Broomstick wrote:
I looked into that when I started cooking with wakame and nori and the like - there is NO non-animal natural source of B12 that is at all reliable. In the case of seaweed and algae, the variable B12 levels in them could be accounted for by animal contamination (animal plankton, shrimp, crab-crap, etc.) And those levels do vary enormously. I will also point out that such items grown under controlled conditions in a vat will not be exposed to random ocean-critters.... although, depending on circumstances, you might well be able to set up enough shrimp in such a vat as to provide the B12... but it might be just as easy to refine it from the shrimp. Yeast and tempeh with B12 is almost alway supplemented through artificial means, again, frequently through the use of animal-source items. Or chemistry.
Now, BSG's universe might, indeed, have the chemistry to produce a reliable, non-animal source of B12... but we do not. To be honest, extrapolating from our current knowledge and know-how, I'd say creating an artificial source of usable B12 is much more plausible than, say, an FTL drive.
Resourcefulness is vital here. Think about it - all you need are a couple of ornamental acquariums on this liner or that one (clearly they have ships that function as our ocean-going cruise ships do) to have the necessary basis to start acquaculture - just build a bigger tank and hope the beasties breed. It's odd but in fact luxury liners - decorated with plants, fish, perhaps even a small aviary - may provide some of resources for a varied diet. If we could bring ourselves to eat parakeets (actually, I'm told Australian Aborigines consider both parakeets and cockatiels good eating... if a bit on the small side)
Technically, B12 is made by ourselves, or more importantly, digestive tract flora and other micro-organisms, not animals. You can readily supplement them by having cobalt in your diet, as you say, from mainly animal meat sources. But I don't see why they can't use cobalt in the form of vitamin tablets. B12 is able to be stored and is used in minute amounts despite its importance, so rather than go with this food palaver, I suppose all we need is a source of cobalt (should be easy enough with 'roids) and a way to add it to a substrate for direct consumption. The B12 we have is going to have to be filtered from waste as it is excreted since it is formed near the colon. Or simply have a vat of these flora with a steady supply of necessary resources to form cobalamin which can then be extracted.
An animal farm would be nicer to have though.
You don't need chemicals to make paper - just suitable fibers suspended in water. Certainly chemicals can improve the texture and durability, but much of what is written on paper is ephermeral. What becomes difficult, with subsequent recyclings, is the color - but they can probably make bleach easily enough. Also, when you recycle there is always a certain unavoidable loss.
The fungal fibers might work better when mixed with other fibers, but that's nothing unusual in paper (or cloth) making either. I would expect the raw fibers would give you something like nori, which is essentially algae fillaments grow on a flat frame, and which is very paperlike in consistency.
For writing, though, slate and chalk might well make a big comeback. Both are mineral, and should be obtainable from floating rocks.
I was thinking more of using the fungi for other things and making nylon for writing and clothing, it should be relatively easy to do if the setup is right. But again, anything to hand. I'd prefer paper be used only for important cases given computers can supplement most needs anyway.
No, it can't - these folks aren't going to set up computer networks, remember? Their systems are kept delibrately isolated.
A basic e-mail system isn't going to kill the network unless they're using Outlook 2000. It won't allow the Cylons to just take control if there are safety measures and most of the bugs with the Cylons being able to take control have been fixed by the good doctor himself. It's when you get too many intelligent computers working together when you get problems. The ships, whether they like it or not, need networks for certain systems regardless of the risk. Remember, Adama didn't want his ship to be highly automated, not that it didn't need networks.
Hemp must be grown.
You can also grow flax, which provides linen fiber (through a rotting process aided, yes, by micro-organisms) which is excellent for both cloth and paper (fine paper is still made with linen today) as well as providing edible linseed oil, an oil that can also be used for lubrication.
One things for sure, these people are going to become really, really good at recycling.
Which, not to be too icky (well, OK, it IS really icky) brings up the issue of recycling people. I don't think using people as a food source is a good idea - that's how you get prion diseases running rampant (Just ask the Fore tribe of New Guinea about that) but there are ways of utilizing human bits and pieces that might be a good choice under such dire survival circumstances. A human carcass can provide bone - suitable for making all sorts of tools, from combs to handles to... well, all sorts of things. A human carcass can provide leather - that's clothing, or even a durable writing surface. Sinew for sewing and binding. Collagen. Prior to death, human hair can be spun into coarse thread, twine, and rope (I've actually done this with my own hair). Certain types of human hair can be processed into felt. There's a HUGE cultural chasm you'd have to leap... on the other hand, an item made of the actual bits of a loved one might become a treasured keepsake.
I have no idea how you'd handle writing that into a script for TV, though. Well, maybe the use of hair from living people, but the rest... very hot-button as a topic.
I don't think Soylent Green tastes very nice without a lot of Worcester or BBQ sauce.
Though yeah, a dead person is a lot of useful things, provided the social stigma tagged onto this is shunted aside.
Hope it continues to pull in good numbers.
