How pathogens evade immunity by changing their surface antigens

Some germs escape immunity by changing what the body sees

A germ can keep the hidden machinery it needs to survive while repeatedly changing the molecules on its surface. Antibodies may then stop recognizing it even though its important inner parts remain much the same. The immune system is left chasing a moving target.

The biggest recorded impact left no crater

The 1908 Tunguska event in Siberia was the largest impact event in recorded history, but its asteroid never reached the ground. The roughly 50–60-meter-wide stony asteroid exploded 5–10 kilometers above Earth, leaving no crater.

Former Nazis held most senior positions in West Germany's Justice Ministry

77% in 1957

A historical investigation found that in 1957, about 77% of senior officials in West Germany's Federal Ministry of Justice had belonged to the Nazi Party. Many officials from the previous regime returned to influential legal and administrative positions after the war. The finding revealed how deeply personnel continuity shaped the institutions of postwar democracy.

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How pathogens evade immunity by changing their surface antigens

Some germs escape immunity by changing what the body sees

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