> Evolution is actually a really crappy optimization algorithm...Bacteria work on a faster time scale than animals in terms of evolution, but five orders of magnitude? Somehow, I think we'll win in the long run.
However, it's one that doesn't need an agency to implement it. It just happens. A lot. Especially in the case of bacteria. You have a slow, crappy algorithm, but it's constantly running relentlessly in parallel in many trillions of instances. It doesn't need human attention. It doesn't need investment. It doesn't need society to be aware of its importance.
On the other hand, progress in antibiotics needs all of the above. If one of those things flags a bit, bacteria gain the upper hand. This is the problem.
However, it's one that doesn't need an agency to implement it. It just happens. A lot. Especially in the case of bacteria. You have a slow, crappy algorithm, but it's constantly running relentlessly in parallel in many trillions of instances. It doesn't need human attention. It doesn't need investment. It doesn't need society to be aware of its importance.
On the other hand, progress in antibiotics needs all of the above. If one of those things flags a bit, bacteria gain the upper hand. This is the problem.