Difference between revisions of "1147: Evolving"
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The title text references this by suggesting that biologists do NOT want bacteria to evolve in this way, as opposed to Pokemon where you put a Pokemon on the "front lines" as much as possible to gain it experience and hope it evolves. | The title text references this by suggesting that biologists do NOT want bacteria to evolve in this way, as opposed to Pokemon where you put a Pokemon on the "front lines" as much as possible to gain it experience and hope it evolves. | ||
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| + | Staphylococcus aureus is a very common bacteria (that under a microscope looks like the xkcd) and is the major cause of staph infections (there are other types of staph bacteria), frequently found in the nostrilis and skin. Hospitals are often plagued with outbreaks of methicillin-resistant staph aureus (MRSA) as it is very difficult to treat as the typical antibiotics do not work on it. | ||
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Revision as of 14:59, 14 December 2012
| Evolving |
 Title text: Biologists play reverse Pokémon, trying to avoid putting any one team member on the front lines long enough for the experience to cause evolution. |
Explanation
In Pokemon, a highly popular game series, the protagonist goes out in search for the eponymous creatures. Many of Pokemon can be found directly in the wild, but there are also a lot of Pokemon that require training and growth, to cause them to "evolve" into new Pokemon. "Evolve" (the game's term) is a misnomer (which had earned itself quite some controversy in the past). In reality, when applied to Pokemon, "evolution" is more akin to puberty or metamorphosis, since, instead of the entire species of Pokemon acquiring changes throughout an extended period of time, one specific member of the species grows instantly to the "higher stage." (To be more specific, the Pokemon glows before transforming into the new form, then stops glowing.) The changes can be quite dramatic...or not.
This comic depicts the "evolution" of a bacteria as observed by a Biologist in the same format as the game Pokemon. Here we have Staphylococcus Aureus, which is not a desirable bacterium (it causes Staph infections) which evolves into "Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus". Methicillin is an anti-biotic. If the bacteria becomes resistant, it means the anti-biotic will not kill the bacteria, and infections become harder to treat. Thus, the observer is not pleased with such an evolution.
The title text references this by suggesting that biologists do NOT want bacteria to evolve in this way, as opposed to Pokemon where you put a Pokemon on the "front lines" as much as possible to gain it experience and hope it evolves.
Staphylococcus aureus is a very common bacteria (that under a microscope looks like the xkcd) and is the major cause of staph infections (there are other types of staph bacteria), frequently found in the nostrilis and skin. Hospitals are often plagued with outbreaks of methicillin-resistant staph aureus (MRSA) as it is very difficult to treat as the typical antibiotics do not work on it.
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This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Please include the reason why this explanation is incomplete, like this: {{incomplete|reason}}If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks. |
Transcript
- [bacterial cell culture]
- What?
- Staphylococcus Aureus is evolving!
- ...
- Off-screen: Aww, crap.
- Staphylococcus Aureus evolved into Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus!
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refresh comments!Discussion
Bacteria can indeed "instantly" evolve within a generation instead of waiting for its descendents. It's called horizontal gene transfer and it's the primary mechanism for the propagation of antibiotic resistance. --Prooffreader (talk) 13:07, 14 December 2012 (UTC)
- Its sentences like that which make Microbiologists my heros. DanB (talk) 14:25, 14 December 2012 (UTC)
Should there be a reference to Arceus (the "ultimate creator Pokémon") here? I do not mean this for making a joke; I just thought that the coincidence can be appropriate here, since the bacteria is called "Aureus". Greyson (talk) 15:48, 14 December 2012 (UTC)
The evolved form looks the same to me. --178.26.121.97 07:54, 15 December 2012 (UTC)
- Because the difference is internal, in antibiotic resistance --JakubNarebski (talk) 11:56, 15 December 2012 (UTC)
The first external link (to the Cephas Ministry tract) seems to be broken. 173.245.56.211 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
When biologists make some sort of drug to counter this, I REALLY hope they call it "The Everstone" 108.162.223.65 12:08, 6 January 2016 (UTC) C
Actually the title text is a valid traning method in Pokemon, called switch-training.We keep a weaker 'Mon in the front, then switch out to stronger one to defeat the Opponent, gaining split Exp.So, Those Microbiologists will still have their bacteria evolving, but at a slower rate.141.101.98.214 11:04, 1 January 2017 (UTC)
I hope none of them were on a Nuzlocke... 141.101.99.185 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
Should've pressed the B button on this one. Fephisto (talk) 13:01, 20 October 2022 (UTC)
