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> The study reported that the giant piles of excess sugar were not being consumed by the bacteria due to phenolic compounds released by the seagrass, which cann
by Tepix 4y ago
> The study reported that the giant piles of excess sugar were not being consumed by the bacteria due to phenolic compounds released by the seagrass, which cannot be digested by many microorganisms. This was a key finding for the researchers, as it confirms that the carbon in the sugar stays in these underwater ecosystems and out of the atmosphere.
Interesting, sugar is so energy dense, isn't it just a matter of time until some organism figures out how to take advantage of it despite the phenols?
- devoutsalsa 4y agoI'd guess that's correct. It reminds me of the Carboniferous era when there weren't any organisms around that could eat lignin, so dead trees just piled up until they were so thick, they turned into coal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carboniferous https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carboniferous
- fbanon 4y ago
- quantified 4y agoDownvotes indicate a lack of appreciation for your sarcasm. No tone of voice available when writing.
- guerrilla 4y agoI'm not sure why you think it was sarcasm... the video is literally about that. 5.2K people liked that video, so how do we know that person isn't one of them?
- quantified 4y agoIf it was sarcasm, I've given them a useful tip. If it wasn't, I've gently trolled them. You couldn't hear my tone either.
- atombender 4y agoNote that this hypothesis has been challenged, e.g. here [1] (paper here [2]). [1] https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/lack-fungi-did-not-lead-copious-carboniferous-coal/ https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/lack-fungi-did-not-lea... [2] https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1517943113 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1517943113
- pfortuny 4y agoHonest question: don’t animals do it? Or do you mean “microorganisms”?
- gumby 4y agoMany (most?) animals cannot digest straight glucose, e.g. cats, which are obligate carnivores. I suspect most animals would have to be able to digest starches to be able to process sugars (though a good exception is the bee, so my surmise could be bogus). I believe that cats don't even have sweet taste receptors. I've done "experiments" over the years, offering my own food to various of our household (terrestrial) pets. Cats and rodents are the most picky; dogs will eat a proper superset of what cats do, except that I have never had a dog that liked drinking milk (eating cheese, though, sure, and ice cream). Dogs seem OK with sugar (not crazy about it) cats are utterly uninterested.
- fingerlocks 4y agoI was curious, so I just mixed a teaspoon of sugar and water into a paste and put it in my dogs’ bowls. Two completely different breeds. Both went crazy for it. Both love Milk too. Neither dog will eat raw fruit
- yetihehe 4y agoI had a dog which was absolutely crazy for cucumbers. He was typically sneaking into garden, sniffing for cucumbers among leaves, took it out and eat it. When I was peeling cucumber, he was salivating and whimpering to eat peelings, he would get angry if I didn't share at least some of of them. My current dog eats almost anything (he didn't like raw lemon), including most fabrics, but he's only a year old. Had to electrify the garden though because he digged and tried to eat compost.
- buildsjets 4y agoI had a cat that was nuts for any dark green veggie. Broccoli, asparagus, kale. No butter, no salt, just steamed. Miss ya little buddy. My dog loves our fig tree and eats any figs she can get at.
- rightbyte 4y agoSugar is a conservant too. Kills organisms by osmosis.
- tambourine_man 4y agoOnly in much, much higher concentrations, like those of honey.
- dylan604 4y agoIt is a very slow process though
- grammers 4y agoUntil some bacteria mutates to digest it. It's definitely not a long-term solution.
- bin_bash 4y agoWell the purpose of jam is to conserve fruit with sugar so maybe not. Honey also doesn’t spoil even after thousands of years.