no.stupid.answers

Ever notice how there are a lot of “ologies” out there?

You have the obvious ones:

Psychology. Biology. Sociology.

You have the ones that make you think, do I ever need to know about that:

Paleontology. Oceanography. Geology.

You have the courses you took in university as an excuse to be there:

Anthropology. Etymology. Meteorology.

You have the ones that make you shudder:

Scientology.

You have the ones that make you do a double-take:

Speleology.

Well, at least there’s a place where you can learn all about the different ologies. Let’s face it - you never know when you’re going to be out there in snow-capped mother nature and need to know a little something about Climatology.

Everywhere we turn there they are; in the food we eat, the air we breathe and even on our cute pet pugs; no, I am not talking about the cast from High School Musical. I speak of parasites. As long as nature has evolved, parasites have evolved along with it.

So exactly what is a parasite, asks a WikiAnswers user.

A parasite is an organism that benefits from a close, prolonged relationship with another organism - its host - while the host organism is harmed. Examples include tapeworms in the human intestine, mites on a parrot or fungus infesting a maple tree. In all these cases, one species is sucking the life force out of another species.

So, are there any instances where this negative relationship occurs within the same species?

The answer, my fellow humans, is yes. Scientifically referred to as direct intraspecific kleptoparasitism, this type of parasitism is rare in nature but an all too common phenomenon amongst our own kind. Think about those hardworking parents, waiting with outstretched arms, to embrace their Xbox-playing, beer-chugging, Tila-Tequila-quoting, recent college graduates. These parents are so happy and giving, only to find, five years down the line, that their child has no intention of leaving the house with the couch, free laundry service and magical fridge that autofills each week.

What can we do to remedy this problem?

In nature, the rule is kill or be killed: the host or parasite will eventually die. Luckily, tapeworms are destroyed by one prescribed pill from the doctor, parrots get treated with a lethal-mite shampoo and fungus on a maple tree is attacked by toxins in the leaves.

People parasites are, however, different. There is no shampoo that gets your son a job interview or special toxin that oozes out of the Xbox controller when it’s been handled too long.

Perhaps communication is the key? Words are powerful, motivational and life-changing! Like one WikiAnswers user dared ask:

Can you tell your daughter and her children to move out of your house?

Change the locks. Sometimes locks speak louder than words and are a lot healthier than pesticide.

Feeling scientific and economic and biologic today. Which is why I summoned Jim to answer this question today:

How has malaria affected Mexico’s economy?

This question can be answered on the micro level and the macro level. Since I didn’t take Micro or Macro in college I can’t answer it with either of these approaches. Fortunately, I know a lot about growing rooftop gardens, so that will allow me to answer this question without losing a step.

Rainwater collection technologies allow for plants to be grown, and for plants to be grown in new places. For example, the sides of buildings are now open to plant growth, creating a natural insulation and simultaneously cutting down on energy costs.

Recent studies have shown that lower energy costs gives the general populous more money to invest in malaria prevention. Mexico, being one of the world’s leaders in green rooftop growing has seen a huge surplus of funds being invested into malaria research.

To summarize, increased green roof production has led to lower energy costs, a low rate of malaria due to high malaria prevention investments, which in turn has led to more and more healthy people to work on their rooftop gardens.

Therefore the main effect of malaria on the Mexican economy has been the increased number of locally grown organic tomatoes.

This has in turn led to large scale tomato growers to lose their businesses, reducing the taxes they pay to the government. With less tax revenue, Mexico has grown much poorer, resulting in less money to invest in rooftop garden technologies.

This in turn means the general populous has less money to invest in malaria prevention technologies, increasing the malaria infection rate ten fold.

With such a sick population and nobody working, the country has suffered enormously. You see, it’s really a double edged sword.

I also suggest taking micro and macro in college.

-Jim