It is sometimes suggested that microbes such as bacteria and viruses behave deliberately (for example in causing infection). Learners may no appreciate that natural selection leads to species developing behaviours that may seem purposeful without the specimens themselves having any understanding of how their behavior has certain consequences.
Although this should seem unlikely with something as basic as a microbe, there are many examples of statements in public science discourse (such as in journalism) which at face value suggest microbes making deliberate choices of behaviour. For example:
bacteria try to eat natural polyesters
dinoflaggelates use light to try to drive off predators
microbes think about where to live
some strains of bacteria prefer to live in tumours
virus particles hide beneath a cloak
[Please be aware that a word may have different nuances, or even a different meaning, according to context.]« Back to Index
