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pain plant (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
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[-] ImWaitingForRetcons@lemm.ee 96 points 1 month ago

I dunno, seems to have worked out for the chillis - there’s more of them now than ever before

[-] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 15 points 1 month ago

That's because evolution is a results-driven process. All that matters is making viable offspring. Doesn't matter how it gets done.

[-] Scott_of_the_Arctic@lemmy.world 63 points 1 month ago
[-] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 1 month ago

meanwhile chinese cooking: i'll have all 3 at once please

[-] rdrunner@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

And it's so. Damn. Delicious.

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[-] hikuro93@lemmy.ca 34 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Life wouldn't be the same without Tabasco. How could I ever eat my cotton candy or cereals without copious amounts of it?

[-] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 22 points 1 month ago

I’m actually surprised that I’ve never found cotton candy coated with tajin, now that you mention it.

[-] Snowclone@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago

This is a low shenanigan..

[-] arrow74@lemm.ee 6 points 1 month ago

Are you calling shenanigans?

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[-] lennivelkant@discuss.tchncs.de 28 points 1 month ago

How fortunate then that the same species resistant to their defense actually goes on to cultivate it

[-] Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 43 points 1 month ago

Oh, we’re not resistant, we’re just crazy enough to like the pain. Birds are resistant and don’t feel it at all, they can eat chilis like fruits.

[-] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 25 points 1 month ago

It's just relative. Most mammals don't pay rent, taxes, or have to deal with the TSA. Once you do those things, spicy plant chemicals become a frivolous game.

[-] LemmyFeed@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I eat peppers just to feel something

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[-] Pronell@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago

There's a book called The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan, which is about this. Looking from the plants eye view of things, they have manipulated us into growing them in a huge variety of environments. The book focuses on tulips, cannabis, apples, and potatoes, iirc. Fascinating book.

Two quick examples from the book:

Pot gets us high, now we grow it in closets, warehouses, yards, basements, attics, etc.

Apples don't reproduce true from seed, so Johnny Appleseed brought readily available cider to the Americas. (You need a cutting of an apple tree to grow that type of apple.)

[-] dditty@lemm.ee 24 points 1 month ago

Tobacco plants: produce nicotine, a toxic alkaloid

Humans: imma smoke that shiiiiit

[-] Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 24 points 1 month ago

Humans: I will now cultivate you, export you, protect you and make sure you're growing well so I can keep smoking you despite a 50% chance of dying from it.

Tobacco clearly has the last laugh in this story.

[-] Faydaikin@beehaw.org 7 points 1 month ago

Tobacco clearly has the last laugh in this story.

Well, it's not like we're immortal if we abstain.

[-] thefartographer@lemm.ee 7 points 1 month ago
[-] Faydaikin@beehaw.org 8 points 1 month ago

With a name like The Fartographer, I'm inclined to believe you. 👍

[-] moody@lemmings.world 4 points 1 month ago

Until proof to the contrary, so am I

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[-] Alexstarfire@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

We like our poisons in just the rights amounts.

[-] nihilist_hippie@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 month ago

It's funny if you think about it: Plant makes chemical (capsaicin) to help it thrive > humans love the painful spice, start growing and propagating peppers > Peppers spread grow like crazy. Evolution working exactly as it should

[-] Kongpiler@lemm.ee 9 points 1 month ago

Does anyone have an explanation for why they would evolve to prevent being eaten by mammals? I would think having mammals help spread their seeds would be beneficial?

[-] Kongpiler@lemm.ee 16 points 1 month ago

Found the answer myself. Protects against fungal attacks. Also birds don't have the same receptors to capsaicin.

[-] Wizard_Pope@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

Birds eat them without feeling the heat. And they can spread seeds more effectively as you can imagine.

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[-] Sibshops@lemm.ee 9 points 1 month ago

If no eat, why so delicious?

[-] ScrotusMaximus@lemm.ee 8 points 1 month ago

If not delicious then why delicious shaped?

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 month ago

Is it ironic that those two sauces aren't really that hot? 😂

Delicious, yes! But very low on the Scoville scale for hot sauce.

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 month ago

Sriracha is now completely random from bottle to bottle. It goes from Tabasco to Carolina Reaper with no visual indicator. Turns out fucking over your loyal farmers and having to constantly scrounge has negative consequences…

[-] Rusty@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 month ago

Is Tabasco delicious? I find the Sriracha from couple of years ago delicious (the current one is much worse), but Tabasco always tasted like a white vinegar mixed with capsaicin.

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[-] Iron_Lynx@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago

HUMANS: Hey peppers, we like what you're doing, a-

PEPPERS: HOW‽‽ IT'S SUPPOSED TO HURT Y-

HUMANS: -nd we wanted to produce as many of you as we can in a controlled environment.

PEPPERS: ... Blinks in disbelief Go on...?

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[-] malean@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago

Butt also go Brrr after eating to much spicy

[-] Rolive@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 1 month ago

You get to enjoy spicy food twice.

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[-] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 month ago

It's sort of what happens though. A plant gets a defense mechanism, it becomes more abundant, something will target that abundant food source.

[-] faberyayo@lemm.ee 5 points 1 month ago

Plant: "I will let you feel pain". Humans: "Jokes on you, I'm into that shit"

[-] Faydaikin@beehaw.org 5 points 1 month ago

Sometimes it also makes your ass go brrrrrr...

[-] lvxferre@mander.xyz 4 points 1 month ago

In the meantime, birds be like: "ultrahot? nom nom fruity"

[-] tetris11@feddit.uk 4 points 1 month ago

Why is the chili wearing a cape? Or is that... hair?

[-] ceenote@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Not brrrrr, more like kssss

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this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2025
1092 points (99.0% liked)

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