Comments on: Opioid Receptors https://habitablezone.com/2015/10/12/opiod-receptors/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:18:10 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2015/10/12/opiod-receptors/#comment-33101 bowser Wed, 14 Oct 2015 08:22:54 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=51136#comment-33101 Thinking about it. Good question. These have two functions. They kill pain, and they promote a sense of intimacy. I would imagine that larger animals who have live birth and young which require care would start to produce these when they go into labor. Would help with the pain and promote the bonding which would in turn promote caring for the young. Thinking about it. Good question.

These have two functions. They kill pain, and they promote a sense of intimacy.

I would imagine that larger animals who have live birth and young which require care would start to produce these when they go into labor. Would help with the pain and promote the bonding which would in turn promote caring for the young.

]]> By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2015/10/12/opiod-receptors/#comment-33100 bowser Wed, 14 Oct 2015 07:55:17 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=51136#comment-33100 According to the article, those receptors are involved with exactly what contemporary opioid abusers are after. They are involved with a sense of intimacy, closeness, connection with another human being. Apparently there have been enough of the odd opioid to do that long, long before humans came along. Watching a mother cow, or dog, or cat take care of their young it's not hard to imagine that they have used hormones to stimulate the production of some chemicals which will not only ease pain but produce a sense of closeness with their young. And these chemicals seem to have come along about the time of live births in land animals. According to the article, those receptors are involved with exactly what contemporary opioid abusers are after. They are involved with a sense of intimacy, closeness, connection with another human being. Apparently there have been enough of the odd opioid to do that long, long before humans came along.

Watching a mother cow, or dog, or cat take care of their young it’s not hard to imagine that they have used hormones to stimulate the production of some chemicals which will not only ease pain but produce a sense of closeness with their young. And these chemicals seem to have come along about the time of live births in land animals.

]]> By: podrock https://habitablezone.com/2015/10/12/opiod-receptors/#comment-33094 podrock Tue, 13 Oct 2015 01:19:27 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=51136#comment-33094 Although our genome has been know to incorporate virus DNA. Still an accident. But it either benefits survival in some way or does not harm it or we wouldn't be here. For now. Basically, this is one of the chemicals that gives us pleasure. Our bodies produce it on it's own. One of the biochemical processes that make us human - to love and hurt and cherish and hate. That there are so many plants and fungi that match this receptor is what I find interesting. Especially their role in our spiritual evolution. In the jargon of tech: "It's not a bug; it's a feature!" Although our genome has been know to incorporate virus DNA. Still an accident.

But it either benefits survival in some way or does not harm it or we wouldn’t be here. For now.

Basically, this is one of the chemicals that gives us pleasure. Our bodies produce it on it’s own. One of the biochemical processes that make us human – to love and hurt and cherish and hate.

That there are so many plants and fungi that match this receptor is what I find interesting. Especially their role in our spiritual evolution.

In the jargon of tech: “It’s not a bug; it’s a feature!”

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2015/10/12/opiod-receptors/#comment-33093 ER Tue, 13 Oct 2015 00:31:05 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=51136#comment-33093 Whatever the reason and whatever their function, why is the human nervous system vulnerable to so many different addictions? Its sort of like the unexpected opportunities for security breaches present in computer systems. It looks like no one can design an operating system that someone else can't hack. Is this an unavoidable design flaw in all data processing systems, even biological ones? Is it unavoidably built into to all thinking machines? I couldn't follow much of that article, but it appears opioids have a long evolutionary history. In a possibly related observation, it has been suggested that narcotic plants were selected by human consumers and that drove their evolution to produce more and more addictive and more potent psychoactive substances. That certainly seems to be the case with cannabis, although it is not addictive. The better the weed, the more likely users are to save the seeds and cultivate that strain. Yes, Evolution works in mysterious ways. Whatever the reason and whatever their function,
why is the human nervous system vulnerable to so many different addictions? Its sort of like the unexpected opportunities for security breaches present in computer systems. It looks like no one can design an operating system that someone else can’t hack.

Is this an unavoidable design flaw in all data processing systems, even biological ones? Is it unavoidably built into to all thinking machines? I couldn’t follow much of that article, but it appears opioids have a long evolutionary history.

In a possibly related observation, it has been suggested that narcotic plants were selected by human consumers and that drove their evolution to produce more and more addictive and more potent psychoactive substances. That certainly seems to be the case with cannabis, although it is not addictive. The better the weed, the more likely users are to save the seeds and cultivate that strain.

Yes, Evolution works in mysterious ways.

]]>