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I live in California, and received a suspicious bag of seeds in the mail after ordering something from Amazon. Happened about one month ago. The seeds were sent

by meter 6y ago

I live in California, and received a suspicious bag of seeds in the mail after ordering something from Amazon. Happened about one month ago. The seeds were sent in their own small package, with Chinese characters on it. I had heard about these types of shipping scams, but had never experienced it personally until this. I was so intrigued that I immediately planted the seeds for fun (I think they’re cucumbers). I now realize that I was extremely ignorant. I wasn’t aware of the danger of invasive species. Maybe I’m paranoid, but I decided to rip up the plants and throw them away.

rubans 6y ago
> Maybe I’m paranoid, but I decided to rip up the plants and throw them away. Now they can start growing in a landfill somewhere.
- mikro2nd 6y ago
  Pretty unlikely. GP "thinks they were cucumbers". If the plant was already fruiting, there'd be no doubt, so we conclude that the plants were still quite young. No fruit, no seed. No hazard. They're just going to be compost.
minerjoe 6y ago
> danger of invasive species For a good counter to all the "invasive biology" craze see: https://www.amazon.com/Invasion-Biology-Pseudoscience-David-Theodoropoulos/dp/0970850417 https://www.amazon.com/Invasion-Biology-Pseudoscience-David-... He raises many good points. Much damage to the eocology has been done in removing "invasive" species. Now, diseses, those can really devestate. I'd love to still have our (US) chestnut forests.
- wow_no 6y ago
  I’d like to still have American manufacturing jobs
- stareatgoats 6y ago
  Thanks. I'm somewhat skeptical of the "invasive biology" scare too and would like to collect literature on the subject. Unfortunately I can't afford to buy every book on the subject ("buy used: $336.82", whats up with that?), but I did find a book review which gave a good summary I think: https://www.publish.csiro.au/pc/pdf/PC040070 https://www.publish.csiro.au/pc/pdf/PC040070 He does seem to take an extreme position, but it is sometimes beneficial to take in an extreme counterpoint in order to find the reasonable "middle" ground.
- _Microft 6y ago
  I research about sources (both publications and authors) to see what credence I should lend them. The little I could find out about this book was a review at [0] that concludes with "I would not recommend this book to those beginning a study of Invasion Biology. It is a polemic presumably aimed at the practitioners of what the author holds is a pseudoscience, and perhaps also at policy‐makers." Make of that what you will. [0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4242384/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4242384/
ficklepickle 6y ago
Yes, you are being paranoid. But, from the look of these comments, you aren't alone. The general consensus here seems to be a plausibly-deniable CCP bio-terror plot. What is more likely: review scam or elaborate bioterrorism with an easily detectable, unreliable distribution mechanism? Never mind the complete lack of proposed harm. What is the evil plot? Destruction of the US cucumber industry? Contrast that with the flood of fentanyl, which was/is real CCP-sponsored asymmetrical warfare with plausible deniability. Highly effective, with a side irony. Now that was an elegant way to damage a society. That said, I hope you washed your hands after disposing of the plants. If it is Trichosanthes kirilowii (Chinese cucumber, snake gourd), the roots contain a ricin-like protein.
- mr__y 6y ago
  >unreliable distribution mechanism given the sufficient scale of operation, it could be a pretty reliable mechanism probabilistically speaking.
lowatt 6y ago
> with Chinese characters on it. Very curious what are those characters. If you could kindly post a picture of the package, I can help translate what's written on it.

by meter 6y ago

rubans 6y ago

> Maybe I’m paranoid, but I decided to rip up the plants and throw them away. Now they can start growing in a landfill somewhere.

mikro2nd 6y ago
Pretty unlikely. GP "thinks they were cucumbers". If the plant was already fruiting, there'd be no doubt, so we conclude that the plants were still quite young. No fruit, no seed. No hazard. They're just going to be compost.

minerjoe 6y ago

> danger of invasive species For a good counter to all the "invasive biology" craze see: https://www.amazon.com/Invasion-Biology-Pseudoscience-David-Theodoropoulos/dp/0970850417 https://www.amazon.com/Invasion-Biology-Pseudoscience-David-... He raises many good points. Much damage to the eocology has been done in removing "invasive" species. Now, diseses, those can really devestate. I'd love to still have our (US) chestnut forests.

wow_no 6y ago
I’d like to still have American manufacturing jobs
stareatgoats 6y ago
Thanks. I'm somewhat skeptical of the "invasive biology" scare too and would like to collect literature on the subject. Unfortunately I can't afford to buy every book on the subject ("buy used: $336.82", whats up with that?), but I did find a book review which gave a good summary I think: https://www.publish.csiro.au/pc/pdf/PC040070 https://www.publish.csiro.au/pc/pdf/PC040070 He does seem to take an extreme position, but it is sometimes beneficial to take in an extreme counterpoint in order to find the reasonable "middle" ground.
_Microft 6y ago
I research about sources (both publications and authors) to see what credence I should lend them. The little I could find out about this book was a review at [0] that concludes with "I would not recommend this book to those beginning a study of Invasion Biology. It is a polemic presumably aimed at the practitioners of what the author holds is a pseudoscience, and perhaps also at policy‐makers." Make of that what you will. [0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4242384/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4242384/

ficklepickle 6y ago

Yes, you are being paranoid. But, from the look of these comments, you aren't alone. The general consensus here seems to be a plausibly-deniable CCP bio-terror plot. What is more likely: review scam or elaborate bioterrorism with an easily detectable, unreliable distribution mechanism? Never mind the complete lack of proposed harm. What is the evil plot? Destruction of the US cucumber industry? Contrast that with the flood of fentanyl, which was/is real CCP-sponsored asymmetrical warfare with plausible deniability. Highly effective, with a side irony. Now that was an elegant way to damage a society. That said, I hope you washed your hands after disposing of the plants. If it is Trichosanthes kirilowii (Chinese cucumber, snake gourd), the roots contain a ricin-like protein.

mr__y 6y ago
>unreliable distribution mechanism given the sufficient scale of operation, it could be a pretty reliable mechanism probabilistically speaking.

lowatt 6y ago

> with Chinese characters on it. Very curious what are those characters. If you could kindly post a picture of the package, I can help translate what's written on it.