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Why aren't we evolved to eat grass?
(literature.cafe)
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this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2026
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Asklemmy
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Grass is mostly cellulose and lignin. Those molecules are difficult to break down.
Animals that can digest the cellulose either need a really long digestive track or to do something really gross to keep the stuff in their digestive track longer.
Looking at you, rabbits.
Deer too, but slightly less gross, and some others.
Any chemistry we could perform to make it more viable? E.g. cook it with alcohol?
Folks have looked at it with acid or enzymes to try and produce fuel ethanol from the sugar forming the cellulose. Humans use the chemistry of grazing animals.
Yeah the grass to milk, meat and hide pipeline is a great one