Nicotine, THC, and cocaine are also insecticides. And psilocybin might be an insect repellent.
Thanks poison!
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Submitted 4 weeks ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to science_memes@mander.xyz
https://mander.xyz/pictrs/image/f7b67852-4aa7-4f4e-98ef-40dbcd5d284d.jpeg
Comments
Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 4 weeks ago
masterofn001@lemmy.ca 4 weeks ago
Drugs - natures mosquito repellant
Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Mosquitoes are such squares!
rooroo@feddit.org 4 weeks ago
So that’s the reason I’m not stung as badly as my friends!
SuperIce@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Capsaicin is a fungicide, which is extremely useful in the environments where spicy peppers grow.
VindictiveJudge@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
The best bit about the mint and chocolate thing is that chocolate is also poison, so we spice up our poison with more poison.
Reggie@discuss.tchncs.de 4 weeks ago
All valid Points. But also, humans: i will care for this plant and create huge fields where you can live prosper and in peace. We kill everything who comes near you and try to harm you. And we will ensure you will live forever. You dont need birds who shit your seeds out.
Those plants domesticared us!
MBM@lemmings.world 4 weeks ago
Also humans: we will breed you until your fruit no longer bears seed, because we decide when and how you reproduce
MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 4 weeks ago
Sidenote: monocultures are devastating, long-term.
bamfic@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Botany of desire
cybervseas@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Basically humans will have sex with you, eat you, or make you a pet.
Sometimes more than one.
BlueLineBae@midwest.social 4 weeks ago
Don’t forget we wear them also…
Phineaz@feddit.org 4 weeks ago
Tbf, this has proven to be extremely effective: Just think of how many tobacco or chili plants are grown today! Domestication really is a two-way-street
muntedcrocodile@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Are we farming the plants or are the plants farming us.
Speiser0@feddit.org 4 weeks ago
I do would like to be an alien’s pet.
Olgratin_Magmatoe@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Would aliens actually be weirded out by this quality of humans?
I feel like any sufficiently intelligent species living on a planet will have some degree of biodiversity on said planet. And the chances of something being made to be a poison/deterrent for creatures other than the intelligent species is probably a large one, because it’s pretty hard for plants and animals to make a poison/deterrent that kills everything without also killing itself. So if there is a gap for itself, there is a gap for other life to coexist with the toxin.
So I’d think it would be pretty natural for intelligent life to eat things that are harmful to huge swaths of other creatures.
DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 4 weeks ago
Works best with the Earth-is-a-deathworld trope
bluewing@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Level 12 Deathworld.
Tlaloc_Temporal@lemmy.ca 4 weeks ago
It is kinda weird that humans are so resilient to so many things though. It’s part of being scavenging omnivores, but alients with a more specialized diet might be weirded out.
P00ptart@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Dogs can eat rotting meat and lick unwashed balls and ass but die from fucking grapes. 🤷🏼♂️
Olgratin_Magmatoe@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Potentially. But think of it this way, there are somewhere around 400,000 plant species out there.
news.mongabay.com/…/many-plants-world-scientists-…
Based on this list, something on the order of like 99.5% of plants are either not safe, or not useful/beneficial. If other species on our planet share a similar rate without complete overlap, then it’s practically a guarantee that there will be thousands of plants that are safe and useful for us but not for other species. That doesn’t feel particularly strange or unlikely. So even with a specialized diet, I don’t think the numbers would be much different.
It also could be the case that being scavenging omnivores is a strong precursor to becoming intelligent. If your species is on the rise in terms of intelligence, you’re probably using that to expand your food sources wide and far.
1rre@discuss.tchncs.de 4 weeks ago
For mammals we are, sure, but there’s loads of things that’d kill humans that other animals chow down on perfectly happily, especially when it comes to microorganisms, mushrooms and the rotting things they’re often found in/around
I don’t think scavenging is right also given that, humans used to mainly pick fresh fruits and persistence hunt, both of which are very fresh food which is not overlooked or left by others
toynbee@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I know it’s just a typo, but the image “alients” conjured in my head is pretty funny. I have less than zero artistic talent or I’d share it with you all. Hopefully the mental image is enough.
whotookkarl@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
If we were the aliens and came across two worlds inhabited by intelligent life I would probably be more weirded out by the one where nobody uses any mind altering substance like caffeine that are poisonous to other animals.
loaExMachina@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
Somerimes, when a fruit or seed isn’t toxic enough for our taste, we make it liquid then make it ferment or age until some of it’s sugar turns into the deliciously neurotoxic ethanol.
Hammocks4All@lemmy.ml 4 weeks ago
“Hmm tastes good but could taste a bit closer to death.”
Etterra@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Don’t forget…
Yeast: oh man I love sugars so much, I just wish they didn’t make me shit so bad.
Humans: dude this stuff is fucking awesome!
psud@aussie.zone 4 weeks ago
Yeast in sugar is going: I’ll just convert this to poison (ethanol) to keep everything away, then whenever I’m hungry I’ll break that poison into acid
Humans: hold my… Wait a minute let’s make beer!
DillyDaily@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
And if my yeasty poison goes bad, I’ll just pour it over some poisonous leaves, I love salad.
Don’t forget to season it with minerals you chipped off a rock in a dried out lake bed.
MouseKeyboard@ttrpg.network 4 weeks ago
I evolutionary terms being edible to humans is quite useful.
GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 4 weeks ago
It worked for chickens…
MouseKeyboard@ttrpg.network 4 weeks ago
Chickens are the most numerous bird on the planet, wheat covers more land area than any other plant.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 4 weeks ago
Doubt. Look what will happen with our bred plants and animals, if humans aren’t around anymore.
TheChemist@hexbear.net 4 weeks ago
Because humans feel encouraged to further protect that plant against pests.
