The rise of nanometers

This Martian creature attached to a nuclear battery is a fungus.

Although it is not the same as the fluorescent fungus, from the overlap of some gene segments of both parties, the two should have a common ancestor.

However, unlike the fluorescent fungi that focus on high-speed mutation, the gene sequence of this fungus is relatively stable, and it has evolved its unique survival mode-thermophagy.

The thermophilic fungi have very powerful thermophilic properties and can even resist the radiation of nuclear decay while constantly absorbing the heat energy generated by nuclear decay.

In order to study thermophilic fungi, the Ministry of Aerospace urgently summoned some scientific researchers who specialize in fluorescent fungi research projects.

Under the day and night research of these professional scientific researchers, the true face of the thermophilic fungi in Lushan was finally revealed bit by bit.

The first thing identified by the researchers was naturally that thermophilic fungi and fluorescent fungi were related.

The two should have a common ancestor, or the thermophilic fungus is a specific variant branch of the fluorescent fungus.

After all, due to the terrifying mutation speed of the Yinghuo fungus, after such a long time, it is still unknown how many mutant branches it has mutated during this period.

Scientific researchers speculate that at some time in the past, the fluorescent fungi may have encountered a natural radioactive mining area, or encountered a volcanic eruption, an asteroid impacting Mars, etc., causing radioactive materials in the mantle to appear on the surface.

When the fluorescent fungus encountered this special thermal environment, after a series of adaptive evolution, it mutated into a thermophilic fungus with heat-eating characteristics.

During this mutation process, due to severe genetic differentiation, thermophilic fungi and fluorescent fungi gradually differentiated into two relatively independent species.

At the same time, the thermophilic fungi also lost their high-speed mutation characteristics and replaced them with thermophilic characteristics and radiation resistance.

The radiation resistance of thermophilic fungi is currently the strongest known among the organisms that researchers have ever seen.

Of course, Blue Star actually has a similar situation, that is, similar fungi have evolved in the abandoned factory area of ​​the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and they also have super radiation resistance.

Never underestimate the adaptability and evolutionary capabilities of living things, especially those humble microorganisms, they are the real masters of evolution.

The second result studied by the researchers is the thermophilic nature of thermophilic fungi.

You must know that after the nuclear battery loses control, the temperature at this time has been maintained between 500 and 600 degrees Celsius, which is enough to melt many compounds.

When ordinary blue star organisms encounter such high temperatures, the internal molecular bonds will disintegrate and deteriorate.

This is also what we often call "burned", which means that the protein of the organism cannot withstand high temperatures and decomposes.

However, thermophilic fungi can withstand temperatures of 500 to 600 degrees Celsius and absorb the required heat energy from nuclear batteries.

There must be a secret in this.

After research, the root cause of the high-temperature resistance of thermophilic fungi was finally revealed.

The reason is that thermophilic fungi are organisms with "mimicry". Each of their fungi appears to be an independent individual, but in fact they have a social nature of division of labor and cooperation.

When encountering a high-temperature environment, thermophilic fungi will adapt to changes. If the environmental temperature is suitable, they will directly enter reproduction mode.

If the high temperature in the high-temperature environment exceeds their own endurance limit, they will make another change.

According to the data obtained from the study, the ultimate temperature that thermophilic fungi can withstand is 183.6 degrees Celsius, beyond which the organism will deteriorate and decompose.

So how does thermophilic fungi withstand the high temperatures of nuclear batteries of 500 to 600 degrees Celsius?

The reason lies in high-temperature metamorphism. Once they encounter high temperatures that exceed the limit, they will continue to approach the high-temperature area through suicide.

Then those thermophilic fungi killed by high temperature will deteriorate due to high temperature and turn into a special nanostructure. This nanostructure can block high temperature and at the same time transfer the heat in the high temperature area to the outside in a directed manner to form a heat energy transfer channel.

This is the gray spider silk-like material seen around nuclear batteries before. Those spider silk-like materials are thermal energy transfer channels.

As for why thermophilic fungi use this method to sacrifice some individuals to build thermal energy transfer channels, there is actually a reason.

Researchers speculate that this should be related to the environment of Mars. For the surface of Mars, there are three main sources of heat energy.

One is solar energy, the other is local geothermal energy, and the third is naturally high concentrations of radioactive minerals.

Since Mars is relatively far from the sun, the amount of heat energy it can obtain every day is very limited.

Therefore, local geothermal energy and high-concentration radioactive minerals have become very valuable heat sources.

In order to maximize the use of this heat source, thermophilic fungi must adopt special methods to "insulate" them to the maximum extent.

This is also the reason why detector No. 33 experienced heat dissipation failure.

Because the thermophilic fungi regard Probe No. 33 as a heat source and then activate the heat preservation function, they prevent the heat energy from dissipating to the air, and then they can maximize the use of the heat energy.

It is precisely because of this thermal insulation function that the heat sink of Detector No. 33 cannot dissipate heat normally.

At the same time, because No. 33 was constantly moving, the thermophilic fungus was unable to build a heat energy transfer channel, and no obvious filaments appeared, so Chang Haitao and others did not discover the problem.

After Probe No. 33 dropped the nuclear battery, the thermophilic fungi quickly fell off naturally without a heat source, allowing the heat sink to return to normal.

At the same time, the discarded nuclear batteries have also become a new target for thermophilic fungi, which rapidly multiply around them and then wrap the nuclear batteries with an insulation layer to achieve the insulation function.

After building a thermal energy transfer channel, the area around the nuclear battery becomes a habitat for thermophilic fungi to thrive.

This was the scene that Chang Haitao and others saw. Black and gray filaments covered the nuclear battery.

The temporarily formed research team used electric field synthesis technology and after more than a month of attempts, they finally succeeded in replicating the high-temperature-resistant nanostructure constructed by thermophilic fungi.

Several researchers were excitedly testing it. In the laboratory, the magical properties of this special nanomaterial made everyone look incredulous.

"It can actually resist neutron irradiation. They used lithium and carbon, plus the abundant iron and silicon on the surface of Mars, to create this magical material." A researcher said in admiration.

To a certain extent, this behavior of thermophilic fungi is to artificially create radioactive substances and then achieve sustainable development of heat energy.

After all, carbon and lithium may decay into radioactive isotopes after being irradiated by neutrons, and then thermophilic fungi will use these artificial radioactive substances to form new nuclear batteries again.

For Mars, where heat energy is scarce, the survival mode of thermophilic fungi is beyond human imagination.

A researcher smiled helplessly: "I didn't expect that we humans are not the first creatures in the solar system to use nuclear energy."

"Yes! There are so many wonders in this world."

Although this nanostructure of thermophilic fungi has little reference significance for humans, it is not another mode of survival.

It provides some new directions for humans to further understand alien creatures.

Thank you for your support (ω｀)