03-16-2018, 01:39 PM | #31 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
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Re: Animal Genetic Traits Useful for Parahumans.
Changing our vertebrate elastin for insect resilin would up elastic tissue's efficiency a bit but greatly improve its ability to resist snapping under tension.
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03-27-2018, 11:59 PM | #32 | |
Computer Scientist
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Dallas, Texas
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Re: Animal Genetic Traits Useful for Parahumans.
Quote:
Ah, I see the "poison" thing is Betcher's Gland, which takes it up a level to cellulose-dissolving acid. This is actually worthwhile not just for logistical reasons but for defense against Tyranids, Kroots, and Chaos. |
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03-28-2018, 10:25 AM | #33 |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Animal Genetic Traits Useful for Parahumans.
While I fully appreciate the folly of arguing science in W40K ( I had a character who actually survived 2 long campaigns of Dark Heresy) Melanin gives limited protection from UV but is of no use v. more energetic radiation.
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Fred Brackin |
03-28-2018, 03:33 PM | #34 |
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: West Virginia
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Re: Animal Genetic Traits Useful for Parahumans.
Still, if poison spit is silly for space military, it is the kind of thing street thugs would go for. Street punks, with links to profitable illegal businesses, would probably go for several showy gimicks of limited use.
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04-03-2018, 01:06 AM | #35 |
Computer Scientist
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Dallas, Texas
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Re: Animal Genetic Traits Useful for Parahumans.
If you have lots of pheomelanin for instance in all your tissues rather than just the topical layers, the rather large redundantly connected molecule can soak up some of the energy from general ionizing radiation instead of your ribosomes or chromosomes.
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04-03-2018, 07:51 AM | #36 |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Animal Genetic Traits Useful for Parahumans.
That probably only increases your cross-section to incoming radiation. It doesn't reduce the cross-section of your important proteins.
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Fred Brackin |
04-03-2018, 02:47 PM | #37 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: Animal Genetic Traits Useful for Parahumans.
That doesn't terribly matter unless you have so much of it that it functions like radiation shielding. The usual way of adding resistance to penetrating radiation is massive redundancy.
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