Voice of the Planet Issue #4: Report on Biosphere

[Illuminatus]

There is beauty in every landscape, there is Gaia within us
In this issue: *Revolutional theory introduced *Report on Planet Biosphere *Council session *Quote of the Day *Entertainment *Literary section *Other news in brief *Advertisement *A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Gaian Union *Contest *Hagar the Gaian Revolutional theory introduced A group of scientists, led by Lord Net Warrior, presented their theories as official opinion of Lordship of Progress. For over twenty years it was debated over the source of SAP - Slow Aging Phenomenon. Accepted explanation was that residual effects of hibernation procedures on Unity have somehow slowed aging process to one tenth of its normal speed, so we Earthborn aged only about two biological years in all this time on Chiron. This would cause a split in society - ten thousand slow aging citizens outliving their children, grandchildren and so on. However, examining revived animals brought in colony pods and their descendant generations, Lordship of Progress has discovered amazing facts: this effect is not limited to Earth generation of Gaians! Infact, SAP somehow carries over to following generation, but remains dormant. However exposing descendant generations to hiberantion like conditions, can 'awake' SAP and reduce the aging process a bit. Computer simulations have confirmed this. With advances towards Biogenetics, we will be able to construct so called Rejuvanation tanks, that will be able to trigger SAP for an amount of time. Lord Net Warrior claims that being in Rejuvanation tanks for several weeks every ten years will effectively stop aging, if not even reverse it! Such Rejuvanation tanks would be perfect for releasing telomerasis enzyme into body, but research is still needed before they can be constructed. In the future, perhaps even Longevity Vaccine could be invented, which would eliminate the need for Rejuvanation tanks. Lord Net Warrior suggested that such capability already exists in Human Genome, but it was dormant until hibernation managed to trigger it. But he also claims that effects of hibernation on Earthborn Gaians will eventually wear off, so they will too have to seek help of Rejuvenation tanks in future. Scientist generally accept this theory. Report on Planet Biosphere Following parts of Lord Del Cotter's general report have been declassified long ago, and they are available to public, for illumination on these serious issues. We hope to bring them to other factions too: Chiron (or "Planet" as most of the colonists refer to it) is a 1.8 Earth mass planet orbiting at 1.08 AU from Alpha Prime, receiving 23% more sunlight than Earth does at the present. Like the Sun, Alpha Prime was once about 30%-40% dimmer than its present luminosity. Stars grow continually more luminous over their lifetime on the main sequence - this was a matter of some concern to astronomers in the past (Hart 1978) who reasoned that if the Sun had been much less luminous than it is today, then the Earth should have been locked in a permanent ice age. But the geological record shows that Earth was not significantly cooler than it is today. This was known as the Faint Young Sun Paradox. It was Walker and Kasting who pointed out (1981) that if the Earth had had a much greater amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, then the CO2 greenhouse effect could account for the difference. CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere from volcanoes and weathered out of the atmosphere by the reaction CaSiO3 + CO2 ---> CaCO3 + SiO2 broken down into silicate rocks and CO2, and the cycle begins again. The crucial feature of this cycle is that the weathering reaction is temperature dependent: the higher the temperature, the faster CO2 is removed from the atmosphere. So the carbonate-silicate cycle acts as a planetary thermostat, keeping temperatures constant even while stars vary over geological time. On Earth, the consequence was that life evolved in an atmosphere of up to 1000 millibars CO2 or even more. The first photosynthesising organisms using atmospheric CO2 may have evolved up to four billion years ago and have dominated the biosphere ever since. But on Chiron, the temperature was already too high to support a dense CO2 atmosphere, and carbon was a much less available element in the warm early seas. This has led to a very different evolutionary path. The atmosphere consists of >160 kPa N2, <15 kPa O2 and <20 Pa CO2. The low oxygen content results in fewer forest fires, a higher proportion of anoxic environments - encouraging a large anaerobic ecosystem reducing nitrates to break down organic matter, about which more later (see report on "xenofungus") - and a plant ecosystem dominated by the need to conserve carbon. The warm tropical seas of Chiron are breeding grounds for hurricanes, which are also encouraged by the high gravity and rapid rotation. The dense nitrogen atmosphere only partly offsets this. The equatorial cloud belts, however, help to regulate the climate by reflecting sunlight. Because the planet spins faster, the winds follow the lines of latitude more strictly than on Earth. Moreover, the meridional circulation splits into five cells, as opposed to Earth’s three (Hadley, Ferrel, and Rossby). Compare this to the bands on a giant, rapidly rotating planet like Jupiter or Saturn. At over 20% higher insolation than Earth, Chiron has very small polar ice caps. The effect of this on the oceanic circulation is profound. Instead of cold oxygen-rich polar water sinking at the poles and being carried in a current along the ocean floor to the equator (as on Earth today), the circulation is driven in reverse, with warm saline oxygen-poor water sinking at the equator and flowing to the poles (as on Earth in the