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Angel Hair
 Image from Steve Bowers |
Few Jovians have their own indigenous ecologies, but some floating balloontype organisms have been provolved, either by the Mirrored Owls using hylonano to join their group mind structures, or by the Premacy in the Argo expansion direction by geneering for an increase in size to accommodate larger nervous systems.
In the atmosphere of Big Bob, a superjovian orbiting YTS 785634.09 in Puppis, organic molecules have formed self-perpetuating prebiotic structures called Angel Hair. Streamers of natural polymers, up to several kilometres long, form in the slow-moving atmospheric belts in the atmosphere of that planet. Proteins, amino acids, fatty acids, wax and soap-like compounds accrete onto the hair due to electrostatic attraction, and prion-like proteins have developed into a DNA-analogue allowing a form of self-perpetuation. Often a primitive cell-wall membrane can form over part or all of the hair's surface, but this is generally fragmentary and permeable, if present.
Angel Hair replicates by fragmentation, regulated by hormone-like proteins, and occurs especially when it floats near the faster moving atmospheric currents allowing dispersal of the Hair throughout Big Bob's upper atmosphere. There is little evidence of a nervous system, only a very basic form of stimulus-and response, communicated by modulated electrostatic charges on the outside of the hair. The atmosphere of this gas giant is very poor in elements other than hydrogen and helium, so growth and evolution are slow.
The Premacy have however provolved Angel Hair on their own capital world of Ozymandias, keen to demonstrate the diversity of Jovian type life forms to a skeptical galaxy. With fullerene strengthening and computronium nodes the uplifted Angel Hairs are active in the media and entertainment industry and generate electrostatic energy on a commercial scale.
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Development Notes
Text by Steve Bowers
Initially published on 31 December 2007.
Initially published on 31 December 2007.
