New to Orions Arm

[Drashner1]

What about using a non-Sun-like star? A K or M type star would have a significant longer lifetime than a G-class star and would presumably take longer to become bright enough to cause problems in terms of stripping H2 off the planet.

Beyond tweaking the star, what if the planet is farther out from the local star such that it takes longer for increasing luminosity (regardless of stellar type) to become an issue? We do say both the Muuh and Soft Ones operate in very cold conditions after all. This might be offset by the rate of evolution moving correspondingly slower as well. On the gripping hand, the Soft Ones are described as having been provolved rather than evolving to sophonce naturally. So we might just need things to last long enough to get to some degree of 'complex' life rather than full on sophonce. Given how many types of lifeforms Terragens have provolved (and presuming the Muuh are roughly as capable, in their way), the starting lifeform might not even need to be all that complex.

Thoughts?

Todd

[epatterson]

Been busy with work haven’t been able to post but think I’ve come up with a basic idea: the Soft Ones planet orbits far from the primary star, outside the habital zone. It is massive enough to retain an atmosphere of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane with trace ammonia and water. This atmosphere traps just enough heat for ammonia-water. The producing organisms are autotrophs that extract hydrogen from aqueous ammonia and use it to reduce carbon dioxide to methane. This methane is then respired by methanotrophs and converted back to CO2. Some methanotrophs still require consumption of “organic matter”. They are the animal equivalents. Life’s also makes heavy use of nitrogen chemistryitrogen chemistry which is very inefficient and h

[epatterson]

And can explain partly why the soft ones are so slow and aren’t as physically “stable”, as nitrifying bacteria tend to be very haphazard in their growth and development.

[Drashner1]

This all sounds reasonable to me at first blush, but planetology is not really my forte.

What do other members of the group think?

Todd

[epatterson]

Re-adjusted the biology based on more research into methanogenic/methanotrophic and nitrifying bacteria. Primary producing organisms are a combination between nitrogen fixing bacteria that convert diatomic nitrogen (N2) into nitrogenous compounds, and multi-cellular autotrophic methanogens that combine reduce carbon dioxide to oxidize ammonia, creating nitrogen-rich "nutrients" and methane. Heterotrophic methanogens consume these autotrophs or other heterotrophs, oxidizing the nutrients gained using the reduction of carbon dioxide, producing more methane. The methane byproduct is then metabolized by various methanotrophic organisms back into carbon dioxide. Complex mulit-cellular life is slower, more "primitive", and less varied than on Earth.

This obviously doesn't follow the pattern on Earth, where typically methanotrophs and nitrifying bacteria are distinct groups that compete against and inhibit one another, but combing them makes the most sense for a well-rounded ecosystem on a distinctly alien planet without having to go too much into detail, and can be used as part of the Muuh efforts in promoting the uplifting of the Soft Ones.

As far as technology goes: despite being a reducing atmosphere since there is the presence of H2O and CO2 once their understanding of chemistry is advanced enough they would be able to safely extract O2 and safely contain it, then using it to oxidize propellants and ultimately achieving spaceflight.

[Drashner1]

Neat!

Bouncing this up against the existing Soft Ones article, what parts do you see as needing adjustment and/or expansion?

For that matter, would you like to take a shot at updating/expanding the Soft Ones article, or would you prefer to point out what needs changing and have someone else do the typing?

Thanks!

Todd

[epatterson]

Neat!

Bouncing this up against the existing Soft Ones article, what parts do you see as needing adjustment and/or expansion?

For that matter, would you like to take a shot at updating/expanding the Soft Ones article, or would you prefer to point out what needs changing and have someone else do the typing?

Thanks!

Todd

The "Biology and Background" Section needs expansion in the first paragraph. I also think their technology needs to be fleshed out, as they may be very low tech on their worlds but would still need quite an infrastructure to settle an interstellar empire. Their relatively "low-tech" existence on planets may be attributed to the lack of an oxidizing atmosphere which limits fire, not to mention ammonia and various nitrogen-compounds are very reactive in an oxidizing atmosphere. We could have them utilize a well-developed space elevator/orbital ring network on their worlds which is where the bulk of their technological activity would take place.

I would be interested in taking a shot at updating the article, just want to clear my ideas before updating to make sure they mesh with the larger universe.

[Vaktus]

Maybe the softones could breathe pure ammonia? Maybe use this for their cellular respiration?

2NH3 + C2H4 + Energy -> N2H4 + 2CH4

and to carry the ammonia, they could use vitamin B12 as a carrier by bonding to the cobalt.

Though, hydrazine may seem a bit too energetic for Softonian life.