Evolution's Spicy Misunderstanding

Evolution's Spicy Misunderstanding
evolution-memes, capsaicin-memes, spicy-memes, plants-memes, adaptation-memes | ScienceHumor.io

Plants: "Hey Evolution, gimme some spicy chemicals to keep mammals away so birds can spread my seeds."

Evolution: "Sure, here's capsaicin to deter mammals."

Humans: *invents hot sauce, kimchi, and spicy condiments* "This pain is DELICIOUS!"

Plants: *confused DNA noises*

This is peak evolutionary backfire! Capsaicin evolved specifically to target mammalian pain receptors while leaving birds unaffected (birds can't taste the spice). Yet somehow humans decided that burning mouth sensation was worth bottling and selling for $7.99. We're literally the only species that says "this causes pain... I want MORE!" Natural selection is facepalming somewhere.

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