Submitted 4 days ago by xkcdbot@lemmy.world [bot] to xkcd@lemmy.world
https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/archaea.png
Title text:
Under the two-domain system, anyone who punches you is technically an Archaean pathogen.
Transcript:
Transcript will show once it’s been added to explainxkcd.com
Source: xkcd.com/3095/
I asked my professor about this. He said there are hypotheses, but no conclusion. The most likely explanation , he said, might have something to do with archaea being closer to us than bacteria in the evolutionary tree.
But there are eukayotic parasites. They are even closer to us. This on its own is not an explanation.
I was wondering if it maybe has to do with the ecological niche of many of these archaea. They have evolved to live in conditions that are simply not accessible to other organisms which means they have no need to defend their nutrient sources/love off other organisms. Just a thought though
they probably dont produce toxins that harm humans in our gut, or skin, or nasal biomes like bacteria. also furhtermore bacteria have other ways to infiltrate cells
FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 days ago
Do archea harm other mammals? Other vertabrates? Other animals? Why is it a suprise they don’t harm humans?