[syhprum (OP)]

There has been much research done to grow organs for transplanting into humans from especially humanized pigs yet worries persist that viruses or prions might persist.
When "mad cow disease" was first found Prions were found to persist on surgical instruments despite all normal attempts to sterilize them to the extent that they were scrapped after use.
The Oxford covid-19 vaccine uses a
"harmless" chimpanzee virus in its manufacture are we quite sure that harmless means harmless ?.
I was happy to receive the Pfizer’ vaccine but would not have refused the Oxford one as any hypothetical danger from the vaccine is much less than the danger from covid-19

[evan_au]

Earth: Mostly Harmless

[Bored chemist]

How harmless is harmless?
More harmless than covid?

It causes a minor infection in chimps.
It's been observed for years not to infect people.
And it's been disabled anyway.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChAdOx1

[charles1948]

I've always thought that Ford Prefect's editing of the Galactic Dictionary's entry for "Earth" was misguided.

 Ford edited it from "Harmless" to "Mostly Harmless".

How could he have done that, after living on Earth for 20 years?  Shouldn't he have edited it to:

"Stay Away"

[Bored chemist]

How could he have done that, after living on Earth for 20 years?

The story was set in the late 70s.
So his 20 years had been essentially the 60s and 70s.
Mostly harmless

[alancalverd]

the danger from Ovid-19

Nice to see a classical reference here.

Yes indeed, Covid's Metamorphoses may well turn out to be more dangerous that the genetically engineered sex-crazed Killer Gorilla DNA that infected Penny:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2623955/Kaley-Cuocos-alter-ego-Penny-lands-bizarre-role-bisexual-dancing-killer-gorilla-Big-Bang-Theory-episode.html

[charles1948]

So his 20 years had been essentially the 60s and 70s.
Mostly harmless

Mostly harmless in the UK, I agree. Ford was taking an unduly parochial view, hardly suited to his Dictionary's galactic purpose as a visitor's guide.

[Bored chemist]

So his 20 years had been essentially the 60s and 70s.
Mostly harmless

Mostly harmless in the UK, I agree. Ford was taking an unduly parochial view, hardly suited to his Dictionary's galactic purpose as a visitor's guide.

Mostly harmless from the perspective of the rest of the universe.

[Colin2B]

Shouldn't he have edited it to:

"Stay Away"

History tells us that when a technologically advanced people meet a less advanced people, the less advanced are likely to die out or end up on reservations.
Yes, probably a good reason to ask them to stay away.

[charles1948]

Unless we developed nuclear-powered spaceships to spread our aggression to the rest of the Universe!

Aha, so that's why Project Orion got nowhere.  The aliens used their mentalic powers to force the US president to  cancel it.

It all makes sense now.

[charles1948]

Shouldn't he have edited it to:

"Stay Away"

History tells us that when a technologically advanced people meet a less advanced people, the less advanced are likely to die out or end up on reservations.
Yes, probably a good reason to ask them to stay away.

 Haven't you misunderstood, in a benevolent way?

[Colin2B]

Shouldn't he have edited it to:

"Stay Away"

History tells us that when a technologically advanced people meet a less advanced people, the less advanced are likely to die out or end up on reservations.
Yes, probably a good reason to ask them to stay away.

 Haven't you misunderstood, in a benevolent way?

No, I didn’t misunderstand, just offering an alternative view