41–50 of 184 posts
shouldn't it be most humans? China and India and most of asia have chilli peppers and so does africa. It is the minority that cannot tolerate chillies. prior to chillies, black pepper, ginger and garlic was used and if used in appropriate quantities gives you a similar result. chillies are just a lot more economical to grow.
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> The plant has evolved capsaicin as an animal deterrent as only birds can disperse chilli pepper seeds while animals digest the seeds. That's a common explanation but the article links to a study that supports another explanation, capsaicin having likely evolved for its antimicrobial properties instead: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0802691105
It is an interesting study but why would an anti-microbial agent act as an animal deterrent. A goat or a monkey would disperse the seeds if not for capsaicin. I feel that there was some evolutionary pressure for selecting against animals consuming the fruit or else only some animals would feel effects of capsaicin and others would not.
I'm trying to find an older paper by him where he goes into peppers more specifically. One thing I remember from it is that he notes that our enjoyment of spicy food is localised. I like the burning sensation of peppers in my mouth, not elsewhere on my body.
[0] https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article...
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I don't like pizza, it literally makes me fat. I enjoy the taste of pizza in large quantities.
The plant has evolved capsaicin as an animal deterrent as only birds can disperse chilli pepper seeds while animals digest the seeds. No other animal other than humans like chilli. Humans are an exception because we cook our food and cooking alters food chemistry in a such way that spices become desirable when mixed with meat or vegetables. You won't be able to eat even 50g of ripe red chillies freshly plucked from t…
I "like" a thing when I get pleasure out of practicing/consuming it in some form.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The plant has evolved capsaicin as an animal deterrent as only birds can disperse chilli pepper seeds while animals digest the seeds. That's a common explanation but the article links to a study that supports another explanation, capsaicin having likely evolved for its antimicrobial properties instead: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0802691105
It is an interesting study but why would an anti-microbial agent act as an animal deterrent. A goat or a monkey would disperse the seeds if not for capsaicin. I feel that there was some evolutionary pressure for selecting against animals consuming the fruit or else only some animals would feel effects of capsaicin and others would not.
Evolution just works on chance mutations and capsaicin is just what chilli peppers happened to start producing. Maybe if they happened to make penicillin instead they'd be better off, but they just do with what they have and that is capsaicin. They were just lucky that birds and humans tolerate capsaicin.
Why do we need a study for something that obvious ? The answer is simple... They make good music. Edit: forgot you are not supposed to joke on HN
Is there some secret trick to avoid trouble the day after?
Not connecting the eating with the subsequent suffering.
Maybe he has a better understanding of the risks and rewards than I gave him credit for.
I thought the author would revisit the 90s discovery of "supertasters," people who have a heightened sense of taste. (People who like hot peppers usually have a diminished taste sensitivity and are not supertasters.) https://apnews.com/article/ee0a2d08c57a937913c86f53541d0e80 https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/accounting-for-taste/