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And that, my friends, is the Pleistocene. (mander.xyz)

submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

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[-] qooqie@lemmy.world 22 points 2 years ago

Just wait until those weird hairless apes with back issues learn how to fling those pointy sticks really fast with twine and wood

[-] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 years ago

Just wait until those same weird hairless apes with back issues learn how how to harness a particular mixture of charcoal, brimstone, and poop crystals.

[-] hydrospanner@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

To make poop knives?

[-] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 years ago

Not quite. Guano was historically a source of saltpetre...

[-] hydrospanner@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

For real?!

TIL! Thanks for explaining.

[-] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 years ago

For real?!

Yup: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guano

Though its main use was as fertilizer, Guano was also sought for the production of gunpowder.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_nitrate#From_caves

Major natural sources of potassium nitrate were the deposits crystallizing from cave walls and the accumulations of bat guano in caves. Extraction is accomplished by immersing the guano in water for a day, filtering, and harvesting the crystals in the filtered water.