You are so hot! (…when you’re fungal free)
John-the-tourist writes:
Research published in the October 13th online edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases suggests that the reason why warm-blooded animals may have evolved was because fungal diseases can’t stand the heat. The wide-ranging study, covering over 4000 different fungal strains, shows that fungi do not fare well at the body temperatures of mammals and birds. Cooler operating animals (such as amphibians and reptiles) are rife with fungal diseases, while warm-blooded animals suffer from significantly fewer mushroom maladies.
Burning hotter does have a price – we have to eat a lot more than our cold-blooded cousins.
So, the next time you see an attractive person pigging out at the desert table, think to yourself “Ohhh, they are so hot – and free from fungus?!”
More details at EurekAlert.
Image credit: The Frog Store
Tags: Fungal disease, warm-blooded animals
October 21st, 2009 at 5:23 pm
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