Science!: Whales Fight Global Warming

[Evilbunny]

Booyaa. See you all in 2150.

I'll be right there with you. I don't know how rare anosmia is, but you're the first other of our hallowed kind I've run into. I've never had a sense of smell, but this makes it all worthwhile. I'll see all of you other suckers, and your children's children, in the next life!

Ok, serious question. Can you taste? I had read that smell and taste were linked somehow.

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

Do you want it to mean you have a super power?

I want it to mean I have another superpower.

His superpower now being his awesomeness

 

[Ultrajoe]

Ok, serious question. Can you taste? I had read that smell and taste were linked somehow.

Everyone has read that, and everybody... everybody asks. Sorry, it just happens every damn time I tell people about this.

I can taste. I think I can taste perfectly well. My sense of taste, compared to yours, is probably quite dull. However, to me, it is perfectly normal. Everything tastes just fine to me, even if you would get bored to tears if you were to lose your sense of smell. I was born without it, so to me everything is normal. I do not, however, enjoy foods characterized by their aroma... because to me, sitting around 'Savoring' the food is a waste of time. Unless it's in my mouth, savoring it I am not. It also means I can eat rather stinky foods purely because they taste nice.

I am, however, very vulnerable to stink-based insults. Never jokingly tell me I stink, because I'll rush off to slather on more deodorant just in case. I, personally, don't care... but being judged because I lack some freakish and useless sense is not on my agenda for daily life.

My dog never gets bathed, what do I care? He loves it.

 

[Plurralbles]

edit: wait.. how the hell did I get into this thread?

Gah. Ohwell.

Meh. Whales. Whoopeee. I can speak whale..

 

[gmacarthur81]

Interesting.

I have a friend who lost his sense of smell when he was a kid. Add to that the fact that he is the most in shape person I know, and now it all makes sense.

I am going to link him to that article and gripe at him about his chances of living longer than me.

 

[Alar]

I'd always thought that neanderthals had most likely ended up mating with early humans. The idea that they were completely extinct just seemed... unlikely. That, and scientists believe they have linked red hair to neanderthals (I don't recall where the article is), meaning that it was probably passed on to us from them (meaning interbreeding).

 

[zelda2fanboy]

I read my dad this story and he immediately responded with "Who jacked off the mouse?"

Hypothetically, if a guy with an identical twin was trying to impregnate his wife, he could increase his chances by having a three way with his brother. And they would never know if the kid was the husband's or the brother's because they're genetic clones.

And the correct answer was Minnie.

 

[Mray3460]

The loss of the sense of smell is not, in and of itself, what causes longer lifespans. It's the activation of certain genes which activate when a cell is under severe stress (either from near-starvation, as in the case of the fruit-flies and some practitioners of "food deprecation," or from physical injuries [These are the same genes that activate when you get a cut, and cause your cells to regenerate, healing the wound]). What we're currently looking for is a chemical trigger to these genes. The "French Paradox" has seemed to be the most promising one so far.

Citation: http://alcalc.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/41/3/236
Give it a sec to load.

 

[Grahav]

And whales get another win in the ocean ecossystem. Their corpses form temporary ecossystems that bred some unique species.

 

[DragonsAteMyMarbles]

Y'know, I like the idea that sperm prefer a fair fight. It helps my faith in humanity.

And if we can help fight global warming by letting whales do their No.2, I say let 'em. Can't be any more ludicrous than the Pastafarians' idea.

Of course, I subscribe to Pastafarianism myself. I also vote Monster Raving Loony.

 

[Landslide]

Ok, serious question. Can you taste? I had read that smell and taste were linked somehow.

Everyone has read that, and everybody... everybody asks. Sorry, it just happens every damn time I tell people about this.

I can taste. I think I can taste perfectly well. My sense of taste, compared to yours, is probably quite dull. However, to me, it is perfectly normal. Everything tastes just fine to me, even if you would get bored to tears if you were to lose your sense of smell. I was born without it, so to me everything is normal. I do not, however, enjoy foods characterized by their aroma... because to me, sitting around 'Savoring' the food is a waste of time. Unless it's in my mouth, savoring it I am not. It also means I can eat rather stinky foods purely because they taste nice.

I am, however, very vulnerable to stink-based insults. Never jokingly tell me I stink, because I'll rush off to slather on more deodorant just in case. I, personally, don't care... but being judged because I lack some freakish and useless sense is not on my agenda for daily life.

My dog never gets bathed, what do I care? He loves it.

Likewise Ultrajoe. I've seen a couple ENT specialists about it (Ear, Nose, Throat). Normal people have the two senses develop in tandem to represent the entire Food Experience. I mean, we use most of our senses when eating/determining if something is palatable. Ever eat something that looks good, tastes good, but the texture is so off-putting, you can't stomach it? Apparently if you are deprived of a sense, or it becomes altered - it can bork up the flavor profile you have for food. Know when you burn your tongue, everything for the next week feels like sandpaper? Like that. But if you were BORN without one, your brain develops normally, and categorizes everything like that from birth.

