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Carnivorous Pitcher Plant "Out-Thinks" Insects

Posted by samzenpus on from the follow-the-leader dept.

schwit1 writes A carnivorous pitcher plant is changing its behavior in response to natural weather fluctuations, allowing it to give up its prey in order to capture more. The pitcher plant, which has liquid-filled leaves shaped like funnels, has the ability to allow some of its prey, such as ants, to escape by "switching off" its trap." The first ant reports back to the other ants that it found a large batch of sweet nectar, causing a large contingent of ants to descend upon it. If the trap captures the first ant, it won't be able to capture many more ants later.

7 of 111 comments (clear)

  1. Pitcher of sweet nectar? by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 4, Funny

    The plant kingdom's equivalent of a honey pot!

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  2. smarter than many people I know by raymorris · · Score: 5, Interesting

    >. If the trap captures the first ant, it won't be able to capture many more ants later.

    I wish all people were as smart as this plant.
    Give up some free time now to do your school work, get paid $800,000 more later.
    Give up the opportunity to cuss your boss out today, end up with a raise next month, after discussing the issue calmly and professionally.
    Give up the girl offering easy sex now, have a self-respecting partner for the rest of your life.
    Give up the Starbuck's and iPhone 6 today, retire 10 years earlier.

    SO much of wisdom, and of success, comes down to this one thing, to delayed gratification.

    1. Re:smarter than many people I know by Kokuyo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You are not wrong, but this can be taken to extremes also. I mean, you probably could retire at 40 if you worked two jobs and lived in a one room apartment where you went only to sleep.

      There is a point where working for that early retirement takes so much out of you, that you'll be broken by the time you manage it. Lead management is an important factor in your life: Sure, it makes sense to procrastinate as little as possible and quit the habits that give you little but cost much, however you cannot just do without all amenities of life. You don't know whether you will survive to your retirement goal. If you don't, you'll have lived only for work and a dream you didn't get to enjoy. At all.

    2. Re:smarter than many people I know by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Give up the girl offering easy sex now, have a self-respecting partner for the rest of your life.

      Why are these exclusive? You can have both.

      Also, I don't like the moralizing tone of your post, it smacks of dog whistle racism.

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      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    3. Re:smarter than many people I know by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Apart from the dog-whistle racism issue raised by a fellow poster, there are a few more problems in your post:

      Regarding free time, school work, gadgets: I was given the exact same advice by my parents and I severely regret it. I feel I lost my youth. What's the point of being able to possibly retire earlier if the requirement is that you can never be really happy for first thirty years or so, and your prioritisation of study and work has left you with such a small social circle that early retirement would be pointless? My advice to my children would be to aim for sevens rather than tens and live a little. Besides, I think that the effects that has on your personality might be even better for your career than high grades.

      And how in heaven's name are you supposed to get that self-respecting life partner if you reject her first?

      Delaying gratification is (mostly) bullshit. Where I live, life expectancy is only about 80 years. Your ability to achieve happiness falls over time; in addition, achieving happiness now often improves your ability or opportunity to be happier later. The only thing delaying gratification achieves is that you get less years and less opportunity to be happy.

      There are a few traps of course, but they're pretty obvious. Don't smoke, don't run big debts, go easy on the alcohol, and so on, but these tend to be pretty obvious.

  3. Why the lame title? by Dahamma · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Out-thinks"? Basically it evolved not to produce a protein for part of the day because that resulted in better survival rates from more nutrients. Cool, but why call it thinking, even with quotes when we are big boys and girls and can understand evolutionary processes. Does Slashdot really have to resort to Buzzfeed fringy-worthy headlines these days?

  4. I've scrubbed toilets, been CEO. by raymorris · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I've worked in a lot of fields. The examples listed were all things I've done both ways - making the short-term, impatient decision the first time, than when I had another chance I tried the long term option. I've scrubbed toilets, I've flipped burgers, I've been a programmer at the bottom of the totem pole, I've been the CEO of several different companies. I've been hired, I've been fired, and for 20 years I've been hiring and occasionally firing other people.

    Most of my big mistakes through all of it were when I was thinking about what I want now, rather than the results I want five years bfrom nowm