Science, Art, Litt, Science based Art & Science Communication
Qs people asked me on science and my replies to them - part 136
Q: I am a vegetarian. When figs absorb wasps in their fruit, they are no longer vegetarian food. What do you think? Should we eat figs or not?
A fig is not actually a fruit; it is an inflorescence - a cluster of many flowers and seeds contained inside a bulbous stem. Because of this unusual arrangement, the seeds—technically the ovaries of the fig—require a specialized pollinator that is adapted to navigate within these confined quarters. Here begins the story of the relationship between figs and fig wasps.
The fig wasp is almost the perfect size for the job—except, despite her tiny body, she often times will lose her wings and antennae as she enters through a tight opening in the fig. “The only link the fig cavity has to the outside world is through a tiny bract-lined opening at the apex of the fig, called the ostiole, and it is by means of this passage that the pollinating fig wasp gains access to the florets.
Once inside, the wasp travels within the chamber, depositing her eggs and simultaneously shedding the pollen she carried with her from another fig. This last task, while not the wasp’s primary goal, is an important one: She is fertilizing the fig’s ovaries. After the wasp has laid her eggs, she dies and is digested by the fig, providing nourishment. Once the wasp’s eggs hatch, male and female wasps assume very different roles. They first mate with each other (yes, brothers and sisters), and then the females collect pollen—in some species, actively gathering it in a specialized pouch and in others, accumulating it inadvertently—while the wingless males begin carving a path to the fig’s exterior. This activity is not for their own escape but rather to create an opening for the females to exit. The females will pollinate another fig as queens. The males will spend their entire life-cycle within a single fruit.
This is one of the most solid examples of co-evolution.
But some figs are parthenocarpic, meaning they are seedless. According to a 2006 Science study, these domesticated sterile figs could be evidence of the first use of horticulture in human history. The researchers discovered carbonized fig fruits in “an early Neolithic village, located in the Lower Jordan Valley, which dates to 11,400 to 11,200 years ago”—nearly one thousand years before cereal domestication. The commercially cultivated fig tree is usually a female parthenocarpic variety of the ancient common fig (Ficus carica) and does not need pollination to produce fruit.
On the other hand, those species of fig trees that rely on wasps for pollination will likely contain bits of wasps in the fruit. In general, animals that eat fruits like monkeys, birds and humans, are most attracted to the fruit once it ripens; at this stage, the wasps have already mated and escaped to find another fig. However, the wingless male wasps stay behind and die once they have mated and completed their tunneling duty. Therefore, animals, including humans, who eat figs that have not been commercially cultivated likely consume dead wasps, most part of it is mixed with the fruit material!
The female wasp crawls inside through a hole so narrow that she loses her wings in the process and becomes trapped. If the fig is a male, she lays her eggs inside. These hatch into larvae that burrow out, turn into wasps and fly off, carrying fig pollen with them. If the wasp climbs into a female fig, she pollinates it, but cannot lay her eggs and just dies alone.
The female fig produces an enzyme that digests this wasp completely. The crunchy bits are seeds, not wasp parts.
| Principle | Nutrient Value | % of RDA |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 74 Kcal | 4% |
| Carbohydrates | 19.18 g | 15% |
| Protein | 0.75 g | 1.5% |
| Total Fat | 0.30 g | 1% |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.9 g | 7% |
| Vitamins | ||
| Folates | 6 µg | 1.5% |
| Niacin | 0.400 mg | 2.5% |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.300 mg | 6% |
| Pyridoxine | 0.113 mg | 9% |
| Riboflavin | 0.050 mg | 4% |
| Thiamin | 0.060 | 5% |
| Vitamin A | 142 IU | 5% |
| Vitamin C | 2 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin E | 0.11 mg | 1% |
| Vitamin K | 4.7 µg | 4% |
| Electrolytes | ||
| Sodium | 1 mg | 0% |
| Potassium | 232 mg | 5% |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 35 mg | 3.5% |
| Copper | 0.070 mg | 8% |
| Iron | 0.37 mg | 5% |
| Magnesium | 17 mg | 4% |
| Manganese | 0.128 mg | 5.5% |
| Selenium | 0.2 µg | <1% |
| Zinc | 0.15 mg | 1% |
| Phyto-nutrients | ||
| Carotene-ß | 85 µg | -- |
| Lutein-zeaxanthin | 9 µg | -- |
I instantly became a student of philosophy. I learned how to live.
How do you counter that?
Krishna: :) Easy!
''Science enhances the moral value of life, because it furthers a love of truth and reverence'' - Max Plank
All genuine scientists think the real facts about this universe can be unraveled only through scientific method. If you are really interested in finding truth, the right one, science is the only way!
There might be other ways, but they are not as accurate as science is! Why? Read this article that explains the Q ...
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Permalink Reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on
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Are fig-like fruits good for your health?
