Comments on: 4 Parasites We Wouldn’t Mind Hosting, After All

By: BigTex

BigTex — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:21:50 +0000

@GTT – the thing about moving the flies is this – what will keep the fly population in check? do we move their predators up here too if the flies do successfully decimate the ant population? it’s a nice idea, but there’s enough flies as it is…

By: Krick

Krick — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 03:31:08 +0000

I for one welcome our new blepharipa schineri fly overlords

By: Stew

Stew — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 13:47:00 +0000

Actually goinglikesixty is not far off the mark. I just read about a study that said that mold on live christmas trees gets a lot of people sick over the holiday season.

By: Mallory

Mallory — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 18:04:39 +0000

“Oooh, so Mother Nature needs a favor?! Well maybe she should have thought of that when she was besetting us with droughts and floods and poison monkeys! Nature started the fight for survival, and now she wants to quit because she’s losing? Well I say, hard cheese.” –Mr. Burns

As always, everything in life can be summarized by a ‘Simpsons’ quote.

By: goinglikesixty

goinglikesixty — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 16:45:57 +0000

Up Next: Your Christmas Tree Can Kill You.
(live trees with parasites, artificial trees with toxic fumes?)

By: Katherine

Katherine — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:38:25 +0000

I hope that Gypsy Moth biocontrol works, my only worry is that sometimes, when introducing a parasitoid like that, we learn that it prefers to infect native species instead.

Another cool (though definately not lunchtime fodder) therapy to mention is maggot therapy, where maggots are inserted in big wounds. The maggots only consume the dead, necrotic flesh, stimulating blood flow and healing in the healthy flesh. They also secrete antibacterial substances that prevent further infections.

By: Ransom

Ransom — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:31:42 +0000

Bassman,

Good point, though I should’ve mentioned in the article that these “friendly” parasites — as far as we know — aren’t harmful in other ways.

Though it does sound a bit like bioengineering, playing God, etc. Ulp.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:30:13 +0000

I think that, at this point, we’ve moved enough species that moving a few more won’t hurt. Hell, it might even spawn new species with better cures!

And kudos to the worm-therapy scientists.

By: GTT

GTT — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:04:56 +0000

I hate fire ants. I´m all for the pesudacteon!

And this is not about screwing with nature. These bugs are natural enemies. The natural thing would be to let them interact. We screw with nature when we intervene in these processes and the natural balance is thrown out of whack.

By: Jocelyn

Jocelyn — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:58:12 +0000

This reminds me of the Futurama episode in which Fry eats an “egg”-salad sandwich at a truck stop :)