Evolution of Complexity: Can Organisms Develop Immunity to Drugs Over Time?

[misskitty]

Wouldn't immunity be another way to become more complex?

 

[Phobos]

Thats my point, I think given enough time you will see an increase in maximum complexity of atleast one kind of life, if not more, don't you agree?

Yep, I think we all agree that complexity can increase over time...I think we're just being careful not to imply that a certain degree of complexity (or a certain direction) is a necessary outcome or that all life will do this (since most life is still less "complex").

Wouldn't immunity be another way to become more complex?

Certainly. Competition with other species, particularly species that directly attack you, is a great way to ramp up natural selection. Not that N.S. creates complexity...rather it can more quickly sort through the existing variations of a population and bring better-adapted (e.g., better immunity) traits to the forefront of the population.

 

[Gold Barz]

Yep, I think we all agree that complexity can increase over time...I think we're just being careful not to imply that a certain degree of complexity (or a certain direction) is a necessary outcome or that all life will do this (since most life is still less "complex").

I sincerely think that complexity probably/likely increases over time. But the number of more complex life will narrow while it's complexity increases, don't you think?

 

[misskitty]

Certainly. Competition with other species, particularly species that directly attack you, is a great way to ramp up natural selection. Not that N.S. creates complexity...rather it can more quickly sort through the existing variations of a population and bring better-adapted (e.g., better immunity) traits to the forefront of the population.

I know that there are certain strains of viruses or illnesses that the human race has become immune to...or most of it. That would mean that the human race continues to grow in complexity, wouldn't it?

 

[misskitty]

I sincerely think that complexity probably/likely increases over time. But the number of more complex life will narrow while it's complexity increases, don't you think?

Maybe. There will porbably always be a spectrum of least to most complex. It might narrow a little bit. I can't see it narrowing by much though.

 

[misskitty]

This is related to the immunity I was talking about. Would it be possible for a person to develop and immunity to a drug? For example, a person undergoing chemotherapy becomes immune to the chemo so it stops working. How long would that take to happen?