Field of Science

Showing posts with label Evolution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Evolution. Show all posts

#Microtwjc: The Evolution of Virulence

A long time ago, a bacterium noticed the odd behaviour of its cousins. It had noticed that they had formed a group, and were spending a lot of time together. An unsettling amount of time together. The bacterium's friends told it to not worry. It is perfectly fine for related bacteria to stick together, to live in colonies of individuals.
The bacterium told its friends how its cousins behaviour was different. The cousins had forfeited the life of independence, and had reduced themselves to mere parts of a greater whole, a multicellular organism. it was disgusting, it was socialism. It had to be stopped.
Bit by bit, it rallied other bacteria to it's cause, and together they came up with a plan. They would become virulent. They would evolve the resources to fight their multicellular competitors, invade their cells and feast on their nutrients. So they went to Professor Oak, who happened to have just the right thing for them...