Squamellaria plants, which are an aerial tuber plant in Fiji, were found to keep as many a five genetically different ant colonies within the same treetuber. This is due to the tubers many chambers and the layout of the tuberβs chambers. This is a symbiotic relationship, where the ants get shelter, and the plant get nutrients from ant droppings and other litter from ants.
From a gameplay standpoint, if your organism is small enough, it could utilize similar plant-like organism structures as homes/nests.
2 Likes
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
63
I suppose in this way plants can sort of βeatββ¦
According to a paper in the International Journal of Astrobiology, there is a potential for life on frozen worlds where ionizing radiation causes radiation-induced radiolysis of water. The authors use Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator as a model organism for the study, since it was the first single-species ecosystem found to power its metabolic activity using products of radiation uranium decay, such as HCO3-, SO4- and H2. The authors have defined a Radiolytic Habitable Zone (RHZ). They looked at Mars, and important moons in outer solar system, Europa and Enceladus. In the paper, they found the maximum biomass production and ATP production was on Enceladus, then Mars, followed by Europa. The RHZ boundaries are influenced by factors such as GCR flux, subsurface composition and temperature, which vary across Mars, Europa and Enceladus. The author say this supports a scenario in which an organism could uptake electrons directly or indirectly from radiolysis in subsurface environments, and hypothesize some mechanisms of how to this could occur, such as indirect electrophy or FΓΆrster resonance energy transfer (FRET).
Gameplay wise, this could be important in planet and star system generation, as well as space exploration, since there are other potential places within a star system where life could be found and originate using RHZs.
2 Likes
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
65
Not sure any sort of new life options will be added unless we discover such life.
1 Like
doomlightning
(The Invisible Aztec Dodo Overgod of Thrive and everything else. Semi-professor of botany and avid plant abuser.)
66
I finding that interesting
4 Likes
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
67
I wonder how this sort of symbiosis would be handled for macroscopic/aware⦠Maybe it would be somewhat similar to the endosymbiosis menu?
According to a new study, fish may have been out of water 10 million years earlier than previously believed. This comes from trackways and imprints of fish snouts found in Lower Devonian (middleβupper Emsian, ~410.62 Β± 1.95 Ma) marginal marine deposits in the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland. The Paleontologists extrapolated the possible movements of the ancient fishes, based on fossil evidence, and how modern lung fishes move on land. Two new species from the fossil evidence, Reptanichnus acutori igen. et isp. nov. and Broomichnium ujazdensis isp. nov. Another main conclusion of the paper was that they found the oldest possible evidence of handedness within vertebrates, where left-handedness seemed to be preferred for these early vertebrates
Gameplay wise, perhaps left-handedness would be default for coming onto land, before life switches to right-handedness. Or perhaps handedness could be an important mechanic for coming onto land, and life can later switch handedness.
2 Likes
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
69
I am not sure handedness would even be coded to be an actual thing in the game
According to a new research paper, Blue-throated Macaws are the first-non-human animal to display learning through third party imitation. Third party imitation is observing at least two other individuals interacting, rather than being directly instructed. This was done after 4,600 trials involving a control group of Blue-throated Macaw without observing another Blue-throated Macaw do five actions with a human, and the experimental group where the Blue-throated Macaw did see another Blue-throated Macaw do those same actions with a human. The authors think more studies need to be conducted on whether third party imitation may exist in other species or animals, and if groups size and different behaviors affect this ability.
This would be important for Sentient and Sapient stages in the game. Not only would the Playerβs species be able to learn this way, but so could other sentient/sapient species found in the Playerβs world, affecting potential interactions and gameplay.
3 Likes
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
71
So for instance behaviours learned by some smart animals in captivity could spread to itβs brethren even still in the wild?
