Research diseases or parasites.

Research diseases or parasites. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 9 occupations and seen in 13 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Research biological or ecological phenomena. in Getting Information .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 13 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 12 (92%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

The Anthropic Economic Index observes real AI use on 6 of these tasks, with a mean mapped-usage share of 0.006% per task.

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Evaluate effects of drugs, gases, pesticides, parasites, and microorganisms at various levels. · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · importance 4.6 · exposure with tools
• Investigate diseases or parasites to determine cause and risk factors, progress, life cycle, or mode of transmission. · Epidemiologists · importance 4.3 · exposure with tools
• Identify groups at risk for specific preventable diseases or injuries. · Preventive Medicine Physicians · importance 4.2 · exposure with tools
• Investigate the relationship between organisms and disease, including the control of epidemics and the effects of antibiotics on microorganisms. · Microbiologists · importance 4.1 · exposure with tools
• Investigate cause, progress, life cycle, or mode of transmission of diseases or parasites. · Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists · importance 3.9 · exposure with tools
• Study the mutations in organisms that lead to cancer or other diseases. · Biochemists and Biophysicists · importance 3.7 · exposure with tools
• Conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation, and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings. · Epidemiologists · importance 3.7 · exposure with tools
• Evaluate, diagnose, or treat genetic diseases. · Geneticists · importance 3.7 · exposure with tools
• Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories, diseases, development, genetics, and distribution. · Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists · importance 3.6 · exposure with tools
• Conduct insect or plant disease surveys. · Agricultural Technicians · importance 3.5 · exposure with tools
• Develop or execute tests to detect diseases, genetic disorders, or other abnormalities. · Biochemists and Biophysicists · importance 3.5 · exposure with tools
• Conduct experiments regarding causes of bee diseases or factors affecting yields of nectar or pollen. · Soil and Plant Scientists · importance 2.7 · no direct exposure
• Study reactions of plants, animals, and marine species to parasites. · Biologists · importance 2.7 · exposure with tools

Occupations that perform this

• Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
• Epidemiologists
• Preventive Medicine Physicians
• Microbiologists
• Biochemists and Biophysicists
• Geneticists
• Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
• Agricultural Technicians
• Soil and Plant Scientists

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-research-diseases-or-parasites,
  title  = {Research diseases or parasites.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/research-diseases-or-parasites}
}