To UltraJoe and I, a glass of Syrah tastes different than a white Zinfandel. Just not the same kind of different most people experience. And, especially in things like wine, we lose some aspects of the experience. Letting my wine breathe just means I have to wait to drink it. It does very, very little to the experience for me. Also, I'm very conscious of my hygiene. If I've worn an article of clothing, it is "Dirty" and gets washed. I never re-wear clothes before I've laundered them (not outside the house anyway). Shower daily at the least - sometimes twice if I've gotten really sweaty. *shrug* I doubt being overly hygienic can be a Bad Thing, but people find it weird.

Also like Joe, I love strong flavors. Gimme a beef and blue cheese sammich, and I'm a happy man. I'll scarf strong flavors down at restaurants, and have people look at me askance, wondering how I can handle. Those are the tastiest! I also always have breath mints, and I pop them after most meals. Or try to.

Also, I have to be reminded by my wife to clean the cat's litterbox, because I can't smell when it's been 'used'. Hey, can't win em all. It's funny. I still TRY to smell. I'll aggressively sniff flowers, wine, fruit, lotions and aftershaves (or cologne that my wife picks out), and even bad milk, crap and other undesirable things, just to see if I can identify a variation. The only things that hit me are physiological reactions. My nose clears if I sniff Vicks, I tear up cutting onions (though that could just be an eye thing), but not many. I HATE cinnamon candy. It's sugary and hot, with no redeeming qualities - but I found out not long ago, that a huge portion of that experience is the smell. Oh well.

Anyway - my 2 cents.

-LS

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Man, I love you.
You're always backing me up!
*hugs*

I used to be whale-neutral, but then, that summer...
Besides, you need some backing up Can't just let you crusade against the whale-world without some support, right?

Ah yes...You told me about their treachery. We cannot let it stand.
And damn am I happy that you're with me.
Having someone I can do this with makes life easier.

Gentleman, I seek enlightenment. What is the reason for you crusade?

OT: So after all these years of hunting them, we realize we need them? This feels suspiciously like a Star Trek movie I watched a while back. Are they coming for revenge?

 

[Neonbob]

Gentleman, I seek enlightenment. What is the reason for you crusade?

OT: So after all these years of hunting them, we realize we need them? This feels suspiciously like a Star Trek movie I watched a while back. Are they coming for revenge?

I cannot speak for Lexodus, but a pod of humpbacks killed my family while we were on a pleasure cruise one day. I had to swim to a nearby island, and I lived there for a year before someone came by to check on the giant fire I had set.
Once I got back to land, I swore that all whales would pay for that one day.

 

[not_the_dm]

Man, I love you.
You're always backing me up!
*hugs*

I used to be whale-neutral, but then, that summer...
Besides, you need some backing up Can't just let you crusade against the whale-world without some support, right?

Ah yes...You told me about their treachery. We cannot let it stand.
And damn am I happy that you're with me.
Having someone I can do this with makes life easier.

Good sirs. I have access to a large quantity of H[sub]2[/sub]SO[sub]4[/sub] and may other useful materials for your campaign

 

[Vitor Goncalves]

In other words, the reason why we pick in our noses is we are instinctively trying to destroy the olfactory cells.
Also, if we were able to mate with neandertals, then they were not fo a diferent species, duh!!
The most probable reason for mankind to meet extinction is if sperm develops evil purposes and refuse to fertilize the eggs, could it be?!.
And finally nice theory on whales poop, but really does the iron compensate for the CO2 whales produce themselves?! If not, hit them hard Neonbob!!!!

 

[awatkins]

In response to the article with the sperm being friends:

The article mentions that similar sperm will pair up quickly to get to the egg then once at the destination become enemies in competition to be the first in. Also if two different hosts' sperm where mixed (that's disgusting who thought of this experiment anyway?) the sperm would take a longer time to pair up, but once they did they were friendly up until they reached the egg.

This phenomenon is observable in the real world under experimental conditions with full grown sperms (adult humans) in the form of popular TV series Servivor. When the Servivor series first started the contestants (sperm) didn't know each other and alliances where slow to form. However once the strongest alliance made it to a point around the 'final three' a division is formed and the fight for an individual to attain the million dollars insues (lucky sperm who gets the egg). In later seasons of Servivor, like the All-Stars and current Villans VS Heroes, where all the servivors know each other, alliances are very quick to form and stay strong up to the end. The outcome is the same, however, just like with the sperm who were genetically the same; in the end it comes down to alliances breaking apart and individuals fighting for their egg/million dollars.

agree?

 

[Ultrajoe]

It's funny. I still TRY to smell. I'll aggressively sniff flowers, wine, fruit, lotions and aftershaves (or cologne that my wife picks out), and even bad milk, crap and other undesirable things, just to see if I can identify a variation.

Thank god somebody else does this.

 

[carpathic]

Really is quite sad that we are killing of the whales.

Also, I always thought we interbred with neanderthals...That is why I have brow ridges...yeah...