> And importantly, pathogens that cause fatal diseases are typically not very old in evolutionary time scales, it’s generally considered to be a bad idea evolutionarily speaking to kill hosts you infect, and most of these pathogens are considered to be in the path towards evolving into more benign invaders of their hosts.
How sad that chatgpt does a better job than most of the commenters here.
>> ChatGPT: There are a few issues with this:
The statement that "Any pathogen that currently still causes disease by definition has to code multiple specialized workarounds that hack these immune responses" is not entirely accurate. While many pathogens have evolved strategies to evade or suppress the immune system, not all pathogens rely on these mechanisms to cause disease. Some pathogens may cause disease by producing toxins, disrupting host tissues, or interfering with cellular processes, without necessarily having to evade the immune system.
The claim that "pathogens that cause fatal diseases are typically not very old in evolutionary time scales" is not necessarily true. While some pathogens that cause fatal diseases may be relatively new, others have been around for a long time and have co-evolved with their hosts. For example, malaria is caused by a protozoan parasite that has been infecting humans for millions of years.
The statement that "it’s generally considered to be a bad idea evolutionarily speaking to kill hosts you infect" is an oversimplification. While it is generally true that pathogens that kill their hosts too quickly may be less successful at spreading to new hosts, this is not always the case. Some pathogens may benefit from causing rapid, severe disease if it increases the likelihood of transmission to new hosts.
The claim that "most of these pathogens are considered to be in the path towards evolving into more benign invaders of their hosts" is also not entirely accurate. While it is possible for some pathogens to evolve to become less virulent over time, this is not a universal trend, and many pathogens may continue to cause severe disease for extended periods of time. Additionally, the evolution of a pathogen is influenced by a wide range of factors, including the host population, the environment, and the selective pressures imposed by the immune system.
No single statement I made was absolute for a reason which is that exceptions exist, and while what gpt wrote is quite amazing you can see how you can’t trust it yet. I’m not communicating to an audience that’s well versed in immunology, but to one that’s new to it. Exposing them to some common ideas and thoughts of why biological systems are the way they are to give them better understanding without overloading them with the vagaries of biological variety.
The reply from the bot sounds more like the smug 1st year graduate student sitting at the back of the lecture who thinks they’re smart because they made a technically correct counter point. Technically correct yes, but you won no fans here for sure.
This isn't necessarily true. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/debunking-idea-viruses-evolve-...
How sad that chatgpt does a better job than most of the commenters here.
>> ChatGPT: There are a few issues with this:
The statement that "Any pathogen that currently still causes disease by definition has to code multiple specialized workarounds that hack these immune responses" is not entirely accurate. While many pathogens have evolved strategies to evade or suppress the immune system, not all pathogens rely on these mechanisms to cause disease. Some pathogens may cause disease by producing toxins, disrupting host tissues, or interfering with cellular processes, without necessarily having to evade the immune system.
The claim that "pathogens that cause fatal diseases are typically not very old in evolutionary time scales" is not necessarily true. While some pathogens that cause fatal diseases may be relatively new, others have been around for a long time and have co-evolved with their hosts. For example, malaria is caused by a protozoan parasite that has been infecting humans for millions of years.
The statement that "it’s generally considered to be a bad idea evolutionarily speaking to kill hosts you infect" is an oversimplification. While it is generally true that pathogens that kill their hosts too quickly may be less successful at spreading to new hosts, this is not always the case. Some pathogens may benefit from causing rapid, severe disease if it increases the likelihood of transmission to new hosts.
The claim that "most of these pathogens are considered to be in the path towards evolving into more benign invaders of their hosts" is also not entirely accurate. While it is possible for some pathogens to evolve to become less virulent over time, this is not a universal trend, and many pathogens may continue to cause severe disease for extended periods of time. Additionally, the evolution of a pathogen is influenced by a wide range of factors, including the host population, the environment, and the selective pressures imposed by the immune system.