"To summarize, the main reasons anyone should consider giving up seafood are:
EATING SEAFOOD IS NOT THAT HEALTHY.
EATING SEAFOOD HAS NEGATIVE ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES.
TO EAT SEAFOOD IS TO EAT SOME OF THE PLANET'S LAST REMAINING WILDLIFE.
(Yet, despite this third fact, I was just reading this eye-opening article in Conservation Biology, which discusses the very few CITES listing of marine taxa-- in part because fisheries are not considered part of the wildlife trade)."
The culprit in decimating the biodiversity and perpetuating the suffering is our addiction to umami. When they sequenced the genome of the "cute" Panda last year, they figured it has every traits to be an omnivorous but yet it eats only Bamboo shoots.
"By parsing genes involved in the digestive process, the researchers found that, "the panda probably has all the necessary components for a carnivorous digestive system," the paper authors wrote, a finding that makes sense given its place in Carnivora and the Ursidae family. So, "the bamboo diet of the panda is unlikely to be dictated by its own genetic composition, and may instead be more dependent on its gut microbiome" for digestion, they concluded.
What, then, might draw a would-be meat-eater to faithfully devour such fibrous feasts? It might be a matter of taste, the researchers found. The lesser-known flavor profile umami, which is tasted in a common amino acid (glutamic acid), is aided by the presence of a number of T1R genes. In the panda's genetic map, the T1R1 gene appeared to not function, which "might prevent the panda from expressing a functional umami taste receptor," wrote the authors. Thus, the big bear might not share other carnivores' affinity for meaty, high-protein meals. "
What would it take to disable T1R genes in humans? I know, it's a parochial view of science and there could be too many implications but I wouldn't be surprised if someday this could end up being a fad.
The culprit in decimating the biodiversity and perpetuating the suffering is our addiction to umami. When they sequenced the genome of the "cute" Panda last year, they figured it has every traits to be an omnivorous but yet it eats only Bamboo shoots.
"By parsing genes involved in the digestive process, the researchers found that, "the panda probably has all the necessary components for a carnivorous digestive system," the paper authors wrote, a finding that makes sense given its place in Carnivora and the Ursidae family. So, "the bamboo diet of the panda is unlikely to be dictated by its own genetic composition, and may instead be more dependent on its gut microbiome" for digestion, they concluded.
What, then, might draw a would-be meat-eater to faithfully devour such fibrous feasts? It might be a matter of taste, the researchers found. The lesser-known flavor profile umami, which is tasted in a common amino acid (glutamic acid), is aided by the presence of a number of T1R genes. In the panda's genetic map, the T1R1 gene appeared to not function, which "might prevent the panda from expressing a functional umami taste receptor," wrote the authors. Thus, the big bear might not share other carnivores' affinity for meaty, high-protein meals. "
What would it take to disable T1R genes in humans? I know, it's a parochial view of science and there could be too many implications but I wouldn't be surprised if someday this could end up being a fad.
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