Have Some Fun People

[Ravi Ramdial]

Now we have all heard about spontaneous combustion.....burning of a person's body may occur without an external source of flammable ignition.

Now we all are very serious here but on this particular article there on wikipedia..

http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_human_combustion

 

Under the static flash fire hypothesis where static electricity apparently builds up to such dangerous levels in the human body that a sparking discharge can ignite clothing...Professor Robin Beach met a young woman recently employed; when she stepped on to the metal plate, the meter showed a tremendous jump. She registered 30,000 volts of electrostatic electricity and a resistance of 500,000 ohms. Now read the Survivors of Static Flash Fires where these people just produced blue flames without any exterior source.

 

 

Now this is the Question if you haven't figured it out already....I'm Sure you guys seen X men movies and cartoons...i know its stupid but i am going to say it anyways...Is this a Step in human evolution...create fire and electricity on our own?

[SkepticLance]

If that's a step in human evolution, it is a very short one. And at the far end of the step is a 50 story fall!

 

Spontaneous combustion seems to be something that happens to fat people. Not surprising, since fat tissue is the most flammable. To go from a simple clothing fire to a person burning requires a very high ignition temperature and a good source of fuel - fat.

 

I doubt that we could call it a survival trait!

[Mr Skeptic]

You mean something like the bombardier beetle?

 

I agree with SkepticLance. Nature does not plan ahead, and spontaneous combustion is a negative trait.

 

Why would we want to get energy from expensive food when we can get it from cheap coal, sunshine, hydro, wind ...?

[pioneer]

Static electricity can form on one's clothes depending on the fabrics and the shoes one is wearing. It also depends on the relative humidity in the air with dry air more condusive. I remember as a child going to a department store. My brother and I used to rub our feet on the carpets and chase each other giving each other shocks. It only worked with leather soles. Some fabrics in the dryer will give off static electricity. Take them out of the dryer in the dark so you can see the amount of voltage.

 

The women in that article may have had a wiggly walk that caused the different fabrics she wore to rub together building up a static charge. If you pass a plastic comb through human hair this can build up charge. One rub a balloon with your hair and stick it to the ceiling.

 

The funny image that comes to mind is corderoy. If the legs rub when you walk, it makes a funny swishy-queakie noise. After powering up, one goes to someone and touch them on the ear for some electrical fun.

[SkepticLance]

Some years ago I spent a weekend in Las Vagas. Now that is a weird city! And that's not even taking the people into consideration.

 

It was built in the middle of the desert, and the air is really dry. I found myself walking down the corridors in my hotel with my fingers sliding along the wall to discharge myself. If I walked along the carpets without touching the walls, the static built up, and every time I reached for a door handle, I got a belt.

 

If you are in a dry area, static electricity builds up, and can carry quite a jolt. Imagine spilling some flammable whiskey on your shirt, just before the spark. Not beyond belief that it would ignite.

[Ravi Ramdial]

Well atleast those people went out with a blaze....ok that is not funny.

As a good friend told me the world isn't getting worse ....the media is just getting better. And with 6 billion people in this world there has to be some stories that are difficult to comprehend.

[DrDNA]

Spontaneous combustion seems to be something that happens to fat people. Not surprising, since fat tissue is the most flammable. To go from a simple clothing fire to a person burning requires a very high ignition temperature and a good source of fuel - fat.

 

Yes sir.

 

It seems that most (all?) cases of human spontaneous combustion involve people with (uhm.....make that dead people that used to have) careless smoking habits.

 

http://www.csicop.org/si/9611/shc.html

 

Recipe for homemade human candle = lit cigarette, flammable polyester pajamas or glass of strong liquor, and passed out drunk person (as stationary source of fuel/fat).

 

On second thought, maybe all that tar in their lungs caught fire like oily rags in a bucket.

[SkepticLance]

To DrDNA

 

I am sure you are correct. A flame is a better source of ignition than a spark, and smokers do 'play' with fire a lot. Hot burning clothes may be hot enough to ignite body fat.

[DrDNA]

Hot burning clothes may be hot enough to ignite body fat.

