When we run and gallop from pillar to post to contain the fast spreading viral pandemic with the conscious surrender to the notion that molecular biology and PCR based research alone shall answer, we may soon come back to the drawing board in search of observation based solutions or shall start to read the famous essay – ‘on doing nothing’ written by JB Priestley.
We need to solve the problem aggressively when the problem reaches pandemic proportion but the solution shall not sustain if we fail to understand the problem from the realm of evolution or its origin. No effect can come into existence without a cause; it is otherwise called as “Ex nihilo nihil fit”.
Today the Context may not be ripe or appropriate for such questions, but the question is extremely important, relevant and every scientist must ask.
The purpose of the article; some would call it an essay, is only meant to open the inner eye (s) of those who have it and not to meddle with our combat against the virus through prolonged lockdown or giving free pass to the virus. Either way, we are going to get killed; either by Modi’s lockdown or by the virus.
Many animals and plants use repertoire of defence strategies, camouflage and mimicries to either escape from the predator or to attract its prey (colour base, vocal, anatomical and with the help of certain special appendages).
Employing microbes as principal labour force by several animals is also known.
For example, the termite cannot digest cellulose without the help of Trichonympha in its gut. Even the ruminants use variety of microbes to digest cellulose matter. Several microbes using a definite intermediary host to complete its life cycle or to reach its host are also well known and the best example is malarial parasite which uses certain species of mosquitos as its vector.
When mosquito population increases above the normal, all such parasites do use such opportunity to increase their fecundity.
Increased body temperature due to the entry of malarial parasite is a mere consequence and not the intension of the parasite and it is meant to reach back the vector quickly, when the mosquito bites the host so than it can transmit to another host.
Antagonistic, mutualistic and symbiotic relationship between several microbes and either vertebrates or invertebrates are known to us.
The question is why the novel coronavirus has evolved? If we accept the fact that the coronavirus present in Pangolin is the ancestor or forefather of novel coronavirus then such question gains greater evolutionary significance and biological importance.
Then we cannot simply conclude the novel coronavirus to be an accidental child of evolution, just skipped, crossed over and become deadly to humans. Evolution is a perfect engineer and engineering establishment and it is not like any of our modern day engineering colleges, teaches nothing, but produce engineers en mass.
Man has been hunting and trading pangolin for several decades. Let us assume strongly that the virus that present in pangolin only has given birth to novel coronavirus. Then the question would be why and for what purpose the virus has evolved, certainly to save the pangolin or in other words, to kill the man, the merciless hunter of pangolin.
Why we should not fodder such evolutionary possibility?
The virus may be a simple structured particle pose problem to designate it as neither fully living nor fully non-living. But how long the evolution can patiently watch human atrocities?
If pangolin ever develops some colour or behavioural or other evolutionary tricks to escape from man, man would still prey the pangolin thanks to his technological brain.
None of such adaptations or traits is going to protect the pangolin from man. The only way man can be defeated is by sending an invisible trader of death who can spread across the world; wherever man lives, whether he kills and eat pangolin or not.
The evolution has used virus to make the man totally helpless, let him beg and kneel before pangolin or novel coronavirus for forgiveness, still the punishment is certain. Who knows, the intent to save pangolin might be the possible evolutionary trigger for the emergence of novel coronavirus?
Novel coronavirus may want to save its ancestor’s host and the only option available for the virus is to attack man indiscriminately, but kill only the vulnerable or those deserves death, shake the entire kingdom of man.
WHO KNOWS, THE EVOLUTION AND NOVEL CORONAVIRUS MAY HAVE CHOSEN THE AUTHOR TO DECODE THE MESSAGE OF THE EVOLUTION OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS TO THE WORLD!
Nothing happens in nature as an accident.
Our ignorance only helps us to define and conclude all such incidents and anecdotes as mere accidents because man thinks, he alone worth to live in the planet and have the right to live and rest of the animals are his slaves, subservient and subordinates, thanks to his feudalistic ordain.
Who knows, it may be just the beginning. Most of the prey species in future may employ several such microbes to defend self and destroy the hunter- man.
The question of why novel coronavirus would have evolved is extremely important may not be from the perspective medical science and policy making but for the biologists and evolutionary scientists such question assumes importance.
If the novel coronavirus has ever evolved to save pangolin and slain man means, can we prevent the wisdom and geniuses of evolution by shutting down India for 40 or more days?
Evolution appears to have send the novel coronavirus only to caution man and not to destroy him totally otherwise why the novel coronavirus limit its targets only to the most vulnerable group?
Evolution may soon withdraw the virus because humans are not the ultimate host of the virus, looks like. We must let the virus to pass through each one of us, the virus may vanish soon because it had already send the message of the evolution to man.
The man can then proudly claim, ‘herd’ immunity only has saved him or the lockdown of Modi. Save pangolin, the virus will spare you.
Government should provide simple antipyretic drug along with antibiotics to contain secondary infections if any and some anti-allergic drugs to manage the problem at home than declares the entire area with ‘red colour’; paralyze people so that we can eliminate the virus.
When we test a person positive for coronavirus today then we must link such test positivity with the first reported case of the virus in India which was in January in 2020.
Since January till today, the person who showed the presence of virus today may not be carrying the virus. The virus before reaching the person who turned positive for virus today, would have traveled through several people and those people also would have shared the virus to many.
The holy-grail of the entire episode is that till date we have not received any sorrowful health warning or health alarm/ distress from the community. Does than not mean, most of them may not have developed any worry some medical problem due to virus?
The message is that novel coronavirus is just a little storm in the tea cup to all healthy individuals. Why we lock the virus or go after the virus instead of focusing on treatment to all COVID 19 cases.
Shift people from fire to save and then put them on frying pan because that is the only option available. Such wisdom is nothing but an extension of ego that I alone have the license to kill people by killing their livelihood but not the virus.
World needs more evolutionary biologists to explain, theorize and address the issue over the origin of all our problems and not plumbers and fitters who knows only to replace not repair, if all components are available.
Our medical world could not replace life or the inflamed lugs and hence supports the government to go after the virus.
No one needs to go after the virus because the virus is coming straight to all of us. As long as man doesn’t spare our wildlife and support their dignity and legitimate right to live on earth, evolution will recruit many such pathogens to terminate man.
