• edge [he/him]
    ·
    3 days ago

    How many bacteria have you caused to go extinct?

    Literally none.

    • IzyaKatzmann [he/him]
      ·
      2 days ago

      Maybe a few dozen for me? I think there were some novel mutations in my petri dish in my microbiology lab. I think because I accidentally mixed two different cultures and didn't get a new q-tip. My culture looked way different than my benchmates.

      I didn't tell the TAs and it was graded on participation (we were learning how to swab petri dishes).

      If you consider strains of as bacteria then yeah I am unfortunately guilty in the name of science... But I'm no graverobber like the relatively (in terms of the profession of healing, as physician was the prior term of art) new 'medical doctor' profession.

      Also I do it in the pursuit of knowledge (still not ok) which is better than profit (super not ok, full of contradictions)