How can a xenomorph survive in the vacuum of space? And how can it grow so quickly even though it doesn't seem to eat much? In this video, I would like to talk about the amazing biology of the xenomorph. When the film Alien was first released in 1979, the production team drew inspiration from real biology. Screenwriters Dan O'Bannon and Ron Shusett revealed that they were greatly inspired by the ecology of parasitic wasps. These parasitic wasps lay their eggs inside other organisms. The eggs grow inside the host's living body and eventually burst through the skin. By applying this horrifying world of insects to humans, the production team expressed the inherent violence and fear present in nature. The chestburster, which bursts out of a human's chest, is the very embodiment of nature's violence.

The fear of the very nature of life, such as reproduction, pregnancy, and childbirth, can be referred to as a phobia. The Xenomorph is indeed powerful and terrifying, but ultimately, it is a product of nature. The production team left many aspects of Xenomorph biology in the realm of the unknown, but they likely viewed this creature as no different from humans or insects. It eats, excretes, mates, and dies from aging—just like any natural being. Ash's dialogue was likely not meant to convey a special meaning but rather served as a dramatic expression to emphasize the strength of this life form. However, who knows what inspired director Ridley Scott, as he went on to release the prequels Prometheus and Covenant, which caused a seismic shift in the identity of the Xenomorph. Now, the Xenomorph is no longer simply an alien that evolved by chance.

the product of nature has become something else. It turns out that this creature was an artificial creation designed by a highly intelligent life form that seeks immortality and perfection. The Xenomorph has transformed from a literary expression into a literally perfect and pure organic life form. Director Ridley Scott mentioned in the Covenant audio commentary that these creatures are INDESTRUCTIBLE, meaning indestructible. In the latter part of the film, although the Praetomorph is crushed while fighting Daniels, it is said that it will recover and resurrect when it falls to the ground. In this Romulus, we see the Xenomorph from the first film, which was thrown into the vacuum of space, enduring for 20 years while tightly cocooned. It truly showcases a terrifying vitality. Furthermore, the growth rate of the 'trilobite' from Prometheus and the 'offspring' featured in this Romulus is

It really doesn't make sense. There isn't much to eat, so how can they grow so quickly? This is a phenomenon that cannot be explained by the law of conservation of mass. Although there is no concrete information about the lifespan of xenomorphs, the reason they are presumed not to die of aging is in the same context. The perfect organic life form that David aimed to create would surely be an immortal being like himself. The experiments conducted on the Romulus and Remus were likely also aimed at making humans immortal. Therefore, Weyland-Yutani is so ruthless in securing this sample. Ultimately, we can ask questions about the biology of xenomorphs: What exactly is a perfect and pure organic life form? And how does it relate to their incredible vitality and growth rate?

And what kind of relationship does it have with the Xenomorph? As I mentioned in the previous video, the Alien series is definitely not a science film. However, science fiction fans enjoy coming up with various hypotheses based on such imaginative fiction. While browsing the internet, I found that some people have proposed interesting scientific hypotheses regarding the Xenomorph. Among them, I would like to combine some of the more plausible ones to construct the biology of the Xenomorph. Living organisms need materials and energy to grow and sustain life. The energy that keeps life on Earth alive mostly comes from the sun. The chloroplasts in plants utilize solar energy to produce glucose, which is an essential energy source for living organisms. This process is known as photosynthesis, which you are all familiar with. However, the materials that plants need to perform photosynthesis are...

It is precisely carbon dioxide and water. Carbon dioxide and water contain the three most important elements that make up organic life: carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. The molecular formula of glucose is also composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Furthermore, plants can synthesize cellulose, a polysaccharide, from this glucose, which is also made up of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Cellulose refers to the fibrous material that constitutes most of the plant cell. Therefore, when we look at the components that make up the mass of plants, we see that carbon makes up 45%, oxygen 45%, and hydrogen 6%, with these three elements accounting for 96% of the total. This means that 96% of the components of a plant come from carbon dioxide and water, indicating that most of the plant's body is made up of air and water. If we also include the nitrogen, which plants cannot fix on their own, at 1.5%, then...

