this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] lowleveldata@programming.dev 82 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Bro we eat literal corpses this ain't nothing

[–] apotheotic@beehaw.org 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] h3mlocke@lemm.ee 14 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] apotheotic@beehaw.org 5 points 1 month ago

Damn that's crazy

Anyway

[–] jet@hackertalks.com 80 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

Honey?

Ohh, figs

A small opening or ostiole, visible on the middle of the fruit, is a narrow passage that allows the specialized fig wasp, Blastophaga psenes, to enter the inflorescence and pollinate the flowers, after which each fertilized ovule (one per flower, in its ovary) develops into a seed. At maturity, these 'seeds' (actually single-seeded fruits) line the inside of each fig.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fig

[–] Luccus@feddit.org 103 points 1 month ago (1 children)

As someone who grows figs in their living room:

Most commercial (and even hobbyist) fig varieties are parthenocarpic, meaning they don't require pollination.

And fig wasps don't look like that. They're tiny little guys that most people would probably mistake for a very small ant.

And even if the fig was pollinated by a wasp, it uses enzymes to break down the insects body, to protect itself from mold and other pathenogens that such may cause.

Basically; fig waps are itsy bitsy wittle wupies, while figs are digesting their dead mothers corpses, because they are metal as fuuuuuck.

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] loaExMachina@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Not a fig wasp. In fact, the article for Apoica Pallens doesn't mention figs even once. It says that they're used in folk medecine in Brazil, but that's far from it being a popular food...

[–] spicytuna62@lemmy.world 15 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

The journey to the center is pretty intense. She loses her wings on the way in and dies after laying her eggs.

iirc, the figs sold commercially were selectively bred to self pollinate. I think the FDA or USDA would have a major problem with dead animals in fruit, even if they're supposed to be there naturally.

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You can think that, except If you want to think that, I wouldn't look up the allowable amounts of insect parts or other stuff in what you eat.

But here's the handbook straight from the fda if you want to anyhow. https://www.fda.gov/food/current-good-manufacturing-practices-cgmps-food-and-dietary-supplements/food-defect-levels-handbook

[–] spicytuna62@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I remember this from a high school science class. There was a girl in my class who was absolutely disgusted and mortified with the idea that grasshopper parts could be in bread. Maybe I'm wrong, but I reckon there's probably a difference between cooked prepackaged foods and fresh raw foods.

The idea of bug parts in food doesn't bother me much. Just a little protein. When I was a teenager during harvest, I'd climb on the trucks and stick a handful of wheat germ in my mouth when we were finished harvesting a field. I love the flavor and texture of wheat germ. Naturally, my favorite breakfast cereal is bran flakes.

Side note: if you do this, make sure they're golden brown, not pink. The pink ones are covered in poison.

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] jet@hackertalks.com 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)

this is what one of the most popular foods look like before harvest

And what food would that be?

[–] OpenStars@discuss.online 44 points 1 month ago (1 children)

If you go back far enough, all food was poop at some point. And will be again, that's the beauty of it.:-)

[–] Elaine@lemm.ee 20 points 1 month ago (3 children)
[–] OpenStars@discuss.online 13 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Pro-Tip: don't Google that phrase (learn from my mistake yo!:-)

img

[–] Mammothmothman@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

This graphic is wrong corn doesn't turn into poop.

[–] OpenStars@discuss.online 1 points 1 month ago

Joke answer: are you sure that you are reading it going in the right direction? 😄

Real answer: maybe not... the first time, hey-oh! 👐

[–] blackbrook@mander.xyz 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Thank you for your service!

[–] OpenStars@discuss.online 1 points 1 month ago

You are very welcome my good sir and/or madam! :-)

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 7 points 1 month ago

Poopuna poopata!!

[–] spechter@lemmy.ml 27 points 1 month ago (3 children)
[–] OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world 22 points 1 month ago

It’s a Fig, before being Newtoned.

[–] Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc 16 points 1 month ago

Fried chicken obviously.

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] ReversalHatchery@beehaw.org 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

paper wasps are a popular food?

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz -1 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] ReversalHatchery@beehaw.org 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

then what is the popular food on the picture?

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 1 points 1 month ago

It's a forbidden food.

[–] Toofpic@feddit.dk 18 points 1 month ago
[–] Flyberius@hexbear.net 16 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Either wasps, or AI hallucinated rubbish.

I'm guessing AI rubbish

[–] Nakoichi@hexbear.net 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] EpeeGnome@lemm.ee 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Yes, figs are visited by wasps in the region figs are native to, ~~but only in the same way that flowers are visited by bees.~~ This picture is very much not what that would look like. This is, I'm certain, literally just a wasp nest.

Edit: I stand corrected, fig wasps are born and typically die in their figs. Fortunately, that still looks nothing like this picture because they are super tiny.

[–] Backlog3231@reddthat.com 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Fig wasps bury themselves in the fig and then are consumed by it. Very much not like flowers.

[–] EpeeGnome@lemm.ee 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Well, TIL. Thanks for the correction.

[–] Toes@ani.social 5 points 1 month ago
[–] ColdWater@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 month ago

"Most popular"