Cretaceous period). As a result, the bottom waters are highly anoxic (note: such seas are called euxinic after the Black Sea). Compared to Earth, silicates are much less common in the soils of Chiron. As in the tropics on Earth, warm water leaches the silica from clays, leaving a poor alumina-rich soil (this does not prevent rain forests from growing, but will inhibit agriculture). The arctic regions have a higher proportion of acidic soils with a high proportion of organic matter (podzols) which is equally hard to farm. The temperate soil zone, which on Earth is favoured with rich aluminosilicate clays, is much narrower here on Chiron, and the soils are more likely to be sandy or lime-rich. Bogs are also common. Although basically similar to Earth life, in that it is based on carbon compounds in water, the organisms of Chiron have evolved a biochemistry very different Earth. The scarcity of carbon in the environment, and of dioxygen in the soil, has forced plants to try to make do without O2, and economize on the use of carbon in structural parts and as an energy storage material. They do this by using a biochemical reaction unknown on Earth N2 + H2O + 5/2O2 --> 2H+ + 2NO3- ( -7 kcal mol-1 ) as can be seen, this reaction is exothermic, but (thankfully) is unknown on Earth. Chironian plants seem to have a special enzyme to encourage this reaction, possibly with the aid of sunlight. They use the nitrate obtained this way to store energy as organic nitro-compounds (like gun-cotton trees); to reduce carbonates to carbon; and to carry out respiration in anoxic environments. Majority of Chiron Organisms live in the absence of oxygen (though they can use oxygen if it is present) and "breathe" nitrate: (CH2O) + NO3 ---> H2O + CO2 + 1/2N2O + 1/4O2 This ecosystem apparently has symbiotic relations with the plants and with Chironian animal life. The prevalence of nitrate in the environment has serious repercussions. The nitrous oxide is present in only small amounts as it combines with ozone in the stratosphere to break down into N2 and O2 light N2O + O3 ---> 2NO + O2 ; 2NO ---> N2 + O2 This process prevents the build-up of an ozone layer. When plant material is buried, nitro-hydrocarbons have all they need to "burn", so they will do so slowly underground, leaving nothing behind until all the reducing material (hydrocarbon) or all the oxidizing material (nitrate) has gone. We expect the nitrate to run out first in all cases, leaving a residue of carbon compounds. Provided this does not come into contact with oxygen, it will fossilize to produce ordinary fossil fuels. Since Chiron has been hot and hypoxic for a long time, it should have all the oil, shale, and coal the colonists could want. Unfortunately, research has shown that ecosystem managed somehow to recycle the fossil fuels, leaving us with problem of artificially sythesizing fossil fuels in future. Essentialy terraforming efforts increase the CO2 (and hence oxygen), as does transplantation of Earth vegetation to Chiron. Blasting chalk limestone dposits (which are also abundant on Chiron) will also liberate the CO2. Our efforts in terraforming will only encourage native life growth, as previously said by Lady Deirdre. Water has to be treated in order to remove the nitrates so that it is safe to drink; otherwise the colonists suffer from methaemoglobinaemia, or "blue baby syndrome", where the red blood cells are poisoned so they can’t take up oxygen. The way to do it is to pass ozone through the water to destroy the nitrate. Council session Yesterday Council of Lords debated about several issues, including origin of xenoxenodoughnuts, terraforming endevaors and future goals. Most noted was the fact that Gaian Union has launched a plan to establish contact with other factions by the end of this decade. What will this bring for the Union is uncertain. There was also talks on new findings of Lordship of Progress. Unfortunately, the Council is plagued by lack of Lords. It seems that most Lords took short vacations, and backup plans have kicked in. This maybe cause of slight delays in future, claimed Chairman of the Council.	Quote of the Day A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive. --Albert Einstein Entertainment We noticed that there are again tensions about turnplay speeds. Since other factions to not use Gaian techniques (different forms of relaxation in nature), we therefore submit the specially engineered anti-stress kit, suitable for use of members of other factions. It is guaranteed to decrease tensions. Special designed for stubborn people.Get the kit now! Massage center opened! Now your pets too can enjoy the massage (empathically trained, no force has been used): Also, from now one, you can watch PLO transmission on your Green TV. In cooperation with XenoagricultureCorp, we will present you with Outtakes from Conversations with Planet -> never seen before data. Literary section We recommend reading previous three issues - they are an excellent read. Other newspapers are also a good read. Find the Gaia in you, by Motter Naytchure Also, first edition of Gaian Gardening Manual! Ian Fleming IV. publishes his new book, License to Garden. Other news in brief *Lord Octavian presents xenoxenodoughnuts; scientists compeltely embezzled *Something happens, but no one is aware of it; did it really happen? *Lord Illuminatus attempts to publish Issue #4 two days after Issue 3 - other Lords prevent him *Lord Ouro invents xenotomatoes that bounce; implementation of the invention awaited *Morganite Micha accuses VotP of attempting to finish 'them poor MorganLink editors' *Captain Laurentius returns to Gaia's Landing *PLO captain wounded, transmissions from PLO indicate widespread chaos on the outpost *Fesrh sudty sohws taht oasccnioal mpsseilngs hvae no eefcft no mninaeg of txet *All but two members of