Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ant parasites that prolong the life of their host

theatlantic.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 82 posts

Re: Ant parasites that prolong the life of their host

#41

Post by Pfhreak »

proxyon wrote: post #38
Pfhreak wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let people enjoy things. If you don't like the Kardashians, fine. I don't either. But clearly some folks do and are willing to help propel them to fame (or notoriety). I know your comment is being glib, but it's emblematic of HN crowds saying, "I don't like this thing, therefore this thing is funny/bad." It costs you nothing to post your comment and just let people like the things they like.

Let people criticize things. I doubt you'd apply your comment toward your favorite political pet causes. Why are the Kardashians the one thing in our society that is not allowed to be criticized? This whole "let people enjoy things" is cynical, usually coming from the types of people who don't let anyone enjoy anything unless it is degenerate and mind-rotting.

> Why are the Kardashians the one thing in our society that is not allowed to be criticized?

They aren't, and I didn't say that. You can criticize the Kardashians all you want. Saying, effectively, "Kardashians are like these ant parasites, amirite guys?" isn't critique.

> I doubt you'd apply your comment toward your favorite political pet causes.

I think you dramatically underestimate how much I enjoy being critical of things I support, in fact much, much more so than things I oppose. Things I oppose I find easy to not discuss and write off/move past, generally.

> This whole "let people enjoy things" is cynical, usually coming from the types of people who don't let anyone enjoy anything unless it is degenerate and mind-rotting.

Let people enjoy things comes from a space of "We're all from different backgrounds, who are you to be the arbiter of what's fun?" Whether you are a furry or a larper or a reality tv show junkie or a gun nut.... who the fuck am I to tell you that you can't enjoy that? Obviously, there are limits when other people are involved (like, no, it's not an endorsement of enjoying murdering people), but I'm not out here trying to say that only lowest common denominator things are allowed.

Re: Ant parasites that prolong the life of their host

#42

Post by Ericson2314 »

codeflo wrote: post #21

Not a biologist, but my impression is that in some of ways, individual ants behave more like cells in a multi-celled organism than individual animals. The hive is the organism. (The analogy is certainly not perfect.) Considering that, I don't find this paradoxical at all, still very fascinating. Please correct me if my understanding is wrong, but I think cancer also in some sense helps the individual cell at the cost…

Yes this is basically cancer, minus the "middle class" ants being infertile. There are virus-induced cancers too, which we should probably reconsider as a form of selfish mutualism in light of this.

Re: Ant parasites that prolong the life of their host

#43

Post by vmception »

mrfusion wrote: post #3

Plot twist. What if wealthy humans are infected with these?

Not really pointing at wealthy humans but I would wager that there are a variety of probable microbe combinations that predictably influence human behavior

Between toxoplasmosis from cats that give us more affinity to them at the expense of human relationships, and other unknown gut microbes, its very likely that even selfish behaviors or perhaps empathy are driven by these things

Adds another dimension to the “nature” part of the nature vs nurture observation

Re: Ant parasites that prolong the life of their host

#44

Post by lisper »

codeflo wrote: post #21

Not a biologist, but my impression is that in some of ways, individual ants behave more like cells in a multi-celled organism than individual animals. The hive is the organism. (The analogy is certainly not perfect.) Considering that, I don't find this paradoxical at all, still very fascinating. Please correct me if my understanding is wrong, but I think cancer also in some sense helps the individual cell at the cost…

> The analogy is certainly not perfect

Why not? Because this is exactly right.

Note that all sexually reproducing organisms are like this: a single individual cannot reproduce. And for social animals like humans, a single mating pair cannot reproduce in the wild. (If you doubt this, watch a couple of episodes of "Naked and Afraid.) The minimal viable reproductive unit for humans is a tribe or village of a few dozen individuals.

Re: Ant parasites that prolong the life of their host

#46

Post by sidpatil »

felipemnoa wrote: post #28
jaywalk wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless the people around them behave like the uninfected ants and just worship them 24/7.

I know a guy who elicits this sort of worship here in the USA.

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=lord%20zipacna%20el...

Re: Ant parasites that prolong the life of their host

#47

Post by spankyspangler »

Pfhreak wrote: post #41
proxyon wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let people criticize things. I doubt you'd apply your comment toward your favorite political pet causes. Why are the Kardashians the one thing in our society that is not allowed to be criticized? This whole "let people enjoy things" is cynical, usually coming from the types of people who don't let anyone enjoy anything unless it is degenerate and mind-rotting.

> Why are the Kardashians the one thing in our society that is not allowed to be criticized? They aren't, and I didn't say that. You can criticize the Kardashians all you want. Saying, effectively, "Kardashians are like these ant parasites, amirite guys?" isn't critique. > I doubt you'd apply your comment toward your favorite political pet causes. I think you dramatically underestimate how much I enjoy being critical…

Well said. HN likes to think of itself as a paragon of virtue and goodness, but it's a thinly layered veneer on top of a lot of bullying, nastiness, envy, and hate and fear of the unknown and those who are different.

Your reasonable live and let live comments are downvoted, while the absolutely pointless and off-topic empty vitriol bullying some completely unrelated people in a topic supposed to be about a scientific discovery is not. Amazing.

Re: Ant parasites that prolong the life of their host

#48

Post by taneq »

axiomdata316 wrote: post #18

>"The tapeworm-laden ants didn’t just outlive their siblings, the team found. They were coddled while they did it. They spent their days lounging in their nest, performing none of the tasks expected of workers. They were groomed, fed, and carried by their siblings, often receiving more attention than even the queen—unheard of in a typical ant society—and gave absolutely nothing in return." I wonder if there is a huma…

It sounds more to me like these ants were treated the way we treat disabled humans.

Re: Ant parasites that prolong the life of their host

#49

Post by taneq »

andy_ppp wrote: post #45

I’ve thought humans have been a plot for the microbiome to procreate for a while now, in essence you’re just a safe place for various bacteria to keep you alive. Have no illusions about how important they think you are ;-)

We're starships for mitochondria. :)

Re: Ant parasites that prolong the life of their host

#50

Post by YeGoblynQueenne »

>> The worms’ MO is subtle and ingenious. They are agents not of disaster, but of an insidious social sickness that sets reality only slightly, barely perceptibly, askew. Infected workers get a taste of invincibility and status, swaddling themselves in youth and the benefits it brings. They also form resource sinks that sap the energy of those around them. They become echoes of the microorganisms they harbor. They are, in the end, parasites themselves.

Wait this is a parable, right? The ant colony is human society, the worker ants is all of us and the parasitissed ants are the celebrities that we feed and adore and give nothing back except feelsies.

Post reply on HN