Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Creating Space Life, The Gene Bank Project
After finishing his classes, Yan Xia entered the research lab of the Yan Huang Academy.
The entire Yan Huang Academy covers an area of over 10 square kilometers, which is quite large considering there are only 20,000 students.
The research institute of the Yan Huang Academy is located 500 meters underground, with a security level of P5. It is designed not only to prevent the leakage of research subjects like viruses but also to block cosmic rays and high-energy particles, ensuring containment.
This particular institute is dedicated to biological experiments.
Yan Xia is currently pursuing a degree in Physics, but prior to this, he had already completed doctoral studies in five fields: Genetics, Biopharmacy, Bioinformatics, Molecular Biology, and Neuroscience.
One could say that at this point, Yan Xia was already a well-accomplished scholar.
Despite his limited cognitive abilities and the constraints of his talent, which prevented him from reaching the pinnacle of academia, the knowledge he possessed was sufficient for him to understand and apply cutting-edge science.
Under Ella's guidance, Yan Xia had already begun researching the creation of universal species before his last hibernation.
Why create universal species?
For life, a single planet is too restrictive, and the life that naturally evolves on a planet has its limitations.
These limitations hinder the expansion of ecosystems.
Compared to intelligent civilizations, the expansion of ecosystems is more chaotic and savage, and the evolution of life is more diverse.
Yan Xia wanted to create a "primordial species" and disperse these primordial life forms throughout the universe, allowing them to expand and evolve on their own.
Through mutation and evolution, these life forms might develop genetic structures that are difficult to artificially replicate.
Yan Xia's research could be likened to sowing seeds.
It's like a field where people scatter beans, and the most productive bean seeds are preserved and cultivated generation after generation.
"If the sowing plan succeeds, we can then use these life forms to create genes and establish a biological gene bank."
Yan Xia felt a bit crazy even to himself.
He wasn't sure if he was approaching or even touching upon a forbidden area, but the potential benefits were limitless.
These genes might grant life forms lifespans of hundreds of thousands or even millions of years, the ability to withstand cosmic rays, infinite vision, and even the capacity to generate light energy within their bodies like electric eels...
These were not fantasies but scientific possibilities.
The purpose of the biological gene bank was to facilitate biological modifications.
If Yan Xia needed to, he could modify his own body at any time using these genes, gaining a stronger and longer-lasting body.
He looked at the incubators in his lab, where embryos of three different life forms had been cultivated: Leviathan, Vacuum Jellyfish, and Blue Glow Worms.
"It's hard to imagine that these embryos, now resembling little kittens, will grow into gigantic creatures when released."
Nature is wondrous, but the creations of humans are equally astonishing.
In Yan Xia's design, the Leviathan is a whale-like creature covered in whiskers resembling brooms.
These whiskers are actually air passages, and the Leviathan itself is a giant creature measuring 300 meters in length but weighing only 150 tons. Much of its body is hollow, with cavities for storing hydrogen, which it uses for breathing and survival.
It can survive on the surface of gas giant planets, tolerating temperatures up to 500 degrees Celsius. The cavities inside its body automatically regulate pressure, allowing it to live under pressures ranging from 170 to 4,320 atmospheres.
Its food is not gaseous but the Vacuum Jellyfish.
True to its name, the Vacuum Jellyfish can survive in a vacuum.
It is larger than the Leviathan, with a total length of 1,000 meters including its tentacles, but surprisingly light, weighing only 20 tons.
The Vacuum Jellyfish's skin is only 2 meters thick and has a honeycomb structure, not solid. It lacks oral arms and mouthparts, and its tentacles do not have stinging cells. Its structure is incredibly simple, consisting only of skin, a stomach sac, tentacles, and reproductive organs.
Due to its simplicity, it can survive in temperatures ranging from -200 to 150 degrees Celsius and pressures from 0 to 70,000 atmospheres.
This adaptability allows it to thrive in the vacuum of space throughout the Alpha Centauri system. Its enormous size and lightweight body also enable it to survive in the cloud layers of rocky planets with an atmosphere.
They move by ejecting air through tiny pores in their skin, traveling at a speed comparable to a human's walking pace within a planet, but in space, they can accelerate intermittently to reach speeds of 2 km/s.
The food of the Vacuum Jellyfish is the Blue Glow Worms that live inside them.
These worms are microscopic and can be considered microorganisms.
Their lifespan is extremely short, lasting only 10 hours.
The Blue Glow Worms are named for the blue luminescence they emit.
After death, their corpses become food for the Vacuum Jellyfish.
What do the Blue Glow Worms eat?
They survive by decomposing minerals, and the Vacuum Jellyfish collects stones and soil with its hundreds of meters of tentacles to feed these worms.
This is a complete, ultra-small ecosystem.
"These life forms have one thing in common: their reproductive speed."
"The Leviathan has a lifespan of only 20 years, and the Vacuum Jellyfish lives for only 15 years. Each of their offspring numbers in the millions, like fish."
"In just 100 years, these life forms will be ubiquitous."
"However, evolution takes a long time. Despite their seemingly simple nature, they are genetic hybrids, which will accelerate their genetic selection. In no more than 1,000 years, they will complete their first genetic evolution."
Yan Xia looked at these life forms, considering them treasures.
They were not yet perfect, but in two years, the first batch of "seeds" would be released.
At that time, he would create a space biosphere.
Of course, this was just the first step for Yan Xia.
After the first release, this crazy plan would be shared with the Civilized Federation, allowing tens of thousands of scientists and companies to engage in the creation of such life forms.
The entire Alpha Centauri system would become incredibly prosperous.
They would have an inexhaustible supply of genes to utilize.
While Yan Xia was researching biology, Ella was working on another technology.
- Portable Combat Exoskeleton Armor
Also known as "Mech."
Life forms cannot adapt to multiple environments. For example, what if there is no air on Baiyan Star?
The Kate civilization, when entering a human environment, would find the abundant oxygen and nitrogen toxic.
Mechs also became a necessity.
They would be supplied to the explorers of the Explorer's Association, increasing their chances of survival.
It's also worth mentioning that in the decades since the establishment of the Interstellar Explorer's Association, a large number of interstellar pirates have emerged near Alpha Centauri, making a living by plundering explorers.
Such is the diversity of life.
"The first-generation mech has already been manufactured, Yan Xia. Do you want to take a look?" Ella asked.
Yan Xia was intrigued.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Ella smirked.
What a bad attitude. If I had known, I wouldn't have told you, just to make you anxious.
But he wasn't upset, because these words indicated that Yan Xia was increasingly treating her like an AI.
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