Propagation of computer worms

[brokenhut]

The field of epidemiology studies the health of populations with any eye to detection and prevention of illness.

Disease is fascinating in any light, and as our world shrinks due to global travel we’re likely to see a lot more of it in new guises. Single cases of disease in exotic places are a potent threat to major population centres, because

Comments

[h2_the_foodie]

we were told the E.coli to greater than mass of earth factoid in first year biology at uni. By the supreme Jim Deacon. So I'm afraid i'll have to believe it is true. Dunno about the density of bacterial cells so can't do the sums for you.

[brokenhut]

Well, we can't go around doubting Jim Deacon can we?! ;-)

[brokenhut]

I knew you had mentioned it to me before but I wasn't sure about the facts of it, so I googled. Then when I found the quote from the book I was a bit wary of using it, knowing how Michael Crichton often plays fast and loose with the facts.

I would have asked you but you were out getting drunk at the time! :o)

[ex_robhu]

Mass of E. Coli: Between 50000u (8.30269432×10-23 kg)and 91000u (1.51109037×10-22 kg) http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1179595
Mass of Earth: 5.9736×1024 kg
Number of E. Coli required for equivalent mass as the Earth: 7.19477289×1046 to 3.95317191×1046
Number of generations required: 155.655642 (ln((7.19477289×10^46))/ln(2)) to 154.791703 (ln(3.95317191 × (10^46)) / ln(2))
Time required for number of generations: 3113 minutes, or 51.9 hours to 3095 minutes, or 51.6 hours

Suggestion for edit

[ex_robhu]

"The next limiting factor to be hit was the number of suitable hosts. After only ten minutes, 90% of all vulnerable machines were infected. The networks had been saturated for some time."
Some information about the number computers connected to the internet (and therefore the number it tried to infect) would be helpful for people I think.

Re: Suggestion for edit

[brokenhut]

Thanks for the suggestion!

The next limiting factor to be hit was the number of suitable hosts. After only ten minutes, 90% of all vulnerable machines were infected. The infected computers had sent speculative packets to more than 150 million computers. The networks had been saturated for some time.

How's that?

Re: Suggestion for edit

[ex_robhu]

Yay :-)