The author doesn't understand evolution, parasites, or smart phones.
this post was submitted on 02 Jun 2025
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Evolution doesn't have anything to say about parasites. It's simply outside its definition (though an actual biologist is free to correct me on that thought). It's not "evolutionary biologists" that define the definition of parasite they're using, it's just the basic definition of parasite.
Parasites are defined as an organism which obtains its nutrients from a host among other things, which cell phones can't be because they aren't organisms.
If you were being metaphorical as everyone has a right to be you wouldn't tack on the "evolutionarily" and specifically frame the definition under actual biological terms.
Cell phones also offer benefits for the relationship so it's not parasitical, it's symbiotic. Symbiotic relationships may be more or less mutually beneficial. They talk about this in the article, of course, but they can't undig the hole they already dug.
Therefore the author does not understand evolution, parasites, or cell phones and just wanted to slap in some buzzwords to get clicks on their article that says phones are bad.
A quick google search https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1000524 "As a group, parasites are extraordinarily diverse ... Underlying this diversity is evolution."
I understand the definition of organism is notoriously problematic. Under the definition given in schools, fire is an organism.
I'm not stating a viewpoint (I'm not qualified), but I think it's much more complex than this.
It's not.
Your school sucked.
You just did.
alright alright, no need to get uppity
I understand the definition of organism is notoriously problematic. Under the definition given in schools, fire is an organism.
What the hell did your school define it as that is different from a traditional dictionary? 🤨
Organism: an individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form.
maybe it was life, not organism (is there a difference?): the seven characteristics https://assets.cambridge.org/97805216/80547/excerpt/9780521680547_excerpt.pdf
Nonsense.
hey, i'm a proud parasite host, I have 2 folding rigs, a desktop, and a game server I serve as a host for, as well as a couple of laptops, a phone, and a tablet, hell my job is to tend to work parasites so that others can experiment on them to make new parasites!
More parasite-like parasites are coming in the near future.