Re:Tasmanian devils 'adapting to coexist with cancer'
by akiselev on Saturday March 30, 2019 @10:52PM
(#19533474)
> I find it interesting to ponder how it has come about that the Earth isn't just covered in, say, that pathogenic fungus¹ reported on recently, but rather something like 8.7 million species².
Existing inside an organism with a functioning immune system long enough to cause death requires completely different adaptations than existing outside of one. By their very nature, most pathogens spend too much energy on biochemistry that does diddly squat (without an immune system to fight) to help them compete against the innumerable species of garden variety bacteria floating around.
Existing inside an organism with a functioning immune system long enough to cause death requires completely different adaptations than existing outside of one. By their very nature, most pathogens spend too much energy on biochemistry that does diddly squat (without an immune system to fight) to help them compete against the innumerable species of garden variety bacteria floating around.