Coyote Peterson from the Brave Wilderness team conducts an experiment to determine if maggots will eat human flesh. He immerses his feet, one with a "meat sock" made of chicken skin and bacon, and the other without, into a container with 300,000 maggots. After several hours, he examines his feet and finds that while the maggots have eaten the meat sock, they have not penetrated his skin or caused any significant damage. The experiment concludes that maggots do not eat living human flesh. Peterson also explores the life cycle of flies and the role of maggots as natural decomposers, highlighting their importance in the ecosystem.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The host, Coyote Peterson, is experimenting with 300,000 flesh-eating maggots.
2. Maggots are the immature stage of any kind of fly.
3. Maggots have an exoskeleton.
4. Maggots primarily eat rotting stuff like dead carcasses or roadkill.
5. Some maggots will burrow into human flesh if given the chance.
6. Coyote Peterson is visiting Dr. Julie at Ohio State University to learn about maggots.
7. Dr. Julie studies bugs and how they survive during the winter.
8. Maggots are ideal test subjects for Dr. Julie's research because they can sense when winter is coming.
9. The life cycle of a fly breaks down into four distinct phases: egg, larva (maggot), pupa, and adult.
10. Female flies lay eggs in decaying organic matter, which hatch into maggots in less than 24 hours.
11. Maggots secrete enzymes called peptidases that liquefy flesh proteins.
12. Maggots lack teeth or other weaponry for harvesting flesh.
13. Maggots have mouth hooks that allow them to grapple and pull their rough skin bodies over dead flesh.
14. Coyote Peterson's feet are submerged in a container with 300,000 maggots for several hours.
15. One foot is covered in a "meat sock" made of chicken skin and bacon.
16. The maggots eat the bacon and chicken skin on the meat sock.
17. The maggots do not burrow into Coyote Peterson's skin.
18. Coyote Peterson experiences some pain and pinching sensations on his foot, but it is not clear if it is from the maggots biting him.
19. After several hours, Coyote Peterson's feet are still fully intact, with no significant damage from the maggots.
20. The experiment suggests that maggots do not eat living human flesh.