Re:Self-Driving Genes Are Coming
by jessaustin on Saturday January 02, 2016 @09:37PM
(#10829240)
Do plasmodia compete with each other for insect hosts? Is there some other plasmodium waiting in the wings to wreak deadly havoc, if only it were free from its nemeses P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae, and P. knowlesi? This seems far-fetched, and besides why wouldn't the genetic changes that make mosquitoes unsuitable hosts for the malaria we've had for millennia also make them unsuitable hosts for this new malaria that's going to evolve overnight?
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Re:Self-Driving Genes Are Coming
by sandworm101 on Saturday January 02, 2016 @11:31PM
(#10829504)
It isn't about only the plasmodia. Insects, all animals, have a an acceptable parasite load. Too many and the host dies. Wild animals live pretty close to that limit. So even if there isn't an exact swap-in replacement, by eliminating malaria some other parasite will step up.
Re:Self-Driving Genes Are Coming
by jessaustin on Sunday January 03, 2016 @12:38AM
(#10829654)
It's possible to extrapolate too much from general biological trends. Considering that the hypothetical "new" protozoan is as likely to target black-bellied bustards as it is to target humans, and that malaria is an awful blight upon humanity, I expect most humans would be pleased to make the exchange.