Semi-realistic Regeneration and corresponding Increased Consumption

starslayer · 09-28-2016, 03:41 PM

But that's the thing about regeneration- any sort of fast regeneration is realistically NOT going to involve a lot of cellular generation, but instead focus on radically increased capability to 'glue' back together. Perhaps blood that contains some sort of very reactive chemical that upon exposure to nitrogen causes cells to loosen there bonds so that they will 'glue' to any other cells they encounter

A regenerator that simply had a more flexible and distributed cell structure (IE- more like an amalgam of independent cells that an interdependent network) could sustain many times over 'lethal' from a cutting weapon damage, and as long as the flesh has enough time to press against itself happily sew back together and cost essentially nothing except a series of lurid scars from the imperfect joining.

What would cost a lot of energy is constantly producing 'glue blood' (as anything that is reactive is by definition energy intensive), and the overhead for building (and maintaining) a multiply-redundant distribution structure (So that simply glueing flesh back together leaves it functional instead of numb and dying in the event of a nerve cut or vein/artery damage).

So a 'realistic' regenerator would have increased consumption, but no special fatigue cost for the act of regenerating (at least beyond the fatigue cost you would apply to a human to have suffered identical wounds).

09-28-2016, 03:41 PM	#23
starslayer Join Date: Dec 2006	Re: Semi-realistic Regeneration and corresponding Increased Consumption But that's the thing about regeneration- any sort of fast regeneration is realistically NOT going to involve a lot of cellular generation, but instead focus on radically increased capability to 'glue' back together. Perhaps blood that contains some sort of very reactive chemical that upon exposure to nitrogen causes cells to loosen there bonds so that they will 'glue' to any other cells they encounter A regenerator that simply had a more flexible and distributed cell structure (IE- more like an amalgam of independent cells that an interdependent network) could sustain many times over 'lethal' from a cutting weapon damage, and as long as the flesh has enough time to press against itself happily sew back together and cost essentially nothing except a series of lurid scars from the imperfect joining. What would cost a lot of energy is constantly producing 'glue blood' (as anything that is reactive is by definition energy intensive), and the overhead for building (and maintaining) a multiply-redundant distribution structure (So that simply glueing flesh back together leaves it functional instead of numb and dying in the event of a nerve cut or vein/artery damage). So a 'realistic' regenerator would have increased consumption, but no special fatigue cost for the act of regenerating (at least beyond the fatigue cost you would apply to a human to have suffered identical wounds).