Fwd: Email

Below I am forwarding an E-mail sent to me by my best friend (ALSO named

Brian).  It's regarding a discussion I'm having with him regarding an
alien 
race for the fictional 'verse I'm working on.  The inspiration arose
from a 
discussion on this board in which someone suggested the possibility AND 
advantages of encountering an alien race who had an entirely different
set 
of biological requirements and colonization parameters than Humans.  
Ideally, humans and these aliens could co-exist in a system, with us 
colonizing Earth-like worlds, and them colonizing Venusian planets.  Not

only could we peacefully co-exist, but we could also sell to each other 
resources less available to ourselves (It's a heck of a lot cheaper to
buy 
Venusian mining products from aliens who can live there comfortably than
to 
adapt to Venus ourselves, and also very profitable to sell Earth
products to 
aliens who couldn't adapt well to Earth themselves.

Not being a scientist, I'm not sure about his xenobiology, particularly
the 
Mercury/blood thing, but I was hoping someone out there could give more 
input.

In addition, on a technology note, due to the high atmopheric pressure
on 
there worlds, vac environments are more problematic for them.  They'd 
probably have to develop and rely more on shield technology, since 
structural strength capable of maintaining a comfortable atmosphere for
them 
AND not popping in space might be a challenge.

Thanks in advance for the help,

Brian B2

"The Irish are the only race of people on Earth for which psychoanalysis
is 
of no use."

				 - S. Freud

>From: "FUCHS_001" <FUCHS_001@msn.com>
>To: "Brian Bilderback" <bbilderback@hotmail.com>
>Subject: Email
>Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2001 03:22:45 -0500
>
>				  Brian
>
>
>
>Preliminary concept sketches of newfound allies.  Started with "turtle"

>design, then segmented the body to give flexibility.  Ended up looking
like 
>a robot alligator, or an armadillo who's been tortured on the rack.
>
>Inverted-triangle cross-section provides stability in windy conditions.
 
>With their extremely dense atmosphere,going for it a stroll in a stiff 
>breeze would be roughly the equivalent of performing swift-water
rescues.  
>Flat dorsal surface provided ancestors with protection against airborne

>predators.On a planet with a thick atmosphere, the extra lift could
support 
>aerial predators of tremendous size.  For top-attack predators, "flat
on 
>top" =hard to grasp.
>
>Biology:
>Metal-based biochemistry.  Eats various kinds of metals and breathes 
>sulfur.  Chemical interconnection between metals (such as iron,
lithium) 
>and sulfuric acid produce electricity to power biological functions.
>
>Exoskeleton is titanium/ceramics laced with crystallized carbon. 
Remains 
>rigid in extremely high temperatures.	Musculature is mostly steel
cable, 
>perhaps mercury for the circulatory system.
>
>Possible biological ramifications to consider:
>1) their unique technologies, combined with the overwhelming difficulty
of 
>going from a high-pressure environment into a vacuum, would mean that
the 
>idea of inventing the "EVA" suit might never have occurred to them.  It

>Wood all be done with energy fields.
>
>2) the digestive process efficiently and effortlessly removes the
"useful" 
>portions of metallic diet, then spits back out the "waste"
products(bodily 
>excrement=pure, refined iron and steel ; respiratory waste=oxygen).
>
>3)slow thinkers:
>  combination of metallic biochemistry and high body temperature would
mean 
>that their neurons could not be as densely packed together as ours.
>
>
>
>Just a few thoughts to get us started.
>
>As for a name, how about calling them the "Oitjuan"(weechwan)?

>-Brian

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at
http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp