3 ms·
There’s another form of bacterial memory that is actually part of their immune system protecting against phages (viruses that attack bacteria). The bacteria cu
by dopylitty 3y ago
There’s another form of bacterial memory that is actually part of their immune system protecting against phages (viruses that attack bacteria).
The bacteria cut up the phage genome when they’re first attacked and (if they survive) store pieces in their own genome. Then when they detect the phage genes again they produce anti-phage defenses.
The system is called “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats”. It’s also known as CRISPR (better known for other work :)
- bitwize 3y agoI find it interesting how the literal antivirus mechanism used by those bacteria resemble antivirus software: have a repository of virus-code signatures that are checked against.
- mrguyorama 3y agoHow else would you build such a system? It's probably easier than evolving a way to execute DNA/RNA in a sandbox or heuristically evaluating it. Life already had a reliable, extendable, self managing database system, so easier to repurpose that!
- flawn 3y agobrought back school memories! yeah, that mechanism is pretty fire.