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

submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

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[-] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 11 points 11 months 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 11 months ago

To make poop knives?

[-] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 0 points 11 months ago

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

[-] hydrospanner@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

For real?!

TIL! Thanks for explaining.

[-] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 1 points 11 months 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.