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Not being digested doesn't stop you getting killed.
by SixSigma 12y ago
Not being digested doesn't stop you getting killed.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- bduerst 12y agoBy predators it does. Unless you're chomping on some raw grass right now -> then I stand corrected.
- SixSigma 12y agoI just ate some bread
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- bduerst 12y agoSounds digestible and non-sequitur.
- delecti 12y agoI believe what they're getting at is that it's possible to do things to other species which leaves them digestible when they weren't initially. For example, human cooking, bird gizzards, cows chewing their cud, or rabbits eating their feces to give a second pass of digestion.
- bduerst 12y agoYou talk about cooking meat, but we still have enzymes in our stomachs (e.g. pepsinogen) that only digest L-peptide chains. As a predator, you do not digest D-peptide chains. - It is analagous to eating raw grass. - It is not analgous to eating processed/cooked grains, hence it is non-sequitur. - It is a matter of biochemistry, not culinary arts. I gave the original speculation as an example of there being too much speculation around abiogenesis and evolution. This discussion proves it.
- SixSigma 12y agoA few points I also eat plenty of insoluble dietary fibre. Prey animals would need to signal their non digestability to their predators. Animals without predators would overwhelm the biome. Disease is a predator.
- aaronem 12y agoIt renders predation on you maladaptive, because the predator doesn't get back the energy expended in hunting, so over time it does actually make you less likely to get killed.
- delecti 12y agoAnd then something evolves that can eat you, because there's an unfilled niche.
- bduerst 12y agoThis is a common misconception. Evolution is directionless and unguided. It's not like a startup, under the guidance of humans, pivoting for a niche market.
- delecti 12y agoYou're correct, and I didn't mean to make it seem as though it was an intentional process. But historically, when one aspect of the ecosystem goes unchecked, something usually comes along to take advantage of plentiful biomass, one notable exception being humans.
- eru 12y agoWe have lots of rats and roaches. Not directly feeding off our bodies, but on our extended phenotype.