Evolution of Disease — Keeping Up with the Plant Killers

Read it on medium (preferred). From ancient fossilized pathogens to AI-designed immune receptors, an inside look at the evolutionary arms race shaping the plants we depend on. This article is adapted from my talk at the Vanderbilt Scopes 2025 meeting, “Keeping up with the plant killers,” given as part of Session IV: The Long Reach of Evolution. Figures noted in the text generally correspond to slides from the original talk. · Genomics — Reading and Rewriting the Book of Life · Plants Save Your Life Every Single Day · The Evolutionary Arms Race Never Ends · Pathogens Break In, Plants Fight Back · Case Study: The Rice Blast Fungus and the AVR-Pik Effector · Homoplasy — Evolution’s Repeated Solutions · Rewinding the Tape — When Evolution Gives a Single Path · Plant vs. Mammal NLRs— Divergent Evolutionary Paths · Turning the Tables — Integrated Domains · From Evolution to Design — Pikobodies and Beyond · Looking Ahead — Evolution as Challenge and Inspiration