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This reminds me of the problem of designing digestive tracts for m-dimensional creatures in an n-dimensional ambient space. For example, if Pac-Man had had an a
by yig 7y ago
This reminds me of the problem of designing digestive tracts for m-dimensional creatures in an n-dimensional ambient space. For example, if Pac-Man had had an anus, he would have split in two (without additional biology keeping him together).
- Koshkin 7y ago> keeping him together But note that we too are "split" into a myriad of pieces with nothing but empty space between them.
- thfuran 7y agoBut none of those spaces are nearly as big as your anus. And I take issue with any definition of "empty" that includes interatomic spacing in a liquid. It's not maximally occupied but neither is it empty in any sense that is particularly useful in most contexts. You have to fight the electromagnetic interaction between electrons to put anything more in that space.
- lloeki 7y agoHe could be held together by forces that are not mechanical. Fundamentally that’s what mechanical forces are at a low enough scale: electromagnetic ones. This could apply to 1D too. See Feynman’s video about why he’s not falling down through his armchair.
- eznoonze 7y agoThat is like solving a 2D problem using a 3D technique. Think outside the box. An organism doesn't really need a digestive tract. You can digest/absorb externally.
- hyperman1 7y agoYou want Pacman to puke digested white ball shit? I finally understand why they fade out between levels!
- mdorazio 7y agoAlternatively, your hypothetical digestive tract can split and rejoin around the food being processed as it moves through the tract so that at no point in time do you have an open path from one end to the other.
- ksaj 7y agoI would call this a 2D amoeba. In 3D, they eat and excrete pretty much as you describe.
- dokem 7y agoThe intestinal track could be zipper shaped so two halves but not physically separable.