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shawnmmcc
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Those of you posting about why doesn't the chick defend itself - it's a toddler, Morons. Unprotected human toddlers get bitten by rodents, more often rats than mice, but that's because rats get first dibs at those large, unprotected food sources. The parents are not at the nest, you will note the mice are attacking unprotected chicks.
The parents most likely have to range far distances to collect sufficient food. So for them, having a predation safe nesting area is critical. Humans screwed that up. If you want to take the attitude who cares - then you are soft on crime, and want to see rapists go unpunished, right?
It seems that the bacteria with the enzyme for high temperature DNA polymerase exists in a single hot spring in Yellowstone National Park. Also through WW2 many US hot springs were essentially paved over and piped into healing spas. The reason we didn't do that to Yellowstone was this guy named Theodore Roosevelt. A Republican, strangely enough, who was an ardent Conservationist to differenetiate from Environmentalist, it's a different philosophy.
Now, who knows which species on this island, or some other isolated island, might have some enzyme, or biomechanical trick, etc. that could help create the next breakthrough. Did you know Polar Bears have de facto IR stealth (they show up brightly on UV, not a lot of research on it yet, but against those Aliens from Tau Ceti we might really need it)? Don't cavalierly throw out ecosystems, you don't even know what you are loosing.
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Geronimo
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st cloud USA
Jan 1970
time: 05:37
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quote:
Originally posted by shawnmmcc
Those of you posting about why doesn't the chick defend itself - it's a toddler, Morons. Unprotected human toddlers get bitten by rodents, more often rats than mice, but that's because rats get first dibs at those large, unprotected food sources. The parents are not at the nest, you will note the mice are attacking unprotected chicks.
The parents most likely have to range far distances to collect sufficient food. So for them, having a predation safe nesting area is critical. Humans screwed that up. If you want to take the attitude who cares - then you are soft on crime, and want to see rapists go unpunished, right?
It seems that the bacteria with the enzyme for high temperature DNA polymerase exists in a single hot spring in Yellowstone National Park. Also through WW2 many US hot springs were essentially paved over and piped into healing spas. The reason we didn't do that to Yellowstone was this guy named Theodore Roosevelt. A Republican, strangely enough, who was an ardent Conservationist to differenetiate from Environmentalist, it's a different philosophy.
Now, who knows which species on this island, or some other isolated island, might have some enzyme, or biomechanical trick, etc. that could help create the next breakthrough. Did you know Polar Bears have de facto IR stealth (they show up brightly on UV, not a lot of research on it yet, but against those Aliens from Tau Ceti we might really need it)? Don't cavalierly throw out ecosystems, you don't even know what you are loosing. |
I agree with the apparent motivation behind your post (that of avoiding the loss of any species).
However, I should point out that hyperthermophiles are the oldest lineage on Earth and certainly had yellowstone been paved over we would still have been able to find a taq polymerase equivalent from the other species. In fact we have already found the DNA polymerase from Thermococcus litoralis to have a proofreading exonuclease activity that makes it superior to Taq for many purposes.
As to the polar bear IR 'stealth' ability this is simply demonstrative of how well insulated the animal is. Not some sort of exotic biological mechanism that erases heat signitures.
I don't think people will be convinced to spare species like bird species on the basis of such arguments given that intuitively it will seem too outrageous a stretch to imagine economic pay offs from something unknown about such organisms.
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Vesayen
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Any bird species too stupid to try to defend itself or even...FLEE-is not worth saving.
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Geronimo
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st cloud USA
Jan 1970
time: 05:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Vesayen
Any bird species too stupid to try to defend itself or even...FLEE-is not worth saving. |
Well to be fair they are baby birds. As was pointed out earlier, how do you think humans of the same age would react to being eaten alive by mice?
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Vesayen
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I thought they were attacking the nesting mothers, not the babies? They said they were up to 200x their size...
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Geronimo
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st cloud USA
Jan 1970
time: 05:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Vesayen
I thought they were attacking the nesting mothers, not the babies? They said they were up to 200x their size... |
check out the video. it's a big downy baby bird. nowhere near as big as the adult certainly but huge compared to the mice.
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BlackCat
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quote:
Originally posted by Barinthus
Well I did not have the individual breeding behavior in mind when I said that.
Generally in the first world birthrates are falling but in third world people are breeding like crazy. Just take a look at population increases over last 2000 years.
Also the way we consume the planet's resources is viruslike. There was an article on CNN.com in which they showed sat pictures of couple areas and compared today's to those of 20 years ago. Very appalling.
If you look at mother nature's tendencies regarding animal populations related to their eating habits and so on - as in those that eat plants tend to have higher population than animals that prey upon those vegetarians - human population should be at around 10,000 worldwide yet it is not.
It is my sincere belief that as a species we need to start to exercise self-restraint and start acting in the planet's interests as opposite to our own gluttonus materialistic interests. |
First world countries had their "breed like crazy" period - actually, it has been the normal state for humans probably since they climbed down from the trees. Short lifespans and an enormous childdeath rate prevented overpopulation. Major population growths historically are based upon plenty of nuts and improvements in medicine and sanitation.
What really messed things up was mechanization of farming and discovering of viral and bacteriological diseases. It's a real bugger to give birth to twelve children and they all survive instead of the usual two or three. It's the same process that the third world are going through.
10k of human beings are just plain nonsense. With that population each person, if they all were living in Denmark, would have 4.4 sqkm to feed on. Even if they restrained themselves to hunting, fishing and gathering they would live a life of plentyness without disturbing th environment.
Though, you are right - we would all be better off if the human population was reduced be a couple of billions, but since most people would consider it an atrocity if it was done with those effective means we have, we must await that the process going on in the first world get spread to the rest of the world.
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Geronimo
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st cloud USA
Jan 1970
time: 05:37
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quote:
Originally posted by GePap
Mice are cheap. Now that we have an idea this is possible, set up a test. Heck, use pigeon chicks ast he targets- not like that species is endangered.
By being an independent species they are already distinctive enough. |
good idea. just trap some of these mice and set them loose in a controlled setting where we can study the behavior.
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Apolyton Time is 00:37. |
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22-07-2005 02:16
Say, "Here, mousie mousie mousie"? What do you do if the mice don't come peacefully? Import preditors, such as snakes and/or cats? Use flamethrowers??
well said
First they eat baby birds; then they turn out to be a bunch of litterbugs. I think we need a regime change! 
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