[IN THE NEWS] Could this be how the Anti-Metal Virus started

[Rali]

LINK: Science Daily Article / io9 Article

Researchers are trying to find ways to use metal-extracting bacteria in a preemptive move to prevent struggles over natural resources.

In nature these deep sea bacteria extract metals from the sea water to form manganese or cobalt nodules and crust; the result of a process known as biomineralization. Scientists hope to harness this ability to mine the ocean floor for these and other precious elements.

It's not that far of a step to imagine that this process couldn't be perverted into some weaponized viral strain to produce the AMV that was mentioned in Mutant's Down Under. Does this send a shiver up anyone else's spine?

[taalismn]

Proof again that Nature is stranger than fiction..

[glitterboy2098]

and yet, as i've pointed out before, Bacteria and Virii are totally different infectious agents, and normal Virii cannot do what the AMV does.

metal eating bacteria exist because they can metabolize the metals as part of their life processes. a virus has no metabolism, nor life processes, technically. it's just DNA or RNA in a protien sheath. it's just a collection of chemicals until it binds with receptor sites on cell walls and injects it's genetic material. all a virus can do is infect cells and force them to produce more virii.


which is why in my review and suggestion bit about MDU i suggested making the AMV a byproduct of nanotechnology. most nanotech being looked at today is protien and DNA based. it would not be hard to imagine a virus sized nanomachine using protien and DNA as building blocks, that was designed to break down metals by accellerating oxidation. such a nanotech material would have been useful in mining, waste management, recycling, and so on.
(the only real issue would be that metals like aluminun, which actually get stronger when they oxidize, would be uneffected. aluminum combined with oxygen makes ruby/sapphire, and all aluminum has a thin layer of this material as a result of natural xidation. which is why the stuff doesn't degrade over time. it takes exposure to mercury to cause decomposition of aluminum. and usually adding mercury to DNA and protien isn't a very good combo...)

[Rali]

I agree with glitterboy's assessment that the AMV is actually a work of nanotechnology. There is nothing in the Mutants Down Under book that suggests that it is actually a "virus". After all, they mix "fresh AMV" with acid to eat away any protective coatings. As for aluminum, the whole point of the AMV was to limit the region to more archaic weapons, so I doubt that the region ever got around to creating weapons from aluminum alloys, and even then the AMV may have ways of attacking aluminum.

[glitterboy2098]

I agree with glitterboy's assessment that the AMV is actually a work of nanotechnology. There is nothing in the Mutants Down Under book that suggests that it is actually a "virus". After all, they mix "fresh AMV" with acid to eat away any protective coatings. As for aluminum, the whole point of the AMV was to limit the region to more archaic weapons, so I doubt that the region ever got around to creating weapons from aluminum alloys, and even then the AMV may have ways of attacking aluminum.

well, aluminum isn't exactly easy to refine and work.. and the mines and smelters would need AMV-sensitive metal parts to function anyway. so probably more of a "we don't have that" more than a "we'll get around to it someday", evewn though austrialia is one of the larger producers of aluminum today.

but something for GM's to think about when bringing characters from other places in the world, or porting AMV into other settings.