6 Responses
1: What are 3 factors that help microbes spread? (3 bonanza for microbes)
Response: The three factors or bonanzas, as the author describes that has been responsible for the increase in the spread of bacteria are: the rise of farming and cities as well as the development of world trade routes (Diamond 205).
Response: In the four stages of evolution between a specialized human disease from an animal precursor, the first are the diseases that we pick up from pets and domesticated animals but also those in the wild. Scratch-fever from cats, brucellosis from cattle and tularemia from rabbits are examples of the diseases we get in this stage (Diamond 207). As for the second stage, these diseases are transmitted from person to person and usually are the reason for epidemics. An example of this type of disease is New Guinea’s laughing sickness that was transmitted by cannibalism. The third stage consists of former animal pathogens that have become a specialized human disease but that hasn’t died out as yet and which might or might not pose grave danger to humanity (Diamond 208). As for the fourth stage, these are the major diseases that have been around for a while and that are confined to humans. In fact, they are the evolutionary survivors of animal pathogens that have made it from being animal diseases to specialized human diseases (Diamond 209).
3: How do microbes evolve? Explain through myxomatosis and rabbits.
Response: Microbes, by means of natural selection, evolve by adapting to new hosts and vectors and where it will learn to live and propagate every time it finds itself in a new environment (Diamond 209). One example of this is when Australian rabbits were affected by myxomatosis, courtesy the myxo virus. When this virus was introduced by Australian farmers in the 1950s so as to rid themselves of an abundance of European rabbits, the first year exacted a mortality rate of 99.8 percent. However, in the following years, it tapered off to 90 percent and 25 percent respectively much to the frustration of these farmers. What can inferred easily is that the myxo virus adapted to its environment where it learned to kill fewer rabbits while also allowing the ones infected to live much longer. As a result, a less lethal form of the myxo virus spread to many more rabbits compared to the original myxo virus that infected these European rabbits in the first year (Diamond 210).
1: Why didn't humans stop domesticating and avoid animals even though they threaten humans?
Response: First and foremost, even though we humans would be safer by avoiding contact with animals that already have epidemic level diseases waiting to threaten humanity, we’re really fond of our pets. Anyone will tell you that if they have a pet, despite its inconveniences, they lead a happier life. Moreover, domesticated animals such as cows, sheep and chickens among others provide us daily sustenance in the form of milk, eggs and meat. So, there’s a tradeoff in this sense where we get our food at an increased threat of contracting diseases that have evolved well enough to threaten the wellbeing of humans.
3: Writer expressed the process microbes adapt as 'evolve'. Then, can we divide the same microbes into different groups according to the level of evolution? Also, is there' any difference in symptoms of humans whom affected by different levels of microbes? (For example, in the same time one person affected by low level microbe and another person affected by high level microbe. Will the person affected by high level microbe get more severe symptoms than another?)
Response: Given that each human being, despite having the same anatomy, has differing levels of health that can be either hereditary or what they have worked towards, in terms of a good diet and exercise. Yes, it seems likely that microbes can be divided into different groups according to their level of evolution. One example of this is when a wave of influenza affects a local population where the elderly and children are advised to get flu shots first since their immune system might be far more susceptible to any of these microbes, be it high or low level. It’s definitely safe to say that normal, healthy adults are usually far more resistant to both these types of microbes compared to the elderly and infants. While the latter might suffer severe symptoms in response to being infected by these microbes, the former might not suffer all that much.
3: How can we explain the relationship between microbes and humans?
Response: Without a doubt, both microbes and humans tend to work at cross-purposes. Their function is to survive and propagate their species and which is where humans come in handy as hosts. Of course, this has a bad effect on us, where we fall sick, as the microbes flourish in our body. In other words, as they grow in dominance in their host’s body, this is to the detriment of the host itself. Having said that, and looking at natural selection, it is truly survival of the fittest where microbes and humans are pitted against each other in this constant battle of evolving viruses and their corresponding treatments.
Works Cited
Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs and Steel - The Fates of Human Societies. W.W Norton & Company, 1999. Print.
