What does hospital sanitation have to do with GMO crops? Well, a lot more than meets the eye.
There are countless parallels between the things we often consider so separate in our world. The way that microscopic cells function and interact is in some cases comparable to the way the individual people interact, the way that countries interact. There are cross-overs within so many disciplines that could expand everyone’s success if we take the time to learn from each other.
There is a theory in microbiology that if you allow spaces for bacteria to thrive, it will regulate the development of highly resistant and dangerous bacteria. This theory particularly relates to hospitals, which have a tendency to be, ironically, over-sanitized. All the good bacteria are killed along with all the bad ones. When all of the good bacteria and the milder bad ones are gone, it opens the door to the bigger, badder bacteria that usually is kept in check. The resistant bacteria are the only ones able to survive in such a sterile environment. We have become so good at killing bacteria, but they will always find a way to persist, to outcompete our chemicals. This is partially why hospitals tend to be breeding grounds for the most dangerous of diseases, the ones that are resistant to our sanitizers, bleach, and vaccines.
This process is not intuitive, but it applies to much more than just bacteria. In agriculture there are crops that are genetically modified (GMOs) to be poisonous to insects. This GMO corn is revolutionary for the reduction of need for otherwise spraying insecticides and is completely harmless to humans. However, our little bug friends are very good at adapting to new threats, just like bacteria. So much so, that within a few of their generations, the insects become almost entirely resistant to the GMO corn. The insecticide in the corn becomes irrelevant to the bugs. This is because the only insects that survived were the ones with the incidental advantage of resistance. These resistant bugs are the only ones that reproduced, generating only offspring that were resistant. You can see how that would quickly become problematic for the farmer who just spent a good amount of time and money on this GMO corn.
The solution is the same as that used in the hospital – create safe havens for the non-resistant pests. By planting interspersed sections of non-GMO corn, there are areas where the insects can thrive and reproduce without needing to develop insecticide resistance. The non-resistant insects here will produce non-resistant babies. It prevents the population from becoming completely dominated by the resistant ones. It delays – if not prevents – the GMO crops from becoming obsolete within a few generations of the insect.
Such drastically different areas of study – aren’t they? Outwardly, hospital sanitation protocols and GMO crop planting have nothing in common. But this is just one small example in which such apparently different issues really are one in the same, can be addressed with the same solution. I would put money on it that there has never been communication between medical workers and farmers on their common problem. But imagine if there was? How much earlier could these problems have been addressed? Could lives have been saved and more people fed?
What I think we often fail to recognize is that most issues have generally common routes. The central dogma of biology is that all life is coded by DNA. We are all a product of the same base material and have the same general ways of responding to things. Our own human psychology is linked to the same behavioral patterns that compel a bear to protect her young, a tree to release chemical signals to protect itself from danger. Conflict within any living thing is met with the same response: adapt, overcome, persist.
And I think that is something to keep in mind when approaching novel issues. Chances are it has occurred somewhere else in some form. Looking for solutions in unexpected places. Thinking outside the box. Thinking outside of your discipline is one of the most critical tools to use. We have the opportunity for so much more success if we realize that there are so many unexpected similarities between complex issues. Nature so often gives us the toolbox to solve problems if we are willing to listen and learn. We so often forget that other people hold so much knowledge and experience to share. As a society, we will accomplish no great success by sticking solely to our corners.
We tend to become so specialized in our fields. While those specializations are important, they allow us to get things done more efficiently – the ability to specialize is the great triumph of humanity. But we can learn a lot by incorporating our specialties. By considering different perspectives on the subjects that we individually love and know. Because the ability to communicate and elaborate on those specializations is the other great triumph of humanity.
I have often joked that I never want to stop going to school. Because there are so many things that I find interesting and want to learn about. I want a master’s in communication, in psychology, in animal behavior, in ocean chemistry, in meteorology and climate studies. Because you can never know the full story of any subject from only one discipline. And the second you stop learning, what else do you do? Honestly, I’m not sure. That’s a question for after I graduate.