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58 Comments
- badqat, on 03/29/2009, -3/+36What doesn't kill you makes you stronger...the same goes for even the smallest of life forms.
- inactive, on 03/29/2009, -8/+26Drug-resistant bacteria is more proof the war on drugs is a failure. We would not find shampoo in water if smoking marijuana was legal.
- Rapheal99, on 03/29/2009, -1/+16i laughed, then i remembered that they are going to kill US eventually....
- replaysMike, on 03/29/2009, -0/+11but at least they're clean and dandruff free!
- wilf_brim, on 03/29/2009, -1/+8So, now bugglies have developed resistance to quaternary amonium compounds. Well, we are well and truly screwed, since that is the main means most of use use to disinfect. Maybe we should just go back to soap and water and hope for the best.
- wamitch, on 03/29/2009, -0/+7What goes around comes around. Nature is amazingly devious.
- RobotCitizen, on 03/30/2009, -0/+7If we switch to hemp-based shampoo, perhaps we can make the bacteria high, and they'll lose interest in evolving.
- jikmo, on 03/30/2009, -1/+7Actually, the creationists are saying "Poppycock, this is all just alarmist fantasies perpetuated by the yellow liberal media. The bacteria aren't becoming drug resistant because evolution doesn't exist. The bacteria are the same now as they always have been".
- BaphClass, on 03/29/2009, -0/+5The ability for life to adapt to almost anything thrown at it continues to amaze.
- JKount, on 03/29/2009, -0/+5I know quite a few people who aren't contributing to this problem...
- DigitAl56K, on 03/29/2009, -1/+6Creationists: "Poppycock, God saw man killing his beloved bacteria and used his great power to replace them with new, resistant variations. God is pro-life, and so should you be. Ban abortions!"
- Piha, on 03/30/2009, -0/+4And if by some miracle they don't kill all of us it'll make us (survivors) stronger.
Then we can try to kill them with even more powerful shampoo and even softer fabric softners.
ad infinum - whoreable, on 03/30/2009, -1/+5Insert selenium joke here.
- mediahaze, on 03/30/2009, -0/+3That is such a powerfully true statement for the evolution of bacteria. Under stress bacteria have higher rates of mutation which gives their offspring a higher chance to survive in an environment they are maladapted to.
Well said. - mhearne, on 03/30/2009, -0/+2They had it, but they only bathed about once a year.
1. They bathed in the spring before mating.
2. They did not want to remove their "protective" coating.
The Indians thought it was pretty weird that the Pilgrims were starving to death when they were surrounded by food, and that they were dying from disease when there was plenty of fresh running water to bathe in.
Some lessons are learned the hard way, I suppose. - jikmo, on 03/30/2009, -0/+2And when was soap in water common a thousand years ago?
- EMGroup, on 03/29/2009, -0/+2this is actually a bad thing, if this bacteria evolves we could find ourselves and epidemic!
- JITerraza, on 03/30/2009, -0/+2In cancer, the rule "what dosen't kill you makes you stronger" applies in a special way.
First, what is cancer?
There are some harmful radiations (UV rays, X-rays, etc.) and chemicals. You may know them as carcinogenics. When these substances don't kill the cells (and most of them kill many), they just "injure" them. Most importantly, they damage the DNA. Some of the times (in some people), the DNA is specially prone to being altered, or it is already altered since birth in a way that will provoke what I'm about to explain.
Most of the times, this also means eventually the death of these cells, because they're no longer functional or because of some protective mechanisms both the body and the cells themselves have against this (this happens in our bodies every day).
But some of these cells survive, and if the damaged DNA contained information on how to control cell duplication, then the problem starts. If the damaged DNA also triggers some mechanisms that help the cells develop bigger tissues and get nutrients by newly formed vessels, then the problem is really bad. Usually it is by this stage, when these tissues grow enough to be noticeable, that we call it "cancer".
Now, how does the rule apply? Well, from the point of view of the cell, it could be called "stronger". It doesn't have the "weaknesses" other cells have because of being aligned with what the whole body needs. They act on their own, they reproduce as they want, but they provoke havoc in the body because of the space they occupy or because they overproduce hormones or produce toxins. If this made you think about "terrorist cells", "anarchists" (or any other social comparison) you wouldn't be the first one.
Furthermore, some of them are immortal. Some of these immortal cancerous cells lines are being used by science to test drugs, mutations, even cancer itself.
Of course, from the body point of view... it doesn't make it any stronger, and in the long run, if that body dies, those cells will also die... unless some of them are being cultured in some laboratory. - inactive, on 03/30/2009, -0/+2Or get too mellow and demand remote control and couch rights..
- Piha, on 03/30/2009, -0/+2Something to do with dirty hippies perhaps?
