this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2024
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[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I don't know how suitable this is, but I instantly thought of it as sort of comparable to bacteria in the wild, compared to the same bacteria moved to a sterile environment and being fed growth medium. The latter can grow to vastly larger quantities in a comparable area, maybe even in a giant vat. But if there's enough of a problem with the single source of growth medium, some kind of contamination or just no more supply, the whole colony dies. It's a more successful colony, but in a potentially far less stable state unless the conditions can continue to be kept that good.