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Question 4: Outsourcing Evolution (7)
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Question 4: Outsourcing Evolution (7)

Rajesh Kasturirangan's avatar
Rajesh Kasturirangan
Jul 24, 2012

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This is a question for the biologists. Now that we are learning more about the microbiome and the intimate relation between bacterial species and humans (and presumably other animals as well), I am wondering if the gap between the colonizer and the colonized is even smaller than imagined.

For example, can the host use its microbiome to outsource its own evolution? In other words, can I use my microbiome as a fast and safe sandbox for natural selection, and then import better genetic material once it has been tested? How would one model and test this hypothesis?


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By Rajesh Kasturirangan · Launched 6 years ago
Planetary Thought: How our lives are intertwined with the lives of other beings on this planet, our only home.

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The Form of the World
links for this week's essay
Jun 12, 2019 â€¢ 
Rajesh Kasturirangan
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Being Human in the Age of AI 11
Zooming in after Zooming out
May 28, 2024 â€¢ 
Rajesh Kasturirangan
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Being Human in the Age of AI 11
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Planetary Animals
A slow restart
Aug 1, 2022 â€¢ 
Rajesh Kasturirangan
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