the illness slightly. ) - disclaimer, not medical advice.

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QuietGanache t1_j93t09q wrote

Reply to Why are fevers cyclical? by Key-Marionberry-9854

In addition to the answers regarding pathogenic loading, the circadian rhythm of the body plays a role in both temperature regulation and, it's suspected, may interact with the pathogen: https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2019.00425

I'd also add that, for the malarias, they tend to fall into cycles of synchronisation in their reproduction with points where they're more exposed to the immune system (free in the blood) coinciding with the most severe portion of the fever (made worse by the preceding hemolysis).

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Interesting-Month-56 t1_j93snu0 wrote

Reply to comment by fack_yuo in Why are fevers cyclical? by Key-Marionberry-9854

To add to this, from the perspective of someone with biology training but not medical…

It is entirely possible that this is an evolutionary response. Fevers kill the disease and, if they go on long enough, the host.

It makes complete sense that a cycling fever provides the most likely survival of the host and that individuals that don’t cycle fevers simply don’t survive.

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