- #1
Spathi
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- TL;DR Summary
- I suggest to discuss, how arbitrary is the line between the parasizes and symbionts; can it be that parasites often help the host a little, while symbionts do harm a little.
It is generally accepted that organisms that help the host are symbionts, and those that harm are parasites.
I suggest to discuss, how arbitrary is the line between them; can it be that parasites often help the host a little, while symbionts do harm a little.
If this assumption is incorrect, it can be formulated as the Matthew effect in biology: parasites become increasingly evil parasites, while symbionts become increasingly good symbionts.
Here are my examples:
1) The cleaner fish helps the big fish by eating parasites in its mouth; but sometimes cleaner fish can cheat a little:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleaner_fish
2) Many people suffer from toxoplasmosis. This disease makes mice love cats, and maybe people too; some write that because of the toxoplasmosis, the Egyptians worshiped cats:
https://news.emory.edu/stories/2016/07/esc_loving_cats/campus.html
If this is so, why is the human body somehow reluctant to fight toxoplasma - perhaps because it is not only harmful but also beneficial?
3) Here it is written that there is an effective way to disinfect wounds - with green bot fly maggots:
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/aimcc.2023.0693
I suggest to discuss, how arbitrary is the line between them; can it be that parasites often help the host a little, while symbionts do harm a little.
If this assumption is incorrect, it can be formulated as the Matthew effect in biology: parasites become increasingly evil parasites, while symbionts become increasingly good symbionts.
Here are my examples:
1) The cleaner fish helps the big fish by eating parasites in its mouth; but sometimes cleaner fish can cheat a little:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleaner_fish
2) Many people suffer from toxoplasmosis. This disease makes mice love cats, and maybe people too; some write that because of the toxoplasmosis, the Egyptians worshiped cats:
https://news.emory.edu/stories/2016/07/esc_loving_cats/campus.html
If this is so, why is the human body somehow reluctant to fight toxoplasma - perhaps because it is not only harmful but also beneficial?
3) Here it is written that there is an effective way to disinfect wounds - with green bot fly maggots:
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/aimcc.2023.0693