Metal Lifeforms
The Evolution of Primeval Metal Lifeforms
Evolutionary Timeline
Primative Organisms → Plants → Cnidarians → Insects → Tunicates → Shellfish
Primative Organisms → Plants → Cnidarians → Insects → Tunicates → Shellfish
- A Different Biogenetic Environment from Earth
The life of Planet Zi originated in its high-temperature, high-pressure seas, and later evolved into more complex organisms. In order to win against others in the struggle for survival, all they could do was follow the path of evolving to be larger, harder and faster-moving.The slow-moving lobites that crawled around on the seafloor came to possess a spinal cord as a means to move faster and further, and developed sharp teeth to eat prey and fins to improve their mobility. Eventually, two pairs of fins developed into "legs", so that they could climb up onto the unknown territory of land.
- A Biota Clad in Armour
Evolutionary Timeline
Vertebrates → Mammals → Tetropods → Birds → Dinosaurs
Having originated on the high-temperature, high-pressure seafloor, life eventually made three choices with regards to its environment.
When the impurities in the atmosphere were removed by the fall of the planetesimals, and the sun's light began to reach the surface, protists appeared that used this light to perform photosynthesis. They later developed into plants, with a structural colour of beautiful green.
In contrast, the lobites that had gained hard metallic shells evolved into insects as well as fish, which developed the spinal cords necessary