97.5% of a plant's body ultimately comes from air and water. Of course, the remaining 2.5% of minerals must be absorbed from the ground through the roots. In contrast, animals, including humans, cannot perform photosynthesis like plants do. Therefore, we must either consume the nutrients synthesized by plants or eat other animals that have grown by consuming plants. The nutrients synthesized by plants are transmitted to animals. This means that if we trace the origins of an animal's body, we can ultimately see that it is also mostly made up of air and water. In fact, when we look at the composition of the human body, we find that 65% is oxygen, 19% is carbon, 10% is hydrogen, and 3% is nitrogen, meaning that 96% comes from air and water. Isn't that fascinating? The majority of the components and energy sources of carbon-based organic life come directly from air and water.

The metabolic process that connects sunlight to plants and then to animals is long and complex. The processes of synthesizing and breaking down molecules are repeated many times, and a significant amount of energy is lost during these processes. However, we can imagine what it would be like if there were an organic life form capable of integrating all these metabolic processes into one. Such an organism might be able to synthesize nutrients from air and water like plants and use them to carry out animal-like activities. Yet, unlike plants that rely solely on autotrophy, it could also directly consume other animals or minerals, thereby obtaining nutrients through more diverse methods. For instance, like carnivorous plants that perform photosynthesis while also catching insects. Could Xenomorph be such a life form?

In the movies, the Xenomorphs don't seem to eat much. They love killing humans, but instances of them actually consuming their prey are quite rare. More often, they bring their victims, either alive or dead, to create a cocoon or to use as hosts for Facehuggers. Their food intake is surprisingly small compared to their incredibly fast growth rate, which many viewers find strange. However, if we assume that Xenomorphs have the ability to absorb air and water to synthesize nutrients like plants do, then it might be possible for them to grow to such a size without needing to eat much. In the canon novel Out of Shadow by Tim Lebbon, which is officially recognized by 20th Century Fox, it is stated that the tubes on the Xenomorph's back are devices that absorb atmospheric components. Thus, they synthesize nutrients using these atmospheric elements.

It means that it can grow. The xenomorph is a life form with tremendous adaptability, capable of obtaining nutrients in various ways depending on the environment. This ability is not limited to just consuming food. There is a possibility that the xenomorph could deplete all the air within the spacecraft, but the spacecraft's life support system will continue to supply the dwindling air. So, the xenomorph can continuously receive the carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen necessary for its growth. However, those who are quick to notice may have already discovered a significant flaw at this point: without sunlight, where does it get its energy? The reason plants can synthesize glucose from air and water is that they utilize solar energy. Thanks to the energy source of the sun, most organic life forms on Earth can grow and sustain themselves.

However, it seems that the Genomorph does not perform photosynthesis, and even if it could, it wouldn't be able to do so inside a spacecraft. Therefore, the metabolic processes mentioned so far do not align from the very beginning. However, there is another powerful energy source in the spacecraft besides the sun: electricity. Perhaps the Genomorph can directly absorb the electrical energy used in the spacecraft? In fact, the essence of all biological activity can be said to be this electricity. This is why Albert Szent-Györgyi, the Nobel Prize winner famous for his research on vitamin C, stated that life is just an electron seeking a place to rest. When you think about it, photosynthesis can also be described as taking solar energy to excite electrons and then packaging them into glucose molecules. Living organisms release the energy of these packaged electrons whenever needed, using it as life energy.

Most of the life forms on Earth obtain energy in this way. But what if there were organic life forms that directly obtain energy from electricity found in surrounding environments, such as rocks or metals, instead of from the sun? Wouldn't they be able to synthesize their bodies from air and water without photosynthesis? The possibility of such electric organic life forms is actually being proposed. Professor Kenneth Nielsen, who studies microbiology and astrobiology, has revealed the existence of bacteria that produce energy by directly exchanging electrons with rocks or metals. These are bacteria that breathe minerals instead of oxygen. Microbiologists are conducting experiments by inserting electrodes and supplying electrons to cultivate these electric bacteria. They are investigating whether these bacteria can synthesize the organic compounds they need from electricity without the need for glucose or other nutrients.

