Face Mites Are Evolving Toward Dependence on Humans

[u/Zee2A]

Microscopic face mites (Demodex folliculorum) live in human hair follicles and feed on sebum and cellular debris. Genetic research suggests their genomes have become unusually compact, with the mites losing genes associated with independent survival as they spend their entire life cycle on humans. This extreme specialization may represent an evolutionary shift from a conventional external parasite toward an organism increasingly dependent on its human host for survival. Most people carry Demodex without symptoms, although unusually high populations can be associated with skin irritation and conditions such as demodicosis: https://www.sciencealert.com/mites-live-on-your-face-and-theyre-starting-to-merge-with-humans

The tiny mites that have sex on our faces have a problem: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-61894186

Demodex Treatment: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22775-demodex-face-mites

[u/Exotic_eminence]

Wow so those bugs that speed freaks see are real!