CynthesisToday — LessWrong

LESSWRONG
LW

Thank you for taking the time to explore this domain.

There is at least one additional aspect of lipid structure consumption that is not part of your list of mechanisms. Lipid shape affects the shape of membranes. This paper illustrates the concept (tldr: Figures 3 & 4):

https://dasher.wustl.edu/bio5357/readings/naturerevmcb-19-281-18.pdf "Understanding the diversity
of membrane lipid composition"

Figure 3 in the following review paper shows a table of different physical properties for the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Golgi apparatus, and plasma membrane (PM) and their % of different lipid shapes that drive their function:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9892264/ "Regulation of membrane protein structure and function by their paralipidomes"

Not commenting on the 5 mechanisms explained above. Just noting another possible mechanism for an effect of ingesting different proportions of lipid structures. Ingested lipid shape shapes membrane shapes and, subsequently, lipid-lipid and lipid-protein interactions.

Agree with the complexity aspect of biology.

Replying toThis Can't Go On

CynthesisToday4y

This Can't Go On

Thank you for clarifying the definition you're using for "proportionately more".

Two points come to mind:

The material waste products of the electronics ecosystem between 1990s and now has shifted from mass/toxic atoms (cathode-ray tubes/lead, mercury) to less mass but more rare(er) earth elements such as indium and cobalt. 1 The problem of "this can't go on" may not be limited by total of all atoms but by total of electronically important elements that can be mined "sustainably" on earth. All atoms are not equal. As you're probably aware, "rare earth" is not always about the total amount of atoms of said element in the earth but of how the element is dispersed (or

... (read more)

-1

Replying toThis Can't Go On

CynthesisToday4y

This Can't Go On

"Many recent developments that produced a lot of value, like radio, computing, and the Internet, didn't do it by using proportionally more atoms."

There are vacuum electronic tube production facilities (late 18th century onward), many billion dollar semiconductor factories (late 1970s onward), and piles and piles of electronic waste that say this isn't true.

Replying toA Response to A Contamination Theory of the Obesity Epidemic

CynthesisToday4y

A Response to A Contamination Theory of the Obesity Epidemic

CICO is properly applied to a system defined by a boundary. The complete equation is:

inputs - outputs = accumulation + depletion (adjust signs as needed)

where these parameters are as compared to the system boundary.

Inputs for a mammal system are food, water, oxygen, and heat. Outputs are heat, sweat, urine, feces and CO2. Accumulation/depletion within the system would include muscle, fat, plasma, bone, organs, and microbial ecosystem.

Energy inputs to the system can go to the primary host body (e.g. fat accumulation) or to the microbes' ecosystem or output in sweat, urine/feces or heat. The microbial ecosystem requires energy and dietary components as it blooms, changes, dies-off, etc.

Most of the posts/commentary I've seen in... (read 423 more words →)