Ain\'t nature wonderful (Introduction)

by xeno6696 , Sonoran Desert, Thursday, August 19, 2010, 23:10 (5209 days ago) @ David Turell

Complex symbiosis between parasite and host. This cannot have developed step by step, and I don't believe in a meddling God who steps in and arranges partners for the dance.
> -I do hate it when you make absolute claims such as "This cannot have developed step by step." You cannot know this. Neither can we know it didn't. We are ignorant.-> http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/aug/18/zombie-carpenter-ant-fungus
&... 
> Is the epigentic mechanism so complex, the process can be manipulated to this degree? Any suggestions?-You seem to make the assumption that the fungus started out purely "to fit" with that ant's physiology and make up. I can think of many possible explanations that do not have me resorting to specialized design. -1. The fungus and ant had a long history even before 48M years ago. Perhaps this species of fungus was able to infect, during the eukaryotic stage, a subset of eukaryotes, Consequently, the arms race between eukaryote and fungi resulted in what we see now. -2. (My favorite.) The fungus started out as a beneficial organism. Termites use bacteria to transform cellulose into sugar. Some ants developed an overactive immune reaction to the fungi, triggering competition; ultimately ending in the form we see today. At some point, the ant--out of the genetic diversity needed to fight the organism, simply has to take the abuse. Clearly, some ants MUST be immune to this parasite, or clearly--we wouldn't have leaf-cutter ants. Which leads to another possibility.-3. Like how C. difficile works in humans--if you have a normal intestinal flora, the bacteria can never take hold. -If you want, I can keep going. Like origins, we can come up with any number of explanations, but again, only those that can be verified or tested should be trusted or used.

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\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"