Could "the flu" or "the common cold" actually be caused by cosmic or solar radiation i.e. influenza/influence ("from the stars"), as this research has indicated?
Sunspots and influenza
Some years ago, Hope-Simpson 1
pointed out a remarkable coincidence
between peaks in the sunspot curve, when
solar activity is at a maximum, and the
occurrence of influenza pandemics...
...Although the correspondences
between the figure and our table are
clearly not precise, they do add credence
to the speculation that solar activity and
influenza activity may have a causal link...
...we note that electrical
fields associated with intense solar winds
can rapidly drive charged particles of the
size of viruses down through the exposed
upper atmosphere into the shelter of the
lower atmosphere , the charging of such
particles being due to the photoelectric
effect. This could define one possible
causal link between influenza pandemics
and solar activity.
https://www.nature.com/articles/343304b0.pdf
Is influenza really caused by a virus, or could it really be an effect caused by sun activity and/or cosmic radiation?
We have all been told that influenza is caused by a virus, but the original meaning is "visitation, influence (of the stars)":
...from Italian influenza "influenza, epidemic," originally "visitation, influence (of the stars)," from Medieval Latin influentia in the astrological sense (see influence).
That could mean that influenza (flu) is really not caused by a virus at all, but rather is a form of radiation poisoning due to solar activity such as sunspots.
It is said that one of the common effects of radiation exposure, is the experience of having flu-like symptoms:
The research paper above points out, that based on observations of solar activity cycles over a long period, a causal link could likely exist - between sunspot activity and influenza pandemics.
Since we (as people) cannot see this kind of radiation, it could be one possible explanation, and there may be many factors that play a role - but just found this to be interesting.