02.04.06

Viruses make People fat.

Posted in Evolution, health at 2:04 pm by site admin

An article at Scientific American titled: Study Strengthens Link between Virus and Weight Gain. The article states that certain strains of human and avian adenoviruses make individuals build up more fat cells. Adenoviruses cause a wide range of ailments including chest colds, fevers, pink eye. Researches have yet to determine the exact link between the virus and obesity.

Now the real question is what long-term effects have viruses, or for that matter bacteria, mold, or other organisms, played during human evolution. Aside from the obvious massive deaths causes by outbreaks like the bubonic plague, how do viruses, bacteria, mold, etgc, alter their hosts to ensure their long term survival? There was the article at SciAm titled Gene Swapping Helps Bacteria Adapt which stated that E coli bacteria are able to steal genes (horizontal gene transfer, aka bacteria sex) from other, more well-adapted bacteria. As you might recall, E coli bacteria cause more than food poisioning and other ailments- we have a symbiotic relationship with billions of E coli in our stomach and use them to help digest our food.

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