Microbiologist Yuri Gorby believes that there are bacteria that can survive by obtaining electrons from one electrode and releasing them to another. According to him, these electric bacteria might achieve immortality as long as electricity is continuously supplied. These electric bacteria do not require the intermediate process of packaging and decomposing solar energy into glucose; instead, they directly extract electrons from rocks and metals to utilize as energy. Keeping in mind what Saint George previously mentioned, in a sense, these electric bacteria can be viewed as the purest form of life. If we assume that a xenomorph is an organic life form made up of cells that consume electricity, it could receive energy from the electrical systems of a spacecraft without any limitation.

Using air, water, and small amounts of minerals, it is possible for them to synthesize their bodies. In Alien 2, the place where the Xenomorphs were constructing the hive was none other than an atmospheric generation facility. Not only was it rich in atmospheric components, but it also housed a nuclear fusion power plant. This would have been the optimal location for the Xenomorphs to freely obtain the materials and energy needed to build the hive. In the recent Romulus, there is a scene where a Xenomorph growing inside a cocoon is attacked with an electric baton. As a result, it has been nicknamed SCORCHED on the internet. When subjected to high voltage, this electric life form would also sustain damage, just like in the movies. However, later on, we can see electricity flowing through the wounds of this scorched Xenomorph. Could this be a scene that shows the Xenomorph is made up of cells that consume electricity?

There is still one last puzzle piece left. As we've discussed so far, it is possible that Xenomorphs do not need to synthesize organic compounds like glucose to store energy. They might be using a more efficient and specialized method to store electrical energy in their bodies. Perhaps they can store electricity in a form similar to batteries. There is a book called Colonial Marine Technical Manual, which is the official guidebook of the Alien universe released in 1995. This book mentions that a research facility owned by Weyland-Yutani, called the Lasalle Bio-National, studied Xenomorphs. According to it, the acidic blood of the Xenomorph serves as a defensive mechanism, but at the same time, it is also a component of a biological battery. Could it be that the acidic blood played a role similar to that of an electrolyte in a biological battery?

The lead-acid batteries we commonly use contain battery acid as the electrolyte, and that component is sulfuric acid, which is the standard for superacids. Genomorph's acidic blood is said to be an incredibly powerful superacid that far exceeds sulfuric acid. To achieve this, it likely includes fluoride compounds as well. According to the synthetic human Luke in the recent Romulus, Genomorph's acidic blood is composed of sulfuric acid and hydrofluoric acid. However, in reality, sulfuric acid and hydrofluoric acid alone do not create an extraordinary superacid that can dissolve anything instantly, as portrayed in movies. Among the acids currently used by humans, the strongest is fluoroantimonic acid, which is a combination of fluoride and antimony and is known to have an acidity that is two hundred times stronger than sulfuric acid. It is estimated that Genomorph's acidic blood is at least stronger than fluoroantimonic acid.

To contain such an incredibly strong acid, the body of the Genomorph may be composed of the same materials found in the frying pans we use, specifically Teflon. Teflon is a substance capable of holding acids as strong as fluoroantimonic acid, and it is made up of carbon and fluorine. The components needed to synthesize all of these can be found in the batteries and refrigerants used by humans. Just like in this place, the Genomorph would have been able to obtain most of the components necessary to construct its body even inside a spacecraft. While we still do not know exactly what the acidic components of the Genomorph's skin are or how it stores electricity, it seems almost official that their acidic skin functions as a biological battery. Thanks to this, the Genomorph could maintain its life for a very long time without food intake or breathing in a vacuum.

I have organized the biology of the xenomorph like this. Of course, this is merely a speculative hypothesis. However, imagining such absurd possibilities from various angles is one of the charms of science fiction movies. In any case, I hope this has somewhat alleviated your curiosity about the xenomorph's incredible vitality and growth rate. At this point, I believe we could say that, as David and Ash mentioned, it might be the most perfect and pure form of carbon-based organic life.

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