Just have a look at the nutrients in Fig
Fig fruit (Ficus carica), Nutrition Value/ 100 g. (Source: USDA National Nutrient data base) Principle Nutrient Value % of RDA Energy 74 Kcal 4% Carbohydrates 19.18 g 15% Protein 0.75 g 1.5% Total Fat 0.30 g 1% Cholesterol 0 mg 0% Dietary Fiber 2.9 g 7% Vitamins Folates 6 µg 1.5% Niacin 0.400 mg 2.5% Pantothenic acid 0.300 mg 6% Pyridoxine 0.113 mg 9% Riboflavin 0.050 mg 4% Thiamin 0.060 5% Vitamin A 142 IU 5% Vitamin C 2 mg 3% Vitamin E 0.11 mg 1% Vitamin K 4.7 µg 4% Electrolytes Sodium 1 mg 0% Potassium 232 mg 5% Minerals Calcium 35 mg 3.5% Copper 0.070 mg 8% Iron 0.37 mg 5% Magnesium 17 mg 4% Manganese 0.128 mg 5.5% Selenium 0.2 µg <1% Zinc 0.15 mg 1% Phyto-nutrients Carotene-ß 85 µg -- Lutein-zeaxanthin 9 µg -- Figs are very good for health. But I have an idea why you asked this question.
Figs are natural products.Yes, some figs do contain wasp material.A fig is not actually a fruit; it is an inflorescence - a cluster of many flowers and seeds contained inside a bulbous stem. Because of this unusual arrangement, the seeds—technically the ovaries of the fig—require a specialized pollinator that is adapted to navigate within these confined quarters. Here begins the story of the relationship between figs and fig wasps.
The fig wasp is almost the perfect size for the job—except, despite her tiny body, she often times will lose her wings and antennae as she enters through a tight opening in the fig. “The only link the fig cavity has to the outside world is through a tiny bract-lined opening at the apex of the fig, called the ostiole, and it is by means of this passage that the pollinating fig wasp gains access to the florets.
Once inside, the wasp travels within the chamber, depositing her eggs and simultaneously shedding the pollen she carried with her from another fig. This last task, while not the wasp’s primary goal, is an important one: She is fertilizing the fig’s ovaries. After the wasp has laid her eggs, she dies and is digested by the fig, providing nourishment. Once the wasp’s eggs hatch, male and female wasps assume very different roles. They first mate with each other (yes, brothers and sisters), and then the females collect pollen—in some species, actively gathering it in a specialized pouch and in others, accumulating it inadvertently—while the wingless males begin carving a path to the fig’s exterior. This activity is not for their own escape but rather to create an opening for the females to exit. The females will pollinate another fig as queens. The males will spend their entire life-cycle within a single fruit.
This is one of the most solid examples of co-evolution.
But some figs are parthenocarpic, meaning they are seedless. According to a 2006 Science study, these domesticated sterile figs could be evidence of the first use of horticulture in human history. The researchers discovered carbonized fig fruits in “an early Neolithic village, located in the Lower Jordan Valley, which dates to 11,400 to 11,200 years ago”—nearly one thousand years before cereal domestication. The commercially cultivated fig tree is usually a female parthenocarpic variety of the ancient common fig (Ficus carica) and does not need pollination to produce fruit.
On the other hand, those species of fig trees that rely on wasps for pollination will likely contain bits of wasps in the fruit. In general, animals that eat fruits like monkeys, birds and humans, are most attracted to the fruit once it ripens; at this stage, the wasps have already mated and escaped to find another fig. However, the wingless male wasps stay behind and die once they have mated and completed their tunneling duty. Therefore, animals, including humans, who eat figs that have not been commercially cultivated likely consume dead wasps, most part of it is mixed with the fruit material!
But then,The Q of veganism doesn't make any sense to me.Okay tell me this : A person dies under a tree. His body decomposes. Some atoms of his body are absorbed by the tree and used in making leaves, flowers and fruits. Now if you consume the tree's leaves , fruits and flowers (like tamarind, coconut, mangoes etc.) aren't you consuming a human body indirectly? Aren't you offering the flowers, fruits and nuts made of human atoms to your deity? What type of logic is this? Everything in this universe is re-cycled. That includes human and animal faeces, urine, menstrual blood, dead bodies and all sorts of rubbish. You just can't escape consuming some of these no matter how much you hate it. You just can't escape universal justice and scientific rules.Your body might have been made of 'disgusting atoms' from all those things I mentioned above. Now go to the bathroom and try to vomit all that you ate for breakfast! And don't eat anything, ever, if you really don't want to consume anything non-veg!My mother told me when I refused to eat meat that I can't escape meat, nobody can. Even the most 'religious vegetarian' will have to consume some amount of non-veg in the form of small insects etc. in his or her food.After studying science, I realized, nobody can escape recycled 'non-veg' atoms in their food!Call it Universal rules or justice or whatever you want.Digest that fact along with the food you eat!By the way I eat figs, lots of them. -
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