Recent comments in /f/just_post

WRETCHEDSORCERESS OP wrote

thank you!

I know a few bacterial pathogens can get through mucus at the very least, and those all have some fun ways of doing so. i know one that chemically alters the mucus around it to be less goopey. heliobacter pylori I believe but this is off the cuff

mucus is stuffed full of commensal bacteria though, and thwy provide quite a barrier to most pathogens. on top of mucus being turbo viscous. its sort of like a peace offering of "here you go microbes, go live here and not on my tissues pleas". many microbes can actually eat mucin so theres a minor arms race between the commensal guys and pathogenic bacteria in that regard

so your mucus is this living microbiome! i say commensal but some evidence points to borderline mutualistic symbioses, too! theres some bacteria in there which seem to have really positive health effects. i love mucus i love microbiota i love bacteria

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twovests OP wrote

I've been thinking about this. When I was in my teens, I just assumed everyone thought about things critically, but the capacity for humans to internalize enough facts and to think well precluded them from doing it too well. Now I'm realizing there are people who never think critically.

Maybe I'm being too generous even to think this dude recognizes the hypocrisy. Man

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