Comments on: Parasites keep red tides at bay

By: Breno

Breno — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:41:06 +0000

It’s amazing how microorganism can surprise us. We know just a couple of bytes in a microbial universe of gigas of teras. Who know’s one day we will know a little more…

By: Nathan Myers

Nathan Myers — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:12:19 +0000

Nonetheless fascinating, though. Go, parasites! Um, wait.

By: JohnnieCanuck

JohnnieCanuck — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:16:43 +0000

What David said. This particular one is the rabbit/fox cycle writ small in size and large in population numbers.
This works heavily against humans and their agriculture. The more there are of us, our crops and our animals, the more dramatic the result when an effective predator/parasite starts to chow down.
Potatoes, bananas, 1918 influenza, it’s all first come, first serve at the banquet.
A sufficiently intelligent self-aware agent might be able to avoid this natural cycle by self limiting its population. So far, that doesn’t yet describe us.

By: David Marjanović

David Marjanović — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:42:34 +0000

I think it’s amazing how nature, so intricate and wide-ranging, always has checks and balances built into the system.

Nah. What’s really going on here is that whenever a species becomes common, another finds a way to exploit that.

By: amuirin

amuirin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:17:11 +0000

I found this fascinating. Red tides have effected the local environment and economy here on the West Coast. I think it’s amazing how nature, so intricate and wide-ranging, always has checks and balances built into the system.