Sean Houtman wrote in message news:1095192952.JmN+ogXFOrnjnH4ClqAdGw@teranews. ..
(Curious) wrote in
m:

(Mike Lyle) wrote in message
om...
(Curious) wrote in message
Natural bacteria feed on whatever is their. Bacteria could be
gene-modified into "eating" only specfic substances. For
example, there was a strain of gene-modified bacteria to feed
on the petroleum dumps of the sea. If gene-modified, the
bacteria can be more "task-oriented".

You'd have to get rid of the bacterial waste and the waste
bacteria somehow. And you'd fart like crazy. All the time.

Genetically-engineered bacteria can specifically feed on the waste
products and their odors and convert them to substances the human
body can use. Same with the urinary system. Bacteria can be
genetically-modified so that they feed on urea and other
urine-specific constituents so that one does not need to urinate
and so the waste is converted to useful substacnes the subject can
use. Why not also modify the microbes so that they can feed use
necessary nutrients from plants? That way we won't need to eat.

[...]
As far as converting feces and odors into
substances that the body can use, that would require lots of energy.
There is already a system where this occurs, namely the rest of the
environment.

Of course. But I'm enjoying this trip to lunar park. And the idea of
not needing to eat? Spike Milligan territory, and it could be made
into a very funny story. But away from surrealist humo[u]r, you can't
get out more than you put in; and I can't quite visualize the GM
bacteria which would recycle your body-heat and exhaled CO2 for you,
not to mention trifles like shed hair, skin, and nail-clippings. Is it
time to get onto sex yet...?

Mike.