2 ms·
"Casadevall has argued that C. auris is an example of just the sort of warming-induced adaptation he predicted. In a paper published in the journal mBio, he and
by praptak 3y ago
"Casadevall has argued that C. auris is an example of just the sort of warming-induced adaptation he predicted. In a paper published in the journal mBio, he and two colleagues posited that the fungus has always been out there; only recently, though, under the pressure of climate change, did it evolve to flourish in the hothouse that is the human body."
That's a compelling hypothesis but it needs more evidence. There are mammals cooler than humans (for example sloths with their famously slow metabolism). Do we see a spike in fungal infections in these species?
This could also be tested directly on fungi themselves. Do we see them enduring higher temperatures than previously recorded?
- taneq 3y agoAgreed, easily testable hypotheses like these have generally already been tested and should IMO be presented accompanied by their supporting evidence. In this case it looks like there’s a bit, this was the first thing I found: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8084208/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8084208/
- praptak 3y agoI see the same problem with this article. Speculation on how climate change could breed new pathogens and then a list of new (or newly discovered) pathogens. What's missing is evidence for causality.