Jemmy

Comment Threads

• arkizzle / Moderator commented on Corpses are rotting more slowly than they used to -- is it because we are germophobic?
  Hmm.. ok, I don't use gallons, so I wasn't aware it was that small a measure. A cup of human-material does seem like a silly amount :) Wikipedia: "Lean muscle tissue contains about 75% water by weight. Blood contains 95% water, body fat contains 14% water and bone has 22% water. Skin also contains much water. The human body is about 60% water in adult males and 55% in adult females." So, there's something we are missing, for sure.....
• NotACat commented on Corpses are rotting more slowly than they used to -- is it because we are germophobic?
  @48 Beanolini: is this not compensated for by the size differential? It's a while since I studied biology but I'm sure I recall that bacteria are orders of magnitude smaller than most human cells....
• Beanolini commented on Corpses are rotting more slowly than they used to -- is it because we are germophobic?
  #53, NotACat (3, nosehat): is this not compensated for by the size differential? It's a while since I studied biology but I'm sure I recall that bacteria are orders of magnitude smaller than most human cells. Yes, bacterial cells are about ten times smaller than human cells. So their volume would be about one thousandth that of a human cell (if we assume they're roughly spherical). Therefore with 10x as many bacterial cells as human, they would occupy approximately one hundredth of body volume and/or mass. Excluding bones....
• Snig commented on Corpses are rotting more slowly than they used to -- is it because we are germophobic?
  Bacteria is a huge catch-all for incredibly diverse groups of species. Differences between strains of bacteria are more significant that the differences between us and insects. Also, a small change in a single species/strian of bacteria can mean the difference between pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria, (and likely, betwee rotting and non-rotting). Such a change can happen for a known reason that makes sense like preservatives or antibiotics, by mutation or for no reason we can deduce at the moment. The overall prevalence of bacteria as a whole due not likely increase that much during an epidemic nor wane during the...
• Mitch commented on Lettuce in the sky, with diamonds
  It's an interesting idea. You could at least supplement outdoor agriculture with it. Small organic farms produce more food per unit of land. Very large farms produce more food per unit of capital. Transitioning to organic farming would make more effective use of existing farm land. As food prices become more expensive replacing larger parts of the suburban lawn with food gardens will become more attractive....