Silica pathways

Not much is known about what silica pathways are, but Cmdr. Adama compares them to a brain of sorts for Cylons when he confronts Leoben Conoy in the bowels of Ragnar Anchorage in the mini-series. Apparently, they are affected by the radiation generated by cosmic storms, such as the one surronding the aforementioned Colonial outpost. Although these affects are not immediate, they do usually occur within the space of a hours, following initial exposure. The symptoms are unknown to humans (only Humano-Cylons are affected), but, through extrapolation and observations of what happened to Leoben on Ragnar, they seem to include elements of headache, nausea, and some level of fever or other heat-producing symptom (Humano-Cylons do sweat (Flesh and Bone)).