The secret lives of mites in the skin of our faces

Gengar

Gengar

male gaze victim
Staff
Joined
Oct 25, 2018
Posts
119,179
Reputation
161,457
Microscopic mites that live in human pores and mate on our faces at night are becoming such simplified organisms due to their unusual lifestyles that they may soon become one with humans, new research has found.

The mites are passed on during birth and are carried by almost every human, with numbers peaking in adults as the pores grow bigger. They measure around 0.3mm long, are found in the hair follicles on the face and nipples, including the eyelashes, and eat the sebum naturally released by cells in the pores. They become active at night and move between follicles looking to mate.
The first ever genome sequencing study of the D. folliculorum mite found that their isolated existence and resulting inbreeding is causing them to shed unnecessary genes and cells and move towards a transition from external parasites to internal symbionts.
Dr Alejandra Perotti, Associate Professor in Invertebrate Biology at the University of Reading, who co-led the research, said: "We found these mites have a different arrangement of body part genes to other similar species due to them adapting to a sheltered life inside pores. These changes to their DNA have resulted in some unusual body features and behaviours."
The in-depth study of the Demodex folliculorum DNA revealed:
  • Due to their isolated existence, with no exposure to external threats, no competition to infest hosts and no encounters with other mites with different genes, genetic reduction has caused them to become extremely simple organisms with tiny legs powered by just 3 single cell muscles. They survive with the minimum repertoire of proteins -- the lowest number ever seen in this and related species.
  • This gene reduction is the reason for their nocturnal behaviour too. The mites lack UV protection and have lost the gene that causes animals to be awakened by daylight. They have also been left unable to produce melatonin -- a compound that makes small invertebrates active at night -- however, they are able to fuel their all-night mating sessions using the melatonin secreted by human skin at dusk.
  • Their unique gene arrangement also results in the mites' unusual mating habits. Their reproductive organs have moved anteriorly, and males have a penis that protrudes upwards from the front of their body meaning they have to position themselves underneath the female when mating, and copulate as they both cling onto the human hair.
  • One of their genes has inverted, giving them a particular arrangement of mouth-appendages extra protruding for gathering food. This aids their survival at young age.
  • The mites have many more cells at a young age compared to their adult stage. This counters the previous assumption that parasitic animals reduce their cell numbers early in development. The researchers argue this is the first step towards the mites becoming symbionts.
  • The lack of exposure to potential mates that could add new genes to their offspring may have set the mites on course for an evolutionary dead end, and potential extinction. This has been observed in bacteria living inside cells before, but never in an animal.
  • Some researchers had assumed the mites do not have an anus and therefore must accumulate all their faeces through their lifetimes before releasing it when they die, causing skin inflammation. The new study, however, confirmed they do have anuses and so have been unfairly blamed for many skin conditions.
The research was led by Bangor University and the University of Reading, in collaboration with the University of Valencia, University of Vienna and National University of San Juan. It is published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.
Dr Henk Braig, co-lead author from Bangor University and the National University of San Juan, said: "Mites have been blamed for a lot of things. The long association with humans might suggest that they also could have simple but important beneficial roles, for example, in keeping the pores in our face unplugged."

 
  • +1
  • Woah
  • JFL
Reactions: aspiringexcel, Heinrich Schmidt, Deleted member 68502 and 2 others
Caged, incels don't have sex but the mites living on us are. Joever. :feelskek::feelskek::feelskek:
 
  • JFL
  • So Sad
  • +1
Reactions: Sprinkles, lemonnz, aspiringexcel and 4 others
The mites are passed on during birth and are carried by almost every human, with numbers peaking in adults as the pores grow bigger. They measure around 0.3mm long, are found in the hair follicles on the face and nipples, including the eyelashes, and eat the sebum naturally released by cells in the pores. They become active at night and move between follicles looking to mate.
These little fuckers are having sex on my skin (no condom btw) meanwhile I rot. Mogged by mites.
 
  • JFL
Reactions: Sprinkles, Gengar and Deleted member 68502
These little fuckers are having sex on my skin (no condom btw) meanwhile I rot. Mogged by mites.
I've been a dateless KHHV for 28 years (and counting) and these bastards were fucking the moment I was born. How brutal life is, and indeed, lifemog by mites is beyond brutal.
 
  • JFL
Reactions: Sprinkles and TechnoBoss
See if they still have sex if i pour Hydrochloric acid in my face
 
  • JFL
Reactions: The Peoples Champ, coispet, TechnoBoss and 1 other person
These little fuckers are having sex on my skin (no condom btw) meanwhile I rot. Mogged by mites.
however, they are able to fuel their all-night mating sessions using the melatonin secreted by human skin at dusk.
JFL. They fuck all night and I rot all night. :feelswah::feelswah::feelswhy::feelswhy:
 
  • JFL
  • Woah
Reactions: coispet and TechnoBoss
I've been a dateless KHHV for 28 years (and counting) and these bastards were fucking the moment I was born. How brutal life is, and indeed, lifemog by mites is beyond brutal.
JFL. They fuck all night and I rot all night. :feelswah::feelswah::feelswhy::feelswhy:
They don't even give me us any benefit either. Fucking parasites. The Chad mites are living rent free and I can't even wash them off. :feelswah:
 
  • JFL
Reactions: Gengar
They don't even give me us any benefit either. Fucking parasites. The Chad mites are living rent free and I can't even wash them off. :feelswah:
Mighty mite mog. :feelsgiga::feelsgiga:
 
  • JFL
Reactions: TechnoBoss
473ffa2c 6331 4876 97a0 af5d601ddc65
 
gas the mites, face war now!
 
  • JFL
Reactions: Gengar

Similar threads

nuttheb
Replies
15
Views
461
nuttheb
nuttheb
DR. NICKGA
Replies
4
Views
109
BimaxLaser
BimaxLaser
monecel
Replies
36
Views
752
monecel
monecel
enchanted_elixir
Replies
197
Views
6K
enchanted_elixir
enchanted_elixir

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top