You’re right, I read too fast. It’s in Fishlake National Forest. Utah I got right.
Are coral reefs considered “living organisms”? If so - the Great Barrier Reef off Australia is 345,000 sq km.
Each coral is an individual
I don’t think so, it’s like saying that the Amazon rainforest is a “living organism”. Both consist of zillions of different life forms.
I’m not.
All the polyps in a single coral colony are genetically identical, so one could argue that a colony is a single organism. But a reef is a collection of many genetically distinct colonies, so it doesn’t really make sense to consider the whole reef to be one organism.
Even the genetically-identical coral polyps aren’t usually metabolically linked, though. Pando and the Humongous Fungus both exchange nutrients among the bits through their root systems.
It’s possible for two things to be metabolically linked while being different individuals:
The Hensels are morally, ethically, and legally different people, but they’re biologically the same organism.
Of course, it’s also possible for genetically-distinct creatures to be metabolically linked. Biologists generally require both genetic identicalness and metabolic connection to consider something one organism. Though of course, as always with biology, there can be blurry edge cases.
Can you give me any evidence for (1) being morally different, (2) being ethically different, (3) being legally different, and (4) beng biologically the same?
I think there’s ample evidence conjoined twins are legally two people. They can vote individually, need each get a driver’s license if either can drive. The other questions may not have established answers, but I’ve never heard of conjoined twins being considered one person.
Then why did you say that?
And why do you say that they are biologically the same?
…one body?
“Conjoined twins who can’t get along! Next on Oprah!”
I didn’t. I only addressed the legal issue.
Many diarrhea medicines are dirt. Literally. Kaolin as in kaopectate.
Sandersville, Georgia is known as the Kaolin capital of the world. It’s 161 miles NW from Andersonville, Georgia, where thousands of Union prisoners died of the flux.
Oh! Had they only known how close they were to the cure.
The cure would have been not having the only water supply double as the camp sewer.