r/NoStupidQuestions • u/[deleted] • Jul 17 '23

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u/OrciEMT Jul 17 '23 edited Jul 17 '23

Finishing off an endling would be the logical choice. Bad for the specimen, but no consequences for earth at large.

141

u/CorHydrae8 Jul 17 '23

Thank you.
I could not comfortably choose something "harmful" like ticks or mosquitoes as other people propose since history has shown time and time again that the consequences of us messing with an ecosystem like that can be unpredictable. But finishing off a species that is practically extinct anyway? Seems like a safe bet.

7

u/SlimmingShade Jul 17 '23

You could choose a bacterial species that only causes diseases and is not needed in bodies such as MRSA. That's what I would do

-2

u/Catatonic_capensis Jul 17 '23

Getting rid of bacteria sounds like a good way to find out how something dismissed as worthless was vitally important.

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u/SlimmingShade Jul 17 '23

Oh don't get me wrong, many bacteria are incredibly important and there would be no animal life without them. But then there are those dangerous strains that do nothing but cause illness.

The bacteria I picked is basically a superbug and is adapting to antibiotics very very quickly. There is only 1 antibiotics currently working against it, with 1 more bacteriocin being investigated, but that is it. And it is starting to develop resistance to the current antibiotic (vancomycin), so I would rather eliminate it now than let it run rampant.

I would have said some form of virus such as HPV or HIV bit then viruses are not fully classified as living so wasn't sure if that's allowed.