ᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIESMar 18

It's not weird for some species to incorporate toxins from their diet as defenses: poison dart frogs, monarch butterflies, sea slugs, etc

But let's get weird and circuitous with it

#Nicotine was developed by plants to kill insects. As a quirk of #neurochemistry, humans use it addictively, so cigarette butts are everywhere

Birds have figured out they can use them in their nests to repel insect parasites

The original intention of nicotine

Weird!

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347226000011

#Science #Ecology

Show threadWendroid 🇺🇦Mar 18
@benroyce Lookit, we eat absolutely weird stuff, plenty of it extremely unpleasant until several elaborate transformations (looking at you, olives). That birds have figured out how to harness poisons to their advantage isn’t a surprise.
Show threadᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIESMar 18

@wendinoakland

if we anthropomorphized plants they would be flabbergasted by humans

plants developed capsaicin to set the mouths of mammals eating it on fire as punishment

it seems like a foolproof devastating repellant. the plant must be proud

but no

one mammal, humans, *like* the mouth fire

crazier, this was not detrimental to the plant, but rewarding. humans began cultivating it. even *increasing* the burn

you poison us. you cause us pain

we love you for it. and ask for more

Show threadWendroid 🇺🇦Mar 18
@benroyce Mostly. Then there’s cactus. And the plants with urushiol. There are some we can work with, but they’re metal af.
Show threadᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIESMar 18

@wendinoakland

well we looked at cactus with its hardcore intent to cause pain and said

"pretty"

but you're right about poison ivy, fuck that plant 😂

Show threadWendroid 🇺🇦Mar 18
@benroyce Poison oak is the feisty bitch here. Loves to grow right in along with the blackberries.
Show threadBlueDot ❌️👑Mar 18

@wendinoakland @benroyce

Can't live with it. Can't set it on fire.

Show threadᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIES

@BlueDot @wendinoakland

it hates us. can't blame it for that. but we can hate it back!

Mar 18 at 11:11pmWeb