These cutting-edge technologies were, says exhibition manager Patricia Tuohy, the most challenging parts of the exhibit to develop and present. Everyone can relate to feeling withdrawn, to feeling anxiety. But making science accessible to the public was the hardest part. We had a big chunk of science to deal with, but we still had to talk about 'me' and what happens to my body. This most sophisticated science is all brand new.
Genes affect susceptibility and resistance to inflammatory and infectious diseases.
You have to look at it as a package. But with strong enough stresses, even the most tuned-down system will respond. Scientists today also talk about achieving a balance. This time around, the balance is understood in molecular terms, involving circulating molecules called interleukins, neurotransmitters, and hormones that send signals to each other and make people sick or well. Strong, painful emotions trigger these chemical messengers in ways that tip the balance toward disease.