In natural processes, the total disorder (or “entropy”) of an isolated system does not decrease, and this law is also known as the principle of increasing entropy.
We know that humans are made up of atoms arranged according to certain laws. In an isolated system, the order of these atoms will gradually change from one arrangement to another, ultimately leading to death.
Why do humans often consume herbivorous animals rather than carnivorous ones? The answer challenges conventional thinking!
Herbivorous animals in nature are large and among the easiest to hunt. (Illustration).
In nature, to combat the increase of entropy, many organisms consume food that has less entropy than they do, thereby releasing disorder into the environment to counteract the process of increasing entropy. This means that humans can eat food to gain energy and extend their lifespan.
In real life, we can observe that not only humans but all species on Earth sustain life by eating organisms smaller than themselves. The food chain consists of consumers, producers, and decomposers. Among these, producers refer to organisms that generate energy through photosynthesis for their own survival.
Species maintain their existence by consuming food smaller than themselves. (Illustration).
Consumers refer to organisms that cannot generate energy through photosynthesis but can obtain energy by consuming others. For example, cattle derive energy from grass, while tigers gain energy from consuming cattle. Decomposers, which include microorganisms, bacteria, or fungi, decompose animal remains and withered plant parts, converting them into nutrients that return to the soil for plants to recycle. Without the existence of these decomposers, Earth would likely be filled with white bones and piles of various corpses.
Simply put, energy within the biological world flows in one direction, meaning that energy in the food chain is transferred among different organisms. However, the energy efficiency of the food chain is not without loss; energy can be consumed in many different ways, and only 10%-20% of energy can be transferred from one organism to another. This is why there is a limit to the food chain, which explains why no species is higher in the food chain than humans, tigers, or lions.
As stated, whenever energy is transferred, organisms can only convey 10%-20% of their energy. Therefore, if humans were to consume carnivorous animals, the energy provided by these predators would significantly exceed that of herbivorous animals.
There is a vast number of herbivorous animals that can adequately meet humans’ protein and meat nutritional needs. The herbivore population in nature is large and among the easiest to hunt, which is why our ancestors consumed herbivorous animals long ago. We understand the nature of herbivores; from a nutritional and health perspective, herbivores are the most suitable, whereas carnivores present different challenges since their prey may be chaotic. Meanwhile, the meat from herbivorous animals (grass-eaters) is healthier and more nutritious.
As predators, most of the bodies of carnivorous animals tend to be tough and strong. The healthier the animal, the less fat it contains, leading to denser muscle fibers. This makes their meat leaner and tougher, while humans generally prefer not to consume overly tough meat.
For instance, many people enjoy eating pigeon meat (which primarily feeds on seeds, fruits, and plants), but eagle meat is often considered unpalatable due to its sour and unpleasant smell. Additionally, those who have tried bear meat during spring have claimed it to be tastier than that from winter, as bears typically eat berries in spring but consume various meats in winter.
There is still an exception to this reasoning. Some fish species (which do consume other animals) do not have an unpleasant taste. Thus, taste does not apply to all types of carnivorous animals.
Moreover, another reason is that raising and domesticating herbivorous animals is easier because herbivores are generally easier to domesticate and less aggressive than carnivores. Therefore, animals such as buffalo, cattle, horses, sheep, and pigs were among the first to be domesticated by our ancestors.
A special case here is the ancestor of dogs, which are wolves. While wolves are indeed carnivorous, they have also adapted to digest small amounts of starch over thousands of years of selection. Subsequently, dogs developed a much better ability to digest starch compared to wolves.
Since integrating with humans, dogs have become the most successfully domesticated mammals on Earth. The diversity of dog breeds and numbers is vast across the globe.
