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A '''parasite''' is a living organism that depends upon another organism for its continued survival. Parasitism is a form of [[symbiosis]] where the parasite benefits and the host is harmed. While it used to be thought that parasites were very simple creatures generally with little impact on their [[ecosystem|ecosystems]]<ref>"Only now are scientists thinking seriously about how parasites may be as important to ecosystems as lions and leopards."(xxi-xxii) "Carl Zimmer's ''Parasite Rex''</ref>; however, biologists now understand that parasites can be very sophisticated, precisely evolved to take advantage of their hosts and that parasites can have significant effects on their environment and on their host's evolution. A common parasite in humans is [[Toxoplasmosis]]. <ref>Carl Zimmer's ''Parasite Rex''</ref>.  

A '''parasite''' is a living organism that depends upon another organism for its continued survival. Parasitism is a form of [[symbiosis]] where the parasite benefits and the host is harmed. While it used to be thought that parasites were very simple creatures generally with little impact on their [[ecosystem|ecosystems]];<ref>"Only now are scientists thinking seriously about how parasites may be as important to ecosystems as lions and leopards."(xxi-xxii) "Carl Zimmer's ''Parasite Rex''</ref> however, biologists now understand that parasites can be very sophisticated, precisely evolved to take advantage of their hosts and that parasites can have significant effects on their environment and on their host's evolution. A common parasite in humans is [[Toxoplasmosis]].<ref>Carl Zimmer's ''Parasite Rex''</ref>.  

[[Young Earth Creationism|Young earth creationists]] see parasites, along with diseases, as coming about as a result of [[Adam]]'s [[sin]] against [[God]] and are one of the problems that arose on Earth because of the beginning of sin.<ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-c026.html</ref><ref>http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/death_suffering.asp</ref>  For example, [[virus|viruses]] are categorized as [[Obligate Intracellular parasite|obligate intracellular parasites]], and are ‘infectious particles’ rather than organisms.<ref>http://www.trueorigin.org/virus.asp</ref> [[Creation science|Creation scientist]] Dr. [[Jerry Bergman]] asserts that  [[God]] did not make [[Pathogenic virus|pathogenic viruses]] and that it is a result of a post [[Fall of Man|fall]] world.<ref>http://www.trueorigin.org/virus.asp</ref>  Dr. Bergman states that in relation to pathogenic viruses that "[[pathogenesis]] is evidence of something gone wrong, a [[mutation]] or the accidental movement of [[gene]]s, and not evidence of a system deliberately designed to cause human [[disease]] and suffering.<ref>http://www.trueorigin.org/virus.asp</ref>

[[Young Earth Creationism|Young earth creationists]] see parasites, along with diseases, as coming about as a result of [[Adam]]'s [[sin]] against [[God]] and are one of the problems that arose on Earth because of the beginning of sin.<ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-c026.html</ref><ref>http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/death_suffering.asp</ref>  For example, [[virus|viruses]] are categorized as [[Obligate Intracellular parasite|obligate intracellular parasites]], and are ‘infectious particles’ rather than organisms.<ref>http://www.trueorigin.org/virus.asp</ref> [[Creation science|Creation scientist]] Dr. [[Jerry Bergman]] asserts that  [[God]] did not make [[Pathogenic virus|pathogenic viruses]] and that it is a result of a post [[Fall of Man|fall]] world.<ref>http://www.trueorigin.org/virus.asp</ref>  Dr. Bergman states that in relation to pathogenic viruses that "[[pathogenesis]] is evidence of something gone wrong, a [[mutation]] or the accidental movement of [[gene]]s, and not evidence of a system deliberately designed to cause human [[disease]] and suffering.<ref>http://www.trueorigin.org/virus.asp</ref>

In addition, creation scientists point out that the elimination of some parasites cannot be explained vis a vis the [[theory of evolution]].<ref>http://www.icr.org/article/146/</ref><ref>http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/5044</ref> For example, [[Creation Ministries International]] states the following:

In addition, creation scientists point out that the elimination of some parasites cannot be explained vis a vis the [[theory of evolution]].<ref>http://www.icr.org/article/146/</ref><ref>http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/5044</ref> For example, [[Creation Ministries International]] states the following:

{{cquote|Carnivorous [[fish]] such as the Oriental sweetlip and the coral rock cod normally feed voraciously upon [[shrimp]]s and smaller fish. But these photographs show them placidly allowing cleaner wrasse and cleaner shrimp to crawl around tongue, gill chamber and vicious-looking teeth—and the cleaners don’t seem to be at all reticent to enter the ‘jaws of death’. And when the [[wrasse]] and shrimp have finished picking off parasites, the large fish let the cleaners go again without eating them.

{{cquote|Carnivorous [[fish]] such as the Oriental sweetlip and the coral rock cod normally feed voraciously upon [[shrimp]]s and smaller fish. But these photographs show them placidly allowing cleaner wrasse and cleaner shrimp to crawl around tongue, gill chamber and vicious-looking teeth—and the cleaners don’t seem to be at all reticent to enter the 'jaws of death'. And when the [[wrasse]] and shrimp have finished picking off parasites, the large fish let the cleaners go again without eating them.

The ‘cleaning [[symbiosis]]’ benefits both species, but evolutionary mutation/selection can’t explain how it arose. Nobel laureate Albert Szent-Györgi summed up the evolutionary puzzle presented by such symbiotic relationships (he was actually referring to a much simpler relationship between a young herring gull and its parent): ‘All this had to be developed simultaneously [like the cleaner entering the big fish’s mouth at the same time the big fish suspends his ‘normal’ (post-Fall) habit of eating small fish], which as a mutation has the probability of zero. I am unable to approach this problem without supposing an innate drive in matter to perfect itself.’ <ref>http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/5044</ref>}}

The 'cleaning [[symbiosis]]' benefits both species, but evolutionary mutation/selection can’t explain how it arose. Nobel laureate Albert Szent-Györgi summed up the evolutionary puzzle presented by such symbiotic relationships (he was actually referring to a much simpler relationship between a young herring gull and its parent): ‘All this had to be developed simultaneously [like the cleaner entering the big fish’s mouth at the same time the big fish suspends his 'normal' (post-Fall) habit of eating small fish], which as a mutation has the probability of zero. I am unable to approach this problem without supposing an innate drive in matter to perfect itself.'<ref>http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/5044</ref>}}

==See Also==

==See Also==

*[[Homosexuality and Parasites]]

*[[Homosexuality and Parasites]]