this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] confusedbytheBasics@lemmy.world 19 points 3 months ago (12 children)

Don't they usually mutate to less deadly forms? Killing their host isn't exactly a successful strategy.

[–] jjagaimo@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

Cancer is a prime example of op message

Also viruses started somewhere. A lot had to mutate to get them to be so deadly to begin with for deadly ones.

[–] confusedbytheBasics@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Uh... Cancer is not an organism with its own genes. Cancer is you baby, you're just just getting out of control. Viruses sometimes start deadly but they almost always get less deadly over time.

[–] ricdeh@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Not true. As the other commenter noted, bacteriophages (which are viruses) are released from the infected bacterium through the lysis of the bacterium in question. The death of the "host" is literally essential to their multiplication.

[–] confusedbytheBasics@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I stand corrected. Let me adjust my comment. Most viruses, the vast majority, are not deadly to humans. Those that are tend to mutate to become less deadly to humans over time.

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