Catch-Up Post #1

So far behind in my planned posts...I blame the Internet.

Also laziness and a lack of inspiration. Tonight I have energy and some cleverness left in me, so I'll be doing a few catch-up posts.

The first topic is, naturally, from another article on the blog Next Nature, also known as What is Next Nature. Sometimes? They took the banner down, so now I'm confused.

I should probably not post at 2 in the morning....oh well!

This post is about a new type of Jell-O that may have you thinking twice about grabbing some on your next shopping trip. Regardless of the new or old type available. The post reminded me just what gelatin is actually made out of - I'd learned once upon a time and promptly forgotten.

However, this post alerted me to the fact that The American Chemical Society has come up with "human-derived gelatin."

This was my reaction: [you have to click on it to make the GIF work for some reason...]

Now when I read the rest of the post, I understood the reasons behind it. But I think it'd make more sense to just eat a vegan version of gelatin...it doesn't seem like a smart idea to feed humans their own species' DNA. Then again, I'm not a brilliant scientist who understands all the implications. 

by chispita_666 from Flickr

Mmmm, processed animal skin, cartilage, and bones/human DNA. A healthy addition to any meal?

Rise of the Human Trees

Perhaps the title brings to mind the Ents for my lovely nerdy readers. Prepare to be disappointed you poor things.

Really, I imagine the title just aroused curiosity. When I came across the article Biopresence-Human DNA Trees on the super-awesome blog What is Next Nature? Random thought: lack of contractions just sound weird to me sometimes.

The particular article I want to bring to your attention is about the dearly departed. Researchers have found a way to take the DNA from the deceased and incorporate it into tree DNA. The "essence" of the human is attached to the tree DNA as junk code using something called the Manifold method - which I won't even pretend to understand. As junk code, the human DNA is harmless to the tree and basically just sits there.

But it is there.

Now you'd have an excuse to hug a tree if you're a closet tree-hugger! On a more sweet note, seeing the tree that your loved one's DNA is coded into grow year after year instead of a tombstone that erodes and is still sounds really nice.

Unless the tree doesn't grow for some reason. Or it gets sick. Or struck by lightning. Or pushed over by strong winds......those would all be like salt in the wound, huh?

On the bright side, if the tree's life is prematurely ended at least it won't join the ranks of rebellious and angry half-tree-half-human entities in their efforts to usurp human kind - the inevitable effect of combining human and tree DNA.

I'VE SEEN THE HORROR MOVIES! I KNOW WHERE THIS IS GOING! 

But at least the loved ones would be roaming the earth again. :3