Also AFAIK you shouldn't wash dreads ever, so maybe something to do with that one too... - helenkupo, on 03/30/2009, -0/+2I know there are reports of high densities of hermaphroditic fish were the storm sewers drain out into the oceans.
- secrity, on 03/30/2009, -0/+2The article explains it quite fully.
- RenaChan, on 03/30/2009, -0/+2So when you get an infection your going to inject yourself with soap? Lets see what you do if you ever end up getting mersa.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mersa - aFoxy21, on 03/31/2009, -0/+1haha... in the wash...
- mediahaze, on 04/01/2009, -0/+1To answer your question: If the bacteria became deadly to us ( mutated again ) ...what happens is that anyone exposed to the bacteria could become ill and die. However most likely a small portion of the population would be resistant to the bacteria and survive. It is this group who would survive and have their genes carried onto future generations. And so, the human gene pool would be affected( read evolve) as those without right genes would not survive.
Of course, the question is at what cost of human life? - zjbird, on 03/30/2009, -1/+2See, this is why I don't bathe.
- NeoNcP, on 03/30/2009, -0/+1"triggers growth" isn't quite right.
It's killing off non-resistant bacteria, the rest just happens to survive. - bradleyland, on 03/31/2009, -0/+1Yes, but humans who don't die from drug-resistant bacterial will be drug-resistant-bacteria-resistant humans, so it all comes out in the wash.
- mhearne, on 03/31/2009, -0/+1Hemp is not marijuana.
You can't get high on it. - helenkupo, on 03/30/2009, -0/+1Won't we evolve to adapt to live with them?
- slapthemonkey, on 03/31/2009, -0/+1Everything we use is harmful in some way or the other
- Ripa11, on 03/30/2009, -0/+1Wonder if there is a way to make the bacteria resistant to something else or find someway to rotate what its resistant to so that we can at least control the system perhaps delaying the next super bug. Maybe find a way to kill off the drug resistant ones without overdoing it and making them resistant to the solution too, thatd require a ***** load of coordination though and dont think we'll have it until a real killer comes around.
- Super6, on 03/30/2009, -0/+1Serious question, regardless of whether the "weak" bacteria die from antibiotics, wouldn't the resistant ones grow at the same rate? There isn't much resource competition among bacteria, is there? So while the percentage of bacteria that are resistant would increase, would the actual number of infections stay the same? Anti-bacterials don't make the resistant ones grow faster, do they?
- bono4u, on 03/30/2009, -0/+1Wasn't there a report about the american beaches, where they have taken probes which showed high density of antibiotic resistance bacteria? Not only in the sunoil drown sand of the beaches but also in high concentrations in the sea water.
- mjk340, on 03/30/2009, -0/+1Buried as inaccurate, neither the Bible nor the Constitution grant bacteria the right to engage in a fictional evolutionary process.
- FujoGusto, on 03/29/2009, -1/+2I'm already doing my part to help by using deodorant on my hands instead of handsoap.
- pumanegra2012, on 03/30/2009, -0/+1What are the alternatives?
- themagicfetus, on 03/30/2009, -1/+2Finally I have an excuse for not buying shampoo
- supaklaw, on 03/30/2009, -0/+1The Guardian, scaring housewives since 1887.
- schnickerdoodle, on 03/30/2009, -0/+1Respect and nurture your immune system, eat healthy foods, pay attention to the stuff you touch every day, and maybe you'll be fine.
- inactive, on 03/29/2009, -1/+2Even cancer?
- Acrobeles, on 03/30/2009, -0/+1Stop buying antibacterial soaps and cleaners. It doesn't make your hands any cleaner and is just a marketing ploy. It only increases the chances of finding antibiotic resistant bacteria in your home.
- rebeccahappy, on 04/04/2009, -0/+1Scary for sure. The global environmental problems are complex indeed.As individuals we have to be more conscious and intentional in our daily choices.
rh.edbd - inactive, on 03/30/2009, -0/+1Fire
- TheDigitalBug, on 03/30/2009, -0/+0No wonder I suffer from incurable dandruff.
- antycowz, on 03/29/2009, -2/+2Since every organism must adapt to the life of its surrounding environment and we know already that antibiotics cause resistant strains and certain antimicrobial drugs have caused untreatable infections, this should not sound alarming. Why dont we do something about it
- diggdugg35, on 03/30/2009, -0/+0now lets see if toothpaste spreads clean teeth across the U.K.
- iduridur07, on 03/30/2009, -0/+0THE END IS NEAR.....cats and dogs living together...... blah blah
Get some bacteriphages.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteriophage
http://www.bu.edu/today/2009/03/20/slaying-superbu ... - mixmatosis, on 03/29/2009, -3/+3This is some serious *****.
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