This flu is really kicking my arse right now, I thought I was getting better, but now I feel worse after 3 days. Sometimes I'm able to code, other times I'm barely able to lie still with documentaries playing in my ear.
But hey, on the bright side I have, thanks to Wikipedia, learned huge abouts about the science behind the flu virus, I mean I'm sure it's the simplified 'lies to children' version of things, but in theory I can follow up with some of the actual references when I have time. Even just seeing some of the words used makes me aware that there's this huge body of science where I'm way out of my depth. I mean I learned biology up to the same level as a first year university student, but then I encounter paragraphs like this...
Influenza viruses bind through hemagglutinin onto sialic acid sugars on the surfaces of epithelial cells, typically in the nose, throat, and lungs of mammals, and intestines of birds (Stage 1 in infection figure). After the hemagglutinin is cleaved by a protease, the cell imports the virus by endocytosis.
I end up on extended wikisurfing excursions to make sure I understand each an every term.
Wikipedia is great. Shame it isn't providing me with much in ammunition in my fight against the current crop of invaders.
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