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Animals as Chemical Factories

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Re: Animals as Chemical Factories

#11

Post by MrMcCall »

Note that this is another difference between we human beings and the rest of the animals. Yes, non-human animals can take advantage of other animals' chemical factories (ants' use of aphids' sugar excretions come to my mind), but only we human beings can use our abstract conceptual thinking ability and scientific process to discover the nature of nature's chemistry and then put that knowledge to use.

After my first-glance gist of the article, I've been eagerly awaiting mass-produced spider silk for quite some time. I wonder if it will be suitable for usage as thread? Will it be waterproof? Will it have that wonderful flexibility and strength per mass that has been envisioned?

Re: Animals as Chemical Factories

#12

Post by ponector »

exe34 wrote: post #7
benchmarkist wrote: post #5

Yet another instance of how people view the biosphere as a resource to be exploited for their own monetary profit and short-term benefit. That type of logic and thinking is a dead end. I've never had a silk robe and I doubt I would be any better off if I did have one. I'd much prefer clean air, water, and unpoisoned land for growing nutritious food.

we use people as machines to move stuff around and make new stuff. humans are the only creatures that have to pay to live on this planet, if they don't pay, they can't have food/shelter/etc.

And we use people as sex machines, unfortunately.

Re: Animals as Chemical Factories

#13

Post by 082349872349872 »

amelius wrote: post #9

Humans also consume more meat than required to stay alive ... (Before anyone starts to make moral statements)

from the viewpoint of TFA, meat is a way to (very lossily!) harvest the solar input that goes (over summer months, anyway) into extensive grasslands (inedible by humans in its unbred state), and gather that over several years into a package which (no external refrigeration needed!) transports itself to market/slaughter.

Re: Animals as Chemical Factories

#14

Post by smt88 »

MrMcCall wrote: post #11

Note that this is another difference between we human beings and the rest of the animals. Yes, non-human animals can take advantage of other animals' chemical factories (ants' use of aphids' sugar excretions come to my mind), but only we human beings can use our abstract conceptual thinking ability and scientific process to discover the nature of nature's chemistry and then put that knowledge to use. After my first-g…

I first read about industrial use of spider silk literally 25 years ago in Discover Magazine. I'm going to assume it's just never going to make economic sense.

Re: Animals as Chemical Factories

#15

Post by MrMcCall »

kylehotchkiss wrote: post #3

Make EColi Productive Again

TBF, it's been producing all kinds of chemical effects for longer than human beings have existed ;-)

And, now it's proving its survivor's brutally superior intelligence by going from just procreating within our misery, to now tricking us into propagating it willingly and in likely far more beneficial conditions!

Is that our petri dishes softly chuckling?

Re: Animals as Chemical Factories

#17

Post by smt88 »

exe34 wrote: post #7
benchmarkist wrote: post #5

Yet another instance of how people view the biosphere as a resource to be exploited for their own monetary profit and short-term benefit. That type of logic and thinking is a dead end. I've never had a silk robe and I doubt I would be any better off if I did have one. I'd much prefer clean air, water, and unpoisoned land for growing nutritious food.

we use people as machines to move stuff around and make new stuff. humans are the only creatures that have to pay to live on this planet, if they don't pay, they can't have food/shelter/etc.

With the context that "payment" is a way to make labor fungible and labor is expenditure of calories, every creature has to pay to live.

Humans probably spend fewer calories on survival (with better results) and more calories on pleasure than any other species. This is partly thanks to society.

So humans probably "pay" the least of any species just to exist.

Re: Animals as Chemical Factories

#19

Post by 0_____0 »

exe34 wrote: post #7
benchmarkist wrote: post #5

Yet another instance of how people view the biosphere as a resource to be exploited for their own monetary profit and short-term benefit. That type of logic and thinking is a dead end. I've never had a silk robe and I doubt I would be any better off if I did have one. I'd much prefer clean air, water, and unpoisoned land for growing nutritious food.

we use people as machines to move stuff around and make new stuff. humans are the only creatures that have to pay to live on this planet, if they don't pay, they can't have food/shelter/etc.

If squirrels could figure out how to make money I'm sure someone would be happy to charge them rent

Re: Animals as Chemical Factories

#20

Post by MrMcCall »

ponector wrote: post #12
exe34 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

we use people as machines to move stuff around and make new stuff. humans are the only creatures that have to pay to live on this planet, if they don't pay, they can't have food/shelter/etc.

And we use people as sex machines, unfortunately.

"People know the part I'm playing." --"Just a Gigalo" lyrics

And people use most anything in that capacity, Rule #42 is not a theorem, after all.

While the callously selfish oppressive monsters don't care how their victims feel, so long as they get their pleasure. Greed for money and sex are really the same kind of selfish vice. And callousness to the misery of others and heartlessly disrespecting a person's human right to choose what we do with whom they will, are two of the primary drivers of unhappiness upon our Earth today.

Compassion is a balm for all such vices, but we must choose to learn the truth of its importance and then choose to manifest it in our ideals, attitudes, and behaviors. It, like all things human, is within our power, both individually and collectively, but, first, we must give a sh_t.

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