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Or perhaps they need a trace element that's poisonous to you, or vice versa, or one of the common energy storage molecules in their world happens to react with an essential molecule in your biochemistry, or . . .
I LOVE the first panel here! It's a really clever way to show how Gharr can't understand what they're saying, but still allows us, the human readers, to know what the humans are saying.
Does the Alliance include any (non-machine) species that can't breathe our atmosphere? Unearthly pressures or temperatures, weird atmospheric chemistries, being made of exotic states of matter, that sort of thing?
They only that were found so far are Smi'Tar and Ziort. One is flat out incompatible with the living conditions of other species (unless you love to live inside the Chernobyl's nuclear powerplant), the other is admittedly very exotic (basically a sentient cloud of lightning living in the interstellar space) and accepted to enter the Alliance. Other than that, the laws of physics and more importantly chemistry make unusual alien life an order of magnitude less likely to appear. Oxygen, carbon and water offer unsurpassed advantages that no other chemical mix can provide, all having some sort of serious issue.
So oxygen breathers will dominate the probability charts of sapient life, in my opinion.
<facepalm> While that water is probably safe, Gharr should probably have checked for trace elements that might not be too good for him. You really don't want to find out too late that the locals have (for example) a high tolerance for dissolved arsenic, or water-borne bacteria.
If a being were that sensitive it would have ceased to exist. most life on earth has proven adaptable to change to continue to exist. Take a look at the various extremes that humans have adapted to on our own planet.
Heck, even being native to a planet is no guarantee you can eat the food. I have a friend we often describe as "allergic to everything under the sun and he doesn't like mushrooms."
Even much of what we do eat is not necessarily good for us, we've just adapted and discovered via trial and error over a hundred thousand years into eating whatever won't immediately kill or incapacitate us.
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Comments (18)
He’s a conspiracy theorist. He DOESNT comprehend what he’s spewing out, but he THINKS he does.
Dunning–Kruger effect.
It sound like fun and games until you actually meet one.
Trust me on that one.
Or perhaps they need a trace element that's poisonous to you, or vice versa, or one of the common energy storage molecules in their world happens to react with an essential molecule in your biochemistry, or . . .
Mirrored biochemistry. As in The Right Hand of Dextra by David J. Lake...
I LOVE the first panel here! It's a really clever way to show how Gharr can't understand what they're saying, but still allows us, the human readers, to know what the humans are saying.
Thanks! I am trying to get creative whenever the opportunity arises. ^^
I second this motion, it's absolutely lovely
Does the Alliance include any (non-machine) species that can't breathe our atmosphere? Unearthly pressures or temperatures, weird atmospheric chemistries, being made of exotic states of matter, that sort of thing?
They only that were found so far are Smi'Tar and Ziort. One is flat out incompatible with the living conditions of other species (unless you love to live inside the Chernobyl's nuclear powerplant), the other is admittedly very exotic (basically a sentient cloud of lightning living in the interstellar space) and accepted to enter the Alliance. Other than that, the laws of physics and more importantly chemistry make unusual alien life an order of magnitude less likely to appear. Oxygen, carbon and water offer unsurpassed advantages that no other chemical mix can provide, all having some sort of serious issue.
So oxygen breathers will dominate the probability charts of sapient life, in my opinion.
<facepalm> While that water is probably safe, Gharr should probably have checked for trace elements that might not be too good for him. You really don't want to find out too late that the locals have (for example) a high tolerance for dissolved arsenic, or water-borne bacteria.
In this case, he better hope chlorine is good for him.
If a being were that sensitive it would have ceased to exist. most life on earth has proven adaptable to change to continue to exist. Take a look at the various extremes that humans have adapted to on our own planet.
"No, no telephone calls, no internet, we should go in a total dark mode. We will be discovered instantly." Unflipped the text for those interested.
Heck, even being native to a planet is no guarantee you can eat the food. I have a friend we often describe as "allergic to everything under the sun and he doesn't like mushrooms."
Even much of what we do eat is not necessarily good for us, we've just adapted and discovered via trial and error over a hundred thousand years into eating whatever won't immediately kill or incapacitate us.
And of course radically altered various plants and animals via selective breeding to be more edible for us.
Someone's read their Roger Zelazny?
... It's a decent way of guessing, come on!