 

 

You don't like my idea about tar in smokers' lungs spontaneously combusting like oily rags?

[SkepticLance]

To DrDNA

 

Not really. Tar in a smokers lungs will be very wet. Dry flammable clothing seems to me to be a better bet, especially if splashed with something flammable like a spirit.

[Glider]

I think an important point is that if a conscious person catches fire, they tend to then try to put themselves out. In most reported cases of 'spontaneous human combustion', there are no signs of this effort, which would suggest that the individuals were not conscious at the time (and thus not moving around to generate static and were quite well earthed), which, I think, puts a different slant on possible events leading up to death. Particularly in those who smoked.

[ajman2463]

Another theory of combution has nothing to do with static electricity at all. A theory that i tend to lean towards is that which happens during glycolysis. if the enzyme phosphofructokinase malfunctions, our body will constantly start producing ATP and generate heat. As the happens, the temperature of that cell rises, eventually causing the cell to rupture and ignite. other cells around ignite, causing a rise in internal temperature, eventually leading to....boom. spontanous combution. although i believe this is a rather new idea, it is proven (not to cause S.C.) but as a future weight loss idea, since if that enzyme is turned to producing ATP, its not going through it's metabolic pathway.

 

* i could be completely wrong but this is a possibilty?

[DrDNA]

Another theory of combution has nothing to do with static electricity at all. A theory that i tend to lean towards is that which happens during glycolysis. if the enzyme phosphofructokinase malfunctions, our body will constantly start producing ATP and generate heat. As the happens, the temperature of that cell rises, eventually causing the cell to rupture and ignite. other cells around ignite, causing a rise in internal temperature, eventually leading to....boom. spontanous combution. although i believe this is a rather new idea, it is proven (not to cause S.C.) but as a future weight loss idea, since if that enzyme is turned to producing ATP, its not going through it's metabolic pathway.

 

* i could be completely wrong but this is a possibilty?

 

Dear Human Torch,

 

Well I guess one advantage is you won't have to worry about being fat anymore. But, proven how and what weight loss idea?

 

PS: At what temperature do you figure that the enzyme stops working?

[ajman2463]

Dear Human Torch,

 

Well I guess one advantage is you won't have to worry about being fat anymore. But, proven how and what weight loss idea?

 

PS: At what temperature do you figure that the enzyme stops working?

 

 

The idea behind the weight loss idea is that when you can't turn the enzyme from "energy" mode to "metabolism" mode, your body will begin breaking down the stored fats.

 

as for denaturing the protein, im not sure the exact temp, but it must be above the ignition point, correct? but since it wouldnt be just one cell doing this, it'd be many, since the communicate via transponders, maybe the denaturing point is less the ignition point, but the combined temp of all the cells are higher than the ignition point, causing fire?

 

* oh, and it hasn't been proven, its just a theory. but there is a create deal of evidence supporting the idea. where you can find the evidence on the web, im not sure. I draw my information from my notes i took at a seminar about S.C. at my college

[DrDNA]

The idea behind the weight loss idea is that when you can't turn the enzyme from "energy" mode to "metabolism" mode, your body will begin breaking down the stored fats.

 

as for denaturing the protein, im not sure the exact temp, but it must be above the ignition point, correct? but since it wouldnt be just one cell doing this, it'd be many, since the communicate via transponders, maybe the denaturing point is less the ignition point, but the combined temp of all the cells are higher than the ignition point, causing fire?

 

* oh, and it hasn't been proven, its just a theory. but there is a create deal of evidence supporting the idea. where you can find the evidence on the web, im not sure. I draw my information from my notes i took at a seminar about S.C. at my college

 

The first problem I see is that the cells (even fat cells) are mostly water so unless you can figure out a way to make fire start under water, flame off.

 

Transponders?

[ajman2463]

The first problem I see is that the cells (even fat cells) are mostly water so unless you can figure out a way to make fire start under water, flame off.

 

Transponders?

 

first off, i made a mistake with transponders. mistype, i meant chemical transmitters. Panacrine signalling is the signalling of one cell to a neighboring cell.

Perhaps the total heat energy is enough to boil away the water? a far-fetched possability i guess. On another note, this occurs in the mitochondria. is there a high percentage of water in the mitochondria? Plus, remember, there are also electrical currents flowing through these cells so that would add to the total heat percentage in the cell. So i believe there is a possability that the combined heat would be enough to ignite a cell. the whole cell would not have to ignite, a part would be enough to cause a chain-reaction. remember, the membrane is hydrophobic, so is there a possability that it would ignite?

[DrDNA]

Not likely.

 

I would love to have heard that seminar.....

"We are here today with our special guest, The Human Torch, to tell you about a brand new weight loss formula, called Flame On. Mr Torch is the inventor of Flame On and the president and CEO of Light Me Up Enterprizes. Now Mr Torch, isn't it true that the drug companies and the FDA don't want the public to know about this revoltutionary new weight loss product? Uhm..excuse me, but unfortunately, Mr Torch can't speak right now because he seems to be consumed in fire. But, Mr Torch did tell me earlier that Flame On burns fat cells like no other weight loss product on the market because it actually transforms your own mitachondria into itty bitty hot little furnaces. It does have just one minor side effect that only 8 or 9 dozen or so out of a hundred users may experience....in these rare cases it causes SHC, also known as spontaneous human combustion. For a limited time only, we are offering Flame On to our first 100 customers at our special, low, low introductory price of only $39.95. That's right folks, just $39.95 plus shippping and handling and you to can burn your way to a lighter, slimmer, hotter you. And it really makes a great gift."

[NeonBlack]

But wait! Order within the next five minutes and we'll send you a second bottle of Flame On free! That's an 80 dollar value for only $39.95!

 

I think boiling off the water in your body (or even a small part of your body) would be much more devastating that SC. If what Glider says is true, that suggests more of a falling asleep with a cigarette wearing a sweater type of scenario. You'd think if this were the case, they'd find evidence of a cigarette or flame and it wouldn't be deemed "spontaneous."

Maybe they were just too dumbstruck to be able to extinguish themselves.

"Oh my god! I can't believe this! I've actually spontaneously combusted! I didn't at all expect this to happen..."

[DrDNA]

Another happy Flame On customer.

 

 

"This is one of the most famous photos from an alleged case of spontaneous human combustion. On December 5, 1966, 92-year-old retired doctor John Bentley died from a fire of unknown origin in Coudersport, Pennsylvania. The elderly man walked with the aid of a walking frame, clearly visible in the photo. The fire apparently was confined to a small area of the doctor's bathroom, which burned a hole in the floor. Most of his body was reduced to ash."

[iNow]

Are any other animals said to spontaneously combust, or is this pretty much a human specific event about which you're speculating?

[Mr Skeptic]

Are any other animals said to spontaneously combust, or is this pretty much a human specific event about which you're speculating?

 

Most cases of animal combustion are due to leaving them in the oven for too long.

[DrDNA]

Are any other animals said to spontaneously combust, or is this pretty much a human specific event about which you're speculating?

 

I think they can.

If they happen to pass out drunk, with a lit cigarette, while holding a significantly full glass of gin while wearing flammable polyester pajamas.

 

You know if SHC were actually true, Elvis would have done it. He always did like to make dramatic exits.

[Ravi Ramdial]

But wait! Order within the next five minutes and we'll send you a second bottle of Flame On free! That's an 80 dollar value for only $39.95!

 

I think boiling off the water in your body (or even a small part of your body) would be much more devastating that SC. If what Glider says is true, that suggests more of a falling asleep with a cigarette wearing a sweater type of scenario. You'd think if this were the case, they'd find evidence of a cigarette or flame and it wouldn't be deemed "spontaneous."

Maybe they were just too dumbstruck to be able to extinguish themselves.

"Oh my god! I can't believe this! I've actually spontaneously combusted! I didn't at all expect this to happen..."

 

 

Sorry but you forgot ...................

 

 

side effects include spontaneously combusting with a possibility of dying.