3 ms·
Viruses undergo natural selection too. A virus that's less lethal has the host as a virus factory for longer. A virus with less overt symptoms is more readily s
by pasquinelli 7y ago
Viruses undergo natural selection too. A virus that's less lethal has the host as a virus factory for longer. A virus with less overt symptoms is more readily spread to new hosts.
- totalZero 7y agoThe counterexample to this line of thinking is a lethal virus with a lengthy incubation period that can transmit while the host is asymptomatic.
- pasquinelli 7y agoThat's the history of syphilis if i understand correctly. It started out as a serious plague that covered its host in oozing sores and killed them in a couple months, now its symptoms are much less severe and it kills in a matter of decades.
- fxj 7y agoYou just described HIV.