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Void

Member

Registered: 2011-12-29

Posts: 7,141

Weird Notions about Hydrogen, Methane, and Plants, No reply expected.

I suppose I could pollute the Crops thread but I have respect for other peoples turf.

It occured to me on a recent car trip, that it might be entertaining to suppose the incorporation of Hydrogen into human motabolism, in the event of starvation.

To support this I note that beer and other alchoholic beverages contain calories, and that a beer gut is associate with beer.

I have previously contemplated a descendent of humans that would not eat any other living organism, but instead would get it's energy from Hydrogen and Oxygen.  Of course there is more to nutrition than that.  I anticipated that that being would have a symbiotic organism, which it would link to, which would use photosynthisis to generate the Hydrogen and Oxygen to motabolize, and that periodically these two organisms would link blood streams through something like a placenta, or a shared bloodstream (With sphintcers to prevent bleeding out when not linked).  This was to be a human like organism which could cross the gap between stars, where the "Mother/host" would be a big thing or a leafy thing fed by light, perhaps from a laser emitted from the solar system, or some other source.

The point is evolution has required that we be clever and fast enough not to be eaten, and also has required that we can accumulate the poor creatures that we must eat.  That has required that we must budget our capabilities.  A body can only have so many abilities, to be small and agile enough to escape lions, tigers, and bears.  It must be mobile enough to predate on plants and those other creatures that we might exploit from desparation.

I had considered a host organism which would have so much organized bulk as a symbiont that it would be able to (With a cyberntic brain) analyze every aspect of the "Human" associate and to fight cancer and other diseases.

I have given moral consideration to this.  It would bother me to draw from such a manufactured creature without giving back.  It would have a cybernetic brain to begin with and to contiue with, and would perhaps retain it's own esential memories, and that of it's "Human" partner.  When and if it's organic body died, it would be given another of it's type, and so would continue, bringing the heritage of history with it.  The associated "Human" part may not have such a type of continuation.

You understand that I am trying in this to project some type of assessment of what the future "could" hold.

So, that is the background.  Where I stopped was when I wondered why it would have a mouth with teeth.  (The human part)  Just for the joy of dental work?

This will illustrate my concern that we need to preserve some notion of what is human, against the chaos that the future invites us to.  I love chaos.  It is the promise of adventure and a better future, but also we need one foot in chaos and one in order.  That is my opinion.

Anyway I am not fond of the idea of a human without teeth or at least a mouth.  I will leave that possible future to those who might be there.

But for now, I have these thoughts;

1) It might be possible to incorporate Hydrogen directly into human motabolism in emergencies as food.  Not proven, and potentially highly dangerous for fire and explosions.  Alchohol can be ingested as colories, (But has toxic effects if the dose is too high).  Hydrogen being a small atom/molecule, might be able to permeate the skin of a human as an energy supply in a space flight emergency.  Very dangerous in the presence of an Oxydizer, but I have curiosity about it.

2) Can plants primitive or advanced be grown in a Methane atmosphere in a dome?  Hydrogen being so small, it is unlikely to efficienty retain it in a dome structure, so I resort to Methane.  Anyway photosynthetic plants are all about making complex hydrocarbons, and really expelling Oxygen to atmosphere.  I have wondered if the case would exist in the future where it would make sense to get humans Oxygen for breathing not from plants, but from technological means, could you then grow plants in a dome in a Methane atmosphere, and allow them to use their Oxygen internally with the Methane and sunshine to manufacture even more Hydrocarbons?  (Food and building materials for humans that is).

Anyway perhaps some form of entertainment for you is incorporated into this thread.    I want someone to tell me if green plants can be grown in a partial Methane atmosphere, a "Mars Jar" of sorts.  This might also give an indication for what the potentials are for life on planets that are more dominantly Carbon than Silicon.

Here is a slightly and vaguely associate link:

http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100324/ … 0.146.html

Just wanted to get rid of this one.  Maybe someone will have the desire to illuminate my mind on my queries.  I will ruminate on it for a very long time, if I get no answers from somewhere, and I would rather not bother with the ruminations.

Last edited by Void (2013-03-25 19:00:37)

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Done.