Control "natural" de pestes
Some days ago when me and the work team was returning from field work, it came up the topic of the demographic growth issue. Interesting cases were drawn, among which the most impressive were three:
i) one real: the case I watched on Nat Geo I guess, where they reported a plague of mice or rats in Australia; a probable, terrible consequence of climate change
ii) another believed to be real: the (in)famous (unknown to me until then) case of the lemnings,
iii) and another from the science fiction literature: a vision from Issac Asimov on the demographic problem.
This is the case of a plague that extended over a province in Australia (I could not find the reference to the event). Everything started with a drought that caused losses in farmers, who forced by the harsh conditions, that year decided not plough nor till the fields. The resultant was that because of that, the accumulated seeds and graze from the previous season, provide optimum conditions to the plague to breed. The pest woke up with hunger and after eating all the grain and food stored by the community, faced toward the infrastructure of their homes, eating whatever they would find on their way, from plastic of the cables to wood. Farmers tried everything to control the plague, from bringing cats to using chemical products with no success. Later, when no solution appeared feasible, the pest controlled themselves, when once they (the pest) run out of supplies, began eating themselves until reaching extermination. Unfortunately, I could not find any reference to the case, nor I could remember the chapter or the title of the show. If you have watched it and have more information on the show I write about, please write me, so I can include a reference.
ii) The case of the lemmings.
The myth of the mass suicide of the small rodents known as Lemmings as a natural demographic control, has been originated in the Disney´s documentary White Wilderness. According to the Wikipedia, the documentary shows scenes where lemmings were jumping over Norwegian cliffs, which according to the documentary was their method through which they control the number of individuals in their population. According to the Wikipedia again, such interpretation to their behavior is a misconception, because some species of lemmings driven by strong biological urges, may migrate in large groups when population density becomes too great. Lemmings can swim and may choose to cross a body of water in search of a new habitat.
iii) Isaac Asimov´s view on the demographic problem.
Actually is one of many views this scientists had on the future of mankind. Again, without citing the title of the book until I find out which was it is, one of our friends summarized for us one of Asimov´s wok. The story is as follows. In the future, due to the absence of natural resources, people began inventing synthetic food categorized into groups of "flakes" with various colors, each with different flavor. Of course, the cheapest one was the least healthy one, usually available everywhere, and not tasty at all. On the other hand, there was the most delicious one: (let´s say) the green flakes. Those were the most delicious, with more proteins, but was also the most expensive and was also scarce since it was only on sale at certain periods of the year. It was a mystery on what the compounds of such delicious green flakes were, until a journalist decided to investigate. As said, the story is dated on a time where superpopulation is a big issue, where riots are common, and so it is the brutality with which police crews controls them. Then, I do not remember how, one day the mentioned journalist decides to follow the trucks that swipe away all the bodies left after the riots, discovering that all that material is taken into the factory responsible for the production of the green flakes. Imagine the rest, and if you have read it, please tell me the title of the book depicted in my short summary.
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