Theory 20/Virology
Capsids Balance Pressure and Strength
The claim
Capsid stability is set by the ratio of internal cargo pressure to shell strength, so a fuller capsid is more fragile despite being more compact.
01Mechanism
Packaged DNA exerts outward pressure while the shell resists it; the ratio determines whether the capsid survives until it is triggered to release.
02Predictions
- P1Stability should fall as packaging density rises.
- P2Capsid thickness alone should mispredict.
03Refutation
Stability tracking shell thickness would remove cargo pressure.
04Why it resists the grid
The particle is a machine with no metabolism, sitting between chemistry and organism.