The 1998 ritonavir crisis occurred when the life-saving HIV medication unexpectedly precipitated into a newly discovered, thermodynamically stable crystal structure called Form II, which was far less soluble and failed to dissolve in patients' bodies, forcing its immediate removal from the market.
Yes, AIDS is super fake and super gay, I know, but this notion of a specific process (like crystallization, or protein formation in the case of prions) that is somehow “contagious”, or from a more abstract perspective “ontologically self-reinforcing” is really interesting imo. If you’ve ever heard of the biochemist Rupert Sheldrake, this all fits in nicely with his theory of Morphic Resonance. He views these evolving processes as something akin to a “habit of nature” developing.
There are actually a surprising number of molecules that this has happened to, where one form that has been produced for decades all of a sudden becomes unfavorable (energetically/chemically) and hard/impossible to produce because of a new form or structure “taking over”. Look up the so-called “polymorph crisis” for these and other examples of this weird phenomenon.
Ice-nine is a fictional, stable form of water that remains solid at room temperature and triggers an apocalyptic chain reaction freezing all liquid water it touches, originating from Kurt Vonnegut’s 1963 novel Cat's Cradle.Kurt Vonnegut's Novel (Cat's Cradle)
Prions are infectious, misfolded proteins that cause normal proteins in the brain to misfold, leading to fatal neurodegenerative diseases. Unlike bacteria or viruses, prions contain no DNA or RNA and are remarkably resistant to heat, radiation, and standard sterilization.
The Hundredth Monkey Effect is a metaphorical concept stating that a new behavior or idea spreads rapidly and spontaneously to an entire group once a critical mass (the "hundredth monkey") adopts it, even across disconnected locations.
Wow, hadn’t heard of that before but it sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the shout out.