• Question: Why the immune has developed since the prehistory?

    Asked by Sofia Masiello to Carmen, Daniel, Laura, Noel, Steph on 16 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Carmen Denman

      Carmen Denman answered on 16 Mar 2015:

      Hi Sofia,

      We have an innate (think of it as we are born with it) and adaptive immune system. Innate systems we are both with, and that has probably been that way for a long time – in plants and animals that are much older than humans. Adaptive immune systems are our systems that learn as they go along about how to battle bacteria/virus/fungus/parasites as we are exposed to them, which I imagine is similar for all mammals. So it is a complicated question you ask, maybe other scientists can answer better, but I have tried to at least start a short reply here! 🙂

      Cheers!
      Carmen

    • Photo: Noel Carter

      Noel Carter answered on 16 Mar 2015:

      It is just evolution in action. I am not sure anybody fully understands it. But every little additional step gives the organism a competitive edge. A good example is to think of an eye which is now very complicated how did that evolve? Well when everything had no eyes then the ability to sense things around you only by only a tiny fraction better than everything else would give you the edge. It could be just a simple sensor and not true sight, but the next evolution would be a bit better then a bit better again and so it goes on. This happens over 100s and 1000s of years. Same with the immune system.

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