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Vegetarians in space

  • 29-06-2020 11:14pm
    #1
    bogwalrus
    Registered Users Posts: 1,454 ✭✭✭


    Just wondering what peoples thoughts are on eating alien species. Just read how there is new research to suggest the moon Europa could have some sort of sea life.

    It got me thinking. If we did venture out into the universe colonising etc. Would we be the species that ate the "non intelligent" life we encountered or would we think differently.


Comments

  • #2
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,684 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    In the past explorers have died from rabbit fever. Simply put there isn't enough nutrition in rabbits alone to survive.

    Humans need certain vitamins. Most other mammals can make their own vitamin C. After a month we literally start falling apart at a cellular level without it.



    It would probably be very dangerous to eat exotic species.

    Even down here it can be dodgy and we all use the same building blocks.

    Unless they were in an oxygen rich environment they could easily be laden with things like hydrogen sulphide or cyanide.

    They might concentrate beryllium or other elements that are extremely nasty.
    In some areas like old mines animals have adapted to higher levels of arsenic. And we know in the past that they concentrated Uranium. Tunicates concentrate vanadium. As a general rule heavy metals in your food are bad news.


    Selenium.jpg

    Selenium is an element where too little or too much is bad



    An algal bloom can result in neurotoxins in the water. And lots of plants just aren't safe to eat.


  • #3
    Grab All Association
    Registered Users Posts: 3,918 ✭✭✭Grab All Association


    Sorry but the thread title made me think of PIGS IN SPACE!


  • #4
    bogwalrus
    Registered Users Posts: 1,454 ✭✭✭bogwalrus


    So it would be highly unlikely we could eat species we find in other planets. I suppose instead of eating maybe killing for research sake.

    let's say the first mission to a planet that has life. Will capture, probe and dissect be on the to do list. I suppose it would have to be.


  • #5
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,684 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Immune System of Humans, Other Mammals Could Struggle to Fight Extraterrestrial Microorganisms
    “Unusual sugars or amino acids have been found in high abundance on carbonaceous meteorites.”

    “It is therefore conceivable that extraterrestrial microorganisms might contain proteins that include rare amino acids.”

    “We asked whether the mammalian immune system would be able to recognize and induce appropriate immune responses to putative proteinaceous antigens that include these rare amino acids.”


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