I have so many feelings about evolution and science on Erna, it's not even funny. I understand that aspect of Gerald so well it's a bit scary. Given limitless time and resources, god what a feat.
They do say that Erna was the colonists'last option that was most similar to Earth, at some point later (was it in in WTNF?).
It's later in BSR as well, I've been reading ahead a bit. But that was due to the geologic activity on Erna, which is borderline acceptable only. Erna had been surveyed for 90 years (instead of 5-10 was was usual).
But mammals! I know, I know. But mammals are so...it's such a complex evolutionary system that led to mammals that we don't even know all of it yet! Look at platypus genetics alone! (yes, the platypus is a mammal)
Evolution is. Idk for some reason at least on earth it favours crabs, so likely our first contact with an alien species will probably be a hyperintelligent crab. So to have mammals in Erna is...unexpected. Erna should be populated by crabs. Hesseth should have an exoskeleton rather than fur.
Well of course we had sex with Neanderthals. And Denosovians. I'm actually more surprised that this still surprises people. Srsly, every year countless people are brought to the hospital because they, in some fit of sexual experimentation, put something up their arse or into their urethra that they can't retrieve anymore (remember kids, the intestine paristalsis and so does the urethra). Of course they would have sex with Neanderthals. To this day humans will approach anything that doesn't outright eat them and wonder if it will let them pet it. Heck, they will do it even if the thing will potentially eat them. Humans will pack bond with a roomba! Neanderthals ? Pfffft. The question was never: Would they have sex given the opportunity? (Opportunity being an overlap in time of occupation of the territory.) The question was always: Will their genetics be compatible? Answer: Yes.
That said, given all of the above it's almost more surprising the early colonists didn't take rakh as pets. Their genetics would likely not be compatible (Erna does convergent evolution) but so maybe that's a point there.
no subject
They do say that Erna was the colonists'last option that was most similar to Earth, at some point later (was it in in WTNF?).
It's later in BSR as well, I've been reading ahead a bit. But that was due to the geologic activity on Erna, which is borderline acceptable only. Erna had been surveyed for 90 years (instead of 5-10 was was usual).
But mammals! I know, I know. But mammals are so...it's such a complex evolutionary system that led to mammals that we don't even know all of it yet! Look at platypus genetics alone! (yes, the platypus is a mammal)
Evolution is. Idk for some reason at least on earth it favours crabs, so likely our first contact with an alien species will probably be a hyperintelligent crab. So to have mammals in Erna is...unexpected. Erna should be populated by crabs. Hesseth should have an exoskeleton rather than fur.
Well of course we had sex with Neanderthals. And Denosovians. I'm actually more surprised that this still surprises people. Srsly, every year countless people are brought to the hospital because they, in some fit of sexual experimentation, put something up their arse or into their urethra that they can't retrieve anymore (remember kids, the intestine paristalsis and so does the urethra). Of course they would have sex with Neanderthals. To this day humans will approach anything that doesn't outright eat them and wonder if it will let them pet it. Heck, they will do it even if the thing will potentially eat them. Humans will pack bond with a roomba! Neanderthals ? Pfffft. The question was never: Would they have sex given the opportunity? (Opportunity being an overlap in time of occupation of the territory.) The question was always: Will their genetics be compatible? Answer: Yes.
That said, given all of the above it's almost more surprising the early colonists didn't take rakh as pets. Their genetics would likely not be compatible (Erna does convergent evolution) but so maybe that's a point there.