tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540283839479085577.post865429834655729106..comments2023-06-28T04:54:16.142-07:00Comments on Anthroslug the Much Put-Upon: Pathogens, Colonization, and EvolutionAnthroslughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12455234504938025982noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540283839479085577.post-87307710297843353242010-10-02T16:12:06.040-07:002010-10-02T16:12:06.040-07:00Interesting. From a slightly different perspectiv...Interesting. From a slightly different perspective, Europeans may have had stronger immune systems due to exposure to Asian and African zoonotic diseases. It could be beneficial to compare tropical pathogens (Asia-African to N/S America) and their affect on local cultures. What is the incidence of psittacosis (parrot fever) in tropical Asia compared to tropical America? Establishing that base, what influence did trade traffic have in stimulating immune responses of populations in the temperate regions?<br /><br />Another factor to consider: what were the rat populations in the Americas before the Santa Maria dropped anchor in the Bahamas? I may be mistaken but I don’t recall the Norse migrations having the same devastating effect on indigent populations. Why? Could a potential explanation be that Europe had not been exposed yet to the nastier Asian diseases? The lack of dense population centers in Scandinavia at that time? Perhaps the difference could be as simple as a more arctic route of migration versus the more equatorial direction that Columbus took?RobWritingnoreply@blogger.com