--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many of the plants that the spider mite…" description: "\"“Many of the plants that the spider mite targets can release hydrogen cyanide when their tissues are breached. This substance is extraordinarily inimic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/ed-yong-14636_concentration-camp_many-of-the-plants-that-the-spider-mite_276285.jpg" --- # Many of the plants that the spider mite targets can… ![“Many of the plants that the spider mite targets can release hydrogen cyanide when their tissues are breached. This substance is extraordinarily inimical to life. Exterminators have poisoned rats with it. Whalers added it to their harpoons. The Nazis used it in concentration camps. But the spider…” quote by Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/ed-yong-14636_concentration-camp_many-of-the-plants-that-the-spider-mite_276285.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/ed-yong-14636_concentration-camp_many-of-the-plants-that-the-spider-mite_276285.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/ed-yong-14636_concentration-camp_many-of-the-plants-that-the-spider-mite_276285.jpg) > ““Many of the plants that the spider mite targets can release hydrogen cyanide when their tissues are breached. This substance is extraordinarily inimical to life. Exterminators have poisoned rats with it. Whalers added it to their harpoons. The Nazis used it in concentration camps. But the spider mite is impervious. One of its genes can make an enzyme that converts hydrogen cyanide into a harmless chemical. The same gene is present in the caterpillars of various butterflies and moths; they, too, shrug at cyanide. Neither the spider mite nor the caterpillars invented the cyanide-busting gene for themselves, nor did they inherit it from the common ancestor. The gene came from bacteria.”” [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Spider mites and some insects possess a bacterial gene that neutralizes cyanide, showing horizontal gene transfer can confer extreme chemical resistance. **In simple terms:** Bacteria‑derived gene lets mites survive cyanide that kills others. Key Takeaway Recognize that traits can be acquired from microbes, not just ancestry. Themes evolution horizontal gene transfer chemical defense adaptation Mood informative concerned Type scientific explanatory When to use this quote - agriculture - pest control - environmental safety Key Concepts bacterial gene acquisition cyanide detoxification insect resilience Questions to Reflect On - What are the ecological impacts of gene transfer? - How can we manage pests with such defenses? A Different Perspective If the gene spreads to pests, it could undermine control methods. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chemical Gene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chemical-gene-2689509/) [Concentration camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camp/) [Concentration Camps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camps/) [Cyanide Spider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cyanide-spider-2689505/) [Cyanide Tissues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cyanide-tissues-2689507/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Hydrogen Cyanide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hydrogen-cyanide-2689506/) [Spider Mite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spider-mite-2689508/) ## Related quotes > [“The experiences of camp life show that man does have a choice of action… There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/the-experiences-of-camp-life-show-that-man-does-have-a-choice-of/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [America is not a wily, sneaky nation. 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Woodrats didn't go looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/most-animals-can-t-tap-into-these-open-source-adaptations/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“Howler monkeys all defecate at the same time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/howler-monkeys-all-defecate-at-the-same-time/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“The variations that exist between the body parts dwarf those that exist between people. Put simply, the bacteria on your forearm are more similar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-variations-that-exist-between-the-body-parts-dwarf-those-that/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“It earns its keep. As it digests HMOs, B. infantis releases short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that feed an infant's gut cells - so while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/it-earns-its-keep-as-it-digests-hmos-b-infantis-releases-short-chain/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“When Hamiltonella's genome was sequenced, the real reason behind the bacterium's protective powers became apparent: about half of its DNA actually belonged to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/when-hamiltonella-s-genome-was-sequenced-the-real-reason-behind-the/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“For one group of wasps, the braconids, transferred genes have enabled a bizarre form of pest control. 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It's a long branching nerve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-team-also-worked-out-how-the-microbes-were-affecting-the-brain/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) [Explore all 46 Ed Yong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) ## More Concentration camp quotes > [“The experiences of camp life show that man does have a choice of action… There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/the-experiences-of-camp-life-show-that-man-does-have-a-choice-of/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [“The only lesson I got pounded into me was about man's limitless capacity for vice - that and the fact that social distinctions vanish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chol-hwan-kang/the-only-lesson-i-got-pounded-into-me-was-about-man-s-limitless/) [Chol-Hwan Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chol-hwan-kang/) > [“Emotion constricted Hawke’s throat. 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Today we can see that he was right. To say that there were concentration camps in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-camus/albert-camus-had-denounced-the-gulag-and-stalin-s-trials-today-we-can/) [Catherine Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-camus/) [Browse all 283 Concentration camp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camp/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Many of the plants that the spider mite targets can release hydrogen cyanide when their tissues are breached. This substance is extraordinarily inimical to life. Exterminators have poisoned rats with it. Whalers added it to their harpoons. The Nazis used it in concentration camps. But the spider mite is impervious. One of its genes can make an enzyme that converts hydrogen cyanide into a harmless chemical. The same gene is present in the caterpillars of various butterflies and moths; they, too, shrug at cyanide. 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