>Pete, I'm not understanding why you said this, as I know that you are well
>aware of the short interfering RNA antiviral immune response of insects,
>including bees.

In comedy it's called a set-up, where one guy acts dumb so the other guy can get the big laugh. 
(Abbott and Costello?)

But seriously, do we really know enough about the "short interfering RNA antiviral immune response 
of insects" to say what value it really has? I mean, bees get viruses, get sick and die, so it isn't 
working 100% in any case. 

In fact, here's just another example of the Red Queen Race, where the cell adapts to protect itself 
from the virus, and the virus adapts to get past the defense. Come to think of it, it's sort of like a 
soccer game...

Anyway, I highly recommend the latest issue of "Seed Magazine". The cover story is the "Hive Mind" 
which goes into great detail about the controversy whether there is such a thing as group evolution, 
or if is really just the result of so many individuals adapting in essentially the same way to the same 
challenges, making it appear as if it were "the group" adapting. 

Think about it, in the final analysis it is the individual (the queen) that gets mated and creates the 
next generation. And even if we accept non-related bees cooperating within the colony, non-related 
colonies will kill each other in a heartbeat.

pb

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