Would this be a good idea instead of organ transplants, /sci/?

>>9057834
Parasites are by definition harmful to the organism.

>>9057842
No.
>>9057834
No.

>>9057842

Pfff. No.

Parasites want their hosts to be well. There is evolutionary pressure for them to help their host. There are other forces at work, so its a trade off, but ceteris paribus parasites are on your team biologically speaking.

We already know the human body is in symbiosis with many bacteria. Gut bacteria for example, are necessary for your digestion. There are probably many parasites that are a part of human biology that play crucial biological roles that we just havent discovered.

>>9057834
it would be a good idea if it made any tiny bit of sense.

>>9057866
>>9057890
This is only wiki, but the implication is that parasite cause harm ('at the expense of')
>In biology/ecology, parasitism is a non-mutual relationship between species, where one species, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host.
Symbiosis is not the same as parasitism.

>>9057897

Sure, theres an expense. Ill even concede that most parasites are probably a net negative. But my point still stands that there is evolutionary pressure for parasites to help their hosts.

Like consider that famous cat parasite taxoplasmosis. It makes people more relaxed and less frightened by dangers. We might assume that it makes us too relaxed, and insufficiently fightened by dangers. Why would we make that assumption tho? Taxoplasmosis has been with our species for a long time. Our biology has adapted to it, just like its biology has adapted to us. Individuals without taxoplasmosis would be too anxious and too scared of dangers. People model the circumstance as healthy anatomy negatively impacted by a parasite. Whats probably true, is that the parasite is actually a part of our optimum anatomy that controls fearfulness.

>>9057834
I mean, just spraying them with a magical healing ray that cures all their ailments would be an even better idea, but that's equally impossible with any imaginable technology.

>>9057912
Toxoplasmosis is not a parasite. It's also a disease that can affect childbirth. As I said, by definition, a parasite is harmful. If an organism is not harmful and lives in a mutually beneficial relationship with another organism, the two organisms are symbiotic. This is simply what the words mean.

File: DANK MEME 2017-07-23 at 5.28.19 PM.png (479KB, 1291x756px) Image search: [Google]

479KB, 1291x756px

>>9057927

> Toxoplasmosis is not a parasite.

Why even say this if you are going to be this wrong. What goes through your head when you are this determined to disagree with another internet user.

>>9057927
>Toxoplasmosis is not a parasite.
clearly never taken micro

the rest of what you said about parasite is right, although you're just being semantic.

>>9057890
>>9057866
The word you seek is "symbiotes" and not the comic book type. Parasites can end up killing the host. They give no return for what they take, unlike a symbiot.

>>9057941
>>9057955
>>9057927
"Toxoplasmosis" is the name of the DISEASE caused by the parasite known as "Toxoplasma gondii". It even states that in the first result in your image.

>>9057963
semantics. People don't say they have a Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection, they just say they have gonorrhea. everyone knows what he meant.

>>9057842
This kills the thread