Re: SV: DS2/SG2/BDS References

At 22:06 15/11/97 +0100, Oerjan wrote:
SNIP
>> Whether big spiders would work using terrestial biology is probably
not
>> possible. Kytin (sp?) probably isn't strong enough and you have the 
>> respiration problem. PBB (Pseudo Biological Bs) could be that their
>> exo-skeleton uses a much stronger material, like a natural form of
>> carbon fibre and they have active respiratory systems, so they look 
>> like spiders but have a different biology from the terrestial
equivalent.
>
>Hm... IIRC, terran spiders do have a primitive sort of lung - ie, an
active
>respiratory system. They're quite different from the six-legged
creepies
>:-)
> 
>Regards,
>Oerjan Ohlson

	Our spiders can have book-lungs, tracheae or both, and a fair
number
of arthropods have active breathing.  A more rigid form of chitin and an
advantage to being big would be about all you'd need for Big Bugs to
arise...

	Getting a bit more on topic, having speculated on the idea of
acquatic Big Bugs in a previous posting, has anyone given any thought to
DS2/SG2 in more exotic environments than usual?  I was thinking of
underwater (inspired by the Seatrolls v. Tigeries conflict in Poul
Anderson's "Ensign Flandry") swamp (Bill the Galactic Hero, In the walls
of
Eryx) and aerial (War of the Wingmen)

Rob

"Rob Paul

Dept of Zoology
Oxford University
South Parks Road
Oxford
(01865) 271124
----------------------------------------------
"Once again, villainy is rotting meat 
before the maggots of justice!"
"