The Wisdom of Science

Scientists are among the most intelligent people on the planet.  Of course, this does not always make them among the wisest.  But today I offer an example that exemplifies the highest standards of both intelligence and wisdom.

Background

In biology/ecology, parasitism is a non-mutual symbiotic relationship between species, where one species, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host.

Unlike predators, parasites typically do not kill their host, are generally much smaller than their host, and will often live in or on their host for an extended period.

Parasites reduce host biological fitness by general or specialized pathology, such as parasitic castration and impairment of secondary sex characteristics, to the modification of host behavior. Parasites increase their own fitness by exploiting hosts for resources necessary for their survival, e.g. food, water, heat, habitat, and transmission.

The Discovery

Scientists like Barack Obama so much that they named a parasite after him….World, meet Baracktrema obamai, a deadly turtle pathogen named in honor of our current president.

Scientists and Social Awareness

Believe it or not, it's supposed to be a compliment.

To a scientist, maybe.