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Week One we decided it is a Fungal creature
Week Two we decided that it would live off decay and consumption
Week Three we decided it would use ganglion- brains spread throughout its body in clusters.
Week Four we decided it would use spores in an asexual form of reproduction.


This week we move on to exactly how many offspring and how long of a life the creature lives.

It really bugs me but I can't remember from biology what the different types are called. I found http://www.bijlmakers.com/entomology/pc ... ation2.php which is kind of interesting. But if anyone can find in that website or any other the names of these that would rock.


Type A)- Short life but many offspring. Our little fungus would be spewing out babies faster than a teen mother. But their life would be measured in just a few years. Offspring measured in the hundreds if not thousands.

Type B) Our fungal man would be able to live to be about ten or twenty years old. It'd have a fair amount of offspring. Measured in the few dozen.

Type C) This is all large mammals. Able to live thirty - fifty years. But offspring usually about half a dozen.

Type D) This doesn't really have a terrestrial counter part but able to live several hundred years but offspring is a very rare thing.


Note these offspring and life expectancies are natural. Medical science could expand it.
One choice but multivoting is allowed.

Don't just vote! Discuss!

Oh and someone close Thread 4.

I went for Option D. I can sorta see these fungii (sp) working in a similar manner to trees, One fungus lives for ages but can, with spores or w/e it uses, virtually create a forest of the things over time. you can sorta have a "Queen system" where one of the Fungii is used to breed a massive contingent of them.

Reliant121 wrote:I went for Option D. I can sorta see these fungii (sp) working in a similar manner to trees, One fungus lives for ages but can, with spores or w/e it uses, virtually create a forest of the things over time. you can sorta have a "Queen system" where one of the Fungii is used to breed a massive contingent of them.

Remember though Type D means they reproduce very rarely. Like maybe one every few decades. Type A you can drop one behind enemy lines and in a few months you have an army.

Monroe wrote:...Oh and someone close Thread 4.

Got it.

You could say "please", you know.

I like the idea of a short life span. But I see the problem of how the hell do they advance, it takes time to learn ect.

Unless we make it so they pass on knowledge somehow biologically.

Teaos wrote:I like the idea of a short life span. But I see the problem of how the hell do they advance, it takes time to learn ect.

Unless we make it so they pass on knowledge somehow biologically.

Well it is an advanced race so.. they figured it out somehow. Perhaps it was given to them? I guess if the Type A or B wins then we'll have to figure out how they learned.

Ah i didnt read the full description of D. So i'd say option B.

Monroe wrote:

Teaos wrote:I like the idea of a short life span. But I see the problem of how the hell do they advance, it takes time to learn ect.

Unless we make it so they pass on knowledge somehow biologically.

Well it is an advanced race so.. they figured it out somehow. Perhaps it was given to them? I guess if the Type A or B wins then we'll have to figure out how they learned.

It would have to be given to them, because to work out how to do it themselves would be hard in and of its self. Over the capability of a species with a life span of 10-20 years or less.

Option A is definitely out, and probably option B as well. That simply isn't enough time for such vast amounts of knowledge to get passed on. It can take humans anywhere from twenty to thirty years to learn stuff like quantum physics in a university. Even if we assume that these aliens can learn twice as fast, that's still too damn short a lifetime for them to do anything but earn their degree and then keel over dead. The only possibility is that someone else gave them all that knowledge, which opens up a whole 'nother can of worms to sort out.

I'll go for Option D. That they don't reproduce naturaly too often is hardly going to be a problem. I'm sure such an advanced race would have easy access to cloning technology to boost their numbers, and even if they only have one kid every twenty yaers, that'll still probably be enough to keep the species going naturaly.

Rochey wrote: I'll go for Option D. That they don't reproduce naturaly too often is hardly going to be a problem. I'm sure such an advanced race would have easy access to cloning technology to boost their numbers, and even if they only have one kid every twenty yaers, that'll still probably be enough to keep the species going naturaly.

Indeed it would be enough to keep them going. All four choices can make a successful species. I suppose cloning would be called into question when we deal with government way down the road.

I voted Type A but I'm leaning towards revoting Type B. I like the idea of thousands swarming over a planet. Buut it is kinda unrealistic to expect a space capable civilization the ability to do that.

I voted for D, as it would allow individual members to learn and store information over a very long period of time. Options A & B do not allow for a long enough lifespan to learn most concepts today (8 years of college needed for a doctorate out of a 20 year lifespan = not much accomplished). Type C might be enough, but the concept of an Elder Brain directing an invasion force would be interesting.

You might have a case where the Elder Brain refuses to learn new concepts, but I'd like to think that the serious Elders would have been the more intelligent and flexible members, able to adapt to new situations as needed. Since their food supply depends on absorbing nutrients, they have to manage an entire ecosystem in order to eat well and reliably.

It allows for the scary concept of a critter that has been alive longer than anyone on the ship (assuming a human starship crew meets them), or even the combined ages of the senior staff. It knows politics, it knows mathematics, the military units know advanced tactics, the scientists have centuries of experience to use when performing research, and the strategic planners are used to thinking in a long term that makes others look carefree in comparison.

The biologists could even have designed a few of their own troops to have that swarm capability in the assault troops, so they perform the initial raids, and while the equivalent of special forces are raiding critical locations, their bodies are giving off spores to take root in the local ecology, which will eventually turn into thousands of combat troops behind the enemy lines. Even worse is where the assault troops are designed to emit spores that are designed to be inhaled and digest the enemy lungs, internal organs, etc, so each assault trooper is a walking biological weapon. Design the spore so it gets inside the target's lungs, and just lives there, producing more spores. Each person goes around spreading the infection.
Example:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 111403.htm (it basically digests the frog's skin, will kill off 80% of the frogs within 1 year)

The next step would be designed spores, where the spores are inhaled into the body, but start affecting the brain and nervous system of the target species rather than merely digesting them. The above spores that are inhaled around the lungs, are also releasing chemicals into the bloodstream to encourage the person to hang around other people (spreading the infection). Afterwards, when the invaders release a chemical into the air, the fungus releases sleep chemicals, so most of the planetary population goes to sleep/hibernation.
Examples:
http://onemansblog.com/2007/06/20/the-s ... -on-earth/ (causes the insect to go insane, then the fungus eats the brain)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps
http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/ ... ommune.php (rarely infects people, but has been found growing in a girl's nasal cavity)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Oil (Fictional material from X-Files, though its incubation ability could be useful)

The long-term race of geniuses allows the race to develop the shorter-lived (and faster breeding) combat troops and other expendable labor. A shorter lifespan race means the individuals either spend too much time learning, or they never develop the necessary technology.

I voted C

a think it's a good balence, we'll have a large, semi-stable/expanding population, that lives long enough to advance itself further.

The other thing to think about is that as the species becomes more advanced it's lifespan would increase.
For example, I doubt that Cavemen usually made it past 60.

I chose D, because I like the idea of Ent-like creatures.

Lt. Staplic wrote: The other thing to think about is that as the species becomes more advanced it's lifespan would increase.
For example, I doubt that Cavemen usually made it past 60.

Exactly. Humans are Type C.
And good points Coalition.