MouseKeyboard@ttrpg.network 4 weeks ago
As well as spreading and planting seeds, clearing competing plants, and providing water and nutrients.
Kolanaki@yiffit.net 4 weeks ago
They just want to propagate. The best chance a plant has to do that is by being tasty to humans so we cultivate them.
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
TBF, life’s objective is to reproduce and keep its genetic materials continuing on. Even if humans propagate and consume said plant because they find it desirable, that is still a success for the plant. So even if it has toxic caffeine or fiery capsaicin to deter some pests and humans find it enjoyable, the plant wins.
Spaceballstheusername@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Especially since many of the plants die after 1 year anyway so it’s not even like we shorten their lives anyway.
ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
Caffeine is poisonous to us too. It’s generally not possible for a healthy person to drink enough coffee to die, but they sell pure caffeine (for research) and even seemingly small amounts of that will kill a person.
BarrelAgedBoredom@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
You can buy 200mg pure anhydrous caffeine pills at Walmart for like $5. It’s abundant and as safe as coffee if you don’t go nuts. The max daily recommended dose is 400mg, anything past that could cause harm
ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
What I had in mind is more like this 25kg bucket.
I’ve never actually seen caffeine in a bucket myself, but I worked in a lab once that had a big plastic jar of it.
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Rhubarb: most of me is poison. The rest of me is kind of bitter.
Humans: Hold my pie crust.
Colour_me_triggered@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Rhubarb crumble is legitimately delicious though.
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Don’t get me wrong, I love rhubarb. But whoever first figured out it was edible must have been desperate.
fossilesque@mander.xyz 4 weeks ago
Strawberry rhubarb :)
Skydancer@pawb.social 4 weeks ago
Polk salet, anybody?
Colour_me_triggered@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
People who have accidentally eaten death cap mushrooms (amanita phalloides for the autists out there) say that it’s fucking delicious (before their liver shuts down). Rabbits can eat them without problems. So if we use rabbit genes, we can crispr cas 9 our way to a good meal.
derpgon@programming.dev 4 weeks ago
Not sure if the article is legit, but there is hope for an antidote: scientificamerican.com/…/worlds-deadliest-mushroo…
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 weeks ago
I don’t think we even need to do that, just extract the poison shit from the mushrooms and eat them poisonless?
Or determine what chemical (or combination of chemicals) is causing the delicious flavor, isolate them, and then add them to tofu or some shit.
fossilesque@mander.xyz 4 weeks ago
Let’s gooo
Etterra@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Is they plant that’s made into cocaine in this same category?
Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Listing the manufacturing steps needed to get cocaine from plant into a wall street trader nose is mind blowing
Step Chemicals Used Harvesting Coca Leaves N/A Soaking in Solvents Gasoline, Kerosene, Diesel Fuel, Water Alkaline Treatment Sodium Carbonate, Lime First Filtration N/A Acidification (Coca Paste) Sulfuric Acid Evaporation N/A Further Alkaline Treatment Ammonia, Sodium Bicarbonate Solvent Extraction Ether, Acetone, Kerosene Precipitation Hydrochloric Acid Oxidation (Purification) Potassium Permanganate Conversion to Cocaine HCl Hydrochloric Acid Drying N/A Cutting/Adulteration Baking Soda, Sugars, Levamisole, etc. FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
And that doesn’t say how many coca leaves it takes. Which is a whole shitload.
I once had coca leaf tea (mate de coca). Obviously a fraction of the strength of cocaine. I did not care for the taste, sort of like damp straw, but the effect was so much better than caffeine. Total alertness without a jittery feeling and it wears off after 3 or 4 hours.
Honestly, if they could do something about the taste, I’d find ways to import it.
daddy32@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
What does anyone have against “u”, fucking fuck?
WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Americans have been trying to eliminate the letter"u" for centuries.
ShortFuse@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Aliens would extract out bile and earwax.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 weeks ago
My previous bodily fluids!!
SidewaysHighways@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Rain water and grain alcohol for me
someguy3@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Poppies kill things?
1024_Kibibytes@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Heroin, opium and morphine are derived from poppies. Too much of any narcotic and you die
someguy3@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Yeah but we need to process the shit out of it. It’s anything really going to die from eating some raw poppy seeds?
MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 4 weeks ago
Onion and leek to btw. And unripe tomato.
repungnant_canary@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Sooo actually why land mammals can’t filter out salt from seawater?
Gullible@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
Obligatory symbiosis is a sexy, sexy vehicle for propagation.
UltraMagnus0001@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Hot peppers anyone?
pineapplelover@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
She looks so familiar, who is this? Is this from Veep?
Colour_me_triggered@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
SteveXVII@pawb.social 4 weeks ago
JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Just imagine how many of these were first consumed on a drunken bet.
Nagarath@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Isn’t the flavour of cocoa also originally a pesticidal chemical lol
Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 weeks ago
What’s the bottom imagine from?
Jumi@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
HFY vibes
Slovene@feddit.nl 4 weeks ago
Completely unrelated but JLD is so freakin’ gorgeous in this pic.
bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 4 weeks ago
Funnily enough we try to cultivate everything we like, so in a roundabout way they were successful.
tetris11@lemmy.ml 4 weeks ago
I think the book Sapiens makes the point that wheat has trained us into cultivating it for selfish needs.
(Except that it’s wheat, and that we annihilated 99% of its brethren to pick out the one that we liked so we could effectively clone it. But yes, we are the slaves…)
jballs@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
Sapiens and Homo Deus are both such good books. Lots of little anecdotes like that we’re just so fascinating.
Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 weeks ago
I think that’s basically what The Botany of Desire is about, right?
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 weeks ago
I guess… If you consider factory farmed chickens to be “successful.”