The Importance of Coexistance

         An article titled "How Simple Can Life Get? It's Complicated" published in the New York Times addressed an interesting topic. The article in question is located at the following web address: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/science/how-simple-can-life-get-its-complicated.html?ref=science&_r=0. Why is coexistence a more relative topic than minimal genes and how far life can be stripped down and still live? Where do we go from here?
The article "How Simple Can Life Get? It's Complicated" approaches the study and investigation of minimal genes and makes a point of coexistence. The article states that the true essence of life may be more along the lines of coexistence that a hand full of genes. The wisdom behind this thought unfolds throughout the passage. According to the passage, we and other organisms require a certain number of genes to survive. We might not have to have to have all of the genes that we do have, but we still need a certain amount of them. Today a microbe called Tremblaya princeps holds the records for the minimal amount of genes required to survive. It's right to that crown could be contested because this microbe relies on another microbe which in turn relies on the latter, and the both of them rely on an insect that relies on the two to survive. The two microbes and the insect all require each other to survive. Tremblaya may not die if some of its genes are eliminated, but it will die if it is separated from the other things it depends on. Therefore, coexistence is key.
Looking over the evidence I can't do much other than agree. Coexistence is important. As for the thought on the relevance of coexistence over the relevance of minimal genes, I find myself agreeing with this also. The pursuit of the minimal genome was claimed to be a dead end in the article. My thought is that there is still probably something to learn from past investigation of the aforementioned thing. I also believe that there could be a future for the topic and the investigation of it. Should it be dredged up in the future, I'd like to think that maybe the research might be in light of a different cause and be put to use in a different direction. We don't always look in the right place. Being that as it is, maybe there is something to learn from everything. The species with the smallest genomes in the world only survive because they are part of something bigger. We can draw from this knowledge.
We can take the thought of coexistence and apply it to everyone and everything. We, ourselves, bank on a lot of things, including a lot of beings, to help us survive. I've seen and recognized this concept time and time again.