According to a new study, Ξ9-THC and associated metabolites, 11-OH-THC and 11-COOH-THC23,24, in Maijuana can push eggs to become ready for fertilization, but at the cost of having the incorrect number of chromosomes. The eggs also have a spindle morphology. The authors looked at IVF group with Marijana, and a group without Marijiana. THC2 affected the transciptome, upregulating associated with the immune system and apoptotic pathways, while downregulated genes were associated with attachment of spindle microtubules to kinetochores, and inflammatory processes were downregulated. The data found that Meiosis I was affected by both THC1 and THC2, having a 9% increase in aneuploidy (three chromosomes) and higher complex aneuploidy (more than three chromosomes) in the the egg cells due to abnormal spindle complex morphology. This important because the premature separation of chromosomes during the nuclear maturation process may increase the aneuploidy in a resulting embryo. The authors also found a significant decrease in embryo euploidy rate, and reduced odds of obtaining a euploidy rate above 60%, indicating THC-positive patients may have fewer euploid embryos from their IVF cycle and could experience a longer time to pregnancy.
This could be important in later stages of the game, as ingestion of certain drug substances found in the world, or from those that are grown, may affect the birthrate of the Player/other species.
1 Like
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
73
I wonder if some nation, desperate to lower their birthrate, would rather unusually move to giving their populace such birthrate-reducing drugsβ¦
Paleontologists think they have finally figured out the 560 million year old Ediacaran fossil ivesheadiomorph Lydonia jiggamintia as an animal, due to pores found on the fossil resembling βosculaβ (or exhalent openings) of modern encrusting demosponges This strange elongated, sponge-like animal may have lived on microbial mats, and is named after is appearance resembling jiggamint, the Beothuk word for gooseberry (a spiky current fruit). The elongated shape may have been to maximize the expose to currents. The authors also postulate the organism could have been growing on other Ediacaran organism, and other organisms like Rangeomorphs could have grown on it, due to finding Rangeomorphs in close associations.
Gameplay wise, it seems to point toward sponges as an important step in evolution of animal-like organisms, as well as trying to maximize exposure to underwater currents and forming of possible symbiotic relationships are also important factors for early life.
2 Likes
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
75
If sponges are closer to actual animals than we thought then it would mean multicellular might be more accurate to reality than some have been thinkingβ¦
Sponges ARE animals by definition. There larva do certainly resemble Multicellular stage creatures, though.
That would likely be because early macroscopic animals were mostly sessile and had not yet developed a system to move liquid through their bodies of their own accord, so they needed the current both to bring them food and to move it through their body for them.
2 Likes
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
77
And I think Placozoa also mightβve been brought up a few times in the context of multicellularβ¦
Since muscle fibers are a macroscopic parts not available to multicellular creatures, would the first generation of macroscopic organisms by default be more or less sessile? Or would they be able to move more effectively than sponges even without muscles? Also, would an organism like a sponge that basically has a multicellular larva stage and a macroscopic adult stage be possible? Or possibly even required and needing to be evolved away from? So many questions for how those first few generations will be handled.
2 Likes
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
79
I suppose the answers to all that will come out as multicellular is wrapped up and macroscopic development beginsβ¦
Scientists have possibly figured out how will-o-wisps, or small flickering flames seen in swamps and graveyards. They used a transparent bubble generator, where a submerged nozzle was used to pump air and methane into water. High speed mili-second videos were taken by copuling Photoiode detection to high-speed cameras, and temperature sensors was used for detection of changes of temperature. They found microbubbles, or even nanobubbles, can create microcharge differences in electrical potential, creating micro-lighting that ignites small pockets of methane. They also found just micro or nanobubbles can heat the air without methane. The scientists believe microbubbles could have been a source for energy to create precursors for life early in Earthβs history, independent of atmospheric lightning. This microbubble-microlightning phenomena could also potentially affect engineering systems.
Gameplay wise, maybe nano-to-microsized bubbles could be forming in swampy areas and areas with methane (when/if it is added), creating microlightning and tiny flames. Also, there could be tiny chance that bubble formation on Epipelagics, and other surface water biomes, could produce microlightning, acting as an occasional hazard for early game stage players.
3 Likes
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
81
Perhaps this should also lead to society stage species developing ghost-like myths and stuff.