High Council go on vacation *Rumours about encounters with Hive spread. High Council reminds the public that rumours are usually false. Advertisement First Gaian Olympic Games scheduled for MY 2125 - you can apply now. Fungus is good, tasty and plentiful. Eat it regulary (look for signs of eggs in it first as a measure of precaution) If you wish to join the faction use this (advised to contact Illuminatus about this) Treehugging is good for your health! Hug tree at least twice a week (warning: do not confuse trees and cactuses ) Feeling down? Don't! Do not take anything too serious and remember, enjoy the life on Chiron. Sparky the Spore Launcher has escaped again. He was last seen travelling on Isle of the Deep near Unity Coast. If a Spore Launcher suddenly bombards you from the sea it is probably him. Please contact us to retrieve him. Alien Artifacts lost: if you find them please return them to Gaian Union. A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Gaian Union Part One: Gaia's Landing - Outskirts As as outsider approaches Gaia's capital for the first time, it's rather easy to see the main difference between Gaian bases, and the bases, of, let's say, the rest of the factions of Planet. To the untrained eye, the buildings of the city look like giant bananas protruding from the group. Indeed, there are many reported incidents each year of foreigners attempting to 'peel' the outsides of the buildings in an attempt to eat them. Of course, this unique architecture only really is in the metropolitan center. Around the city are more 'normal' businesses and homes, with styles much more closely resembling those of the other factions. Granted, some chose to live in man-made hills because they wish to feel at home in Planet, though this phenonenom is not widespread. If you are looking for some sort of souvenir, or some (usually organic) food, head immeadiately to the open-air market at Organic Square, on the north side of the base on the road leading into the fungal fields. Farmers from all around the area peddle their xenovegetables and high-quality organic xenodoughnuts. Good luck, though, on trying to acquire some meat - most Gaians are vegetarian by nature. One can buy almost everything necessary for the Gaian lifestyle, from clothes to small domesticated mind worms (for pets). For this reason, the market there (held every 3 days) is famous in the faction. Of course, if one is looking for something of a bit 'shadier,' the Deothem Neighborhood, on the exetreme south side of the base, is the locale you should seek out. Restaurants frequently serve xenobeef, xenopork, xenoveal, xenochicken, or any other assmortment of meat, which is quite a taboo in Gaian society (for a more exotic cuisine, drop by the Ol' 63 XenoDiner, which serves an excellent fried xenoworm). In short, if it's taboo, it's here - and trust us when we say that all your needs may be satisfied here (except for maybe Zakharov, if claims about him and his 'preferences' for spore launchers are true). Rumors even have it that once can even purchase everything from the lastest and deadliest in weaponry to human lives with the right connections. The government is trying to stamp them out, though this effort may be unsuccessful, if one believes rumors of Lord Octavian's involvment in what has only been described as 'the illegimate xenoxenodoughnut trade.' Overall, though, the people of the outskirts of Gaia's Landing are good ones, always happy and able to give even a stranger a helping hand (sometimes literally). Of course, the occasional Spartan in the area is still, to be polite, very mean, but who cares about such tourists, anyway? Next time: Gaia's Landing - City Center Contest No submission have been received yet, so there is no winner and no prize. But there is a new contest: Those who PMs the most original sentence containing words Mindworms, dishwasher, Morgan and dance shall win the contest. Authors of the Issue: Illuminatus, Octavian X, Del Cotter No native lifeforms have been harmed in making of this newspaper. No Earth plants or animals have been harmed in making of this newspaper, although victims of colony pod Hope shall be remembered forever. No Gaian life has been harmed, most of staff is still running naked through the trees (what stamina) and has not yet met the punishment for not submiting promised articles. In next issue read: Failure of Council's campaign, new kind of mindworms, report from the Lordship of Diplomacy, Outtakes from Conversations with Planet and more. Also, do not be surprised if next issue is a bit late, since staff is on vacation. Gaia'sLanding.2124->2124011011645.tr10f.
Hagar the Gaian* in episode: Visiting Yang *Hagar the Gaian is not in any way stealing or copying the original Hagar the Horrible. All rights are reserved to author of Hagar the Horrible, Chris Browne. This comic uses graphics of the comic with the respect towards the author and comic, and does not intend to claim any of the rights reserved for author. We do nto not intend to disgrace the author and the character in any way, and if author requests, comic shall be removed. We appreciate the talent of the author and quality of the comic.

[Whoha]

Embezzled?

[GeoModder]

Lectures on chemistry?

[MrWhereItsAt]

Lord Ouro invents xenotomatoes that bounce; implementation of the invention awaited

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes?

[GeoModder]

I'm starting to think that Archaic's cat-woman were the inspiration of a certain article...

[Zeiter]

Wow, it sounded like that Biosphere article actually required some research . Excellent article.

[Natalinasmpf]

Wait, how you can you have 5/2 atoms of oxygen?

Excellent, nevertheless. How the Chiron life uses complex chemical reactions to circumvent the normal chemical laws of thermodynamics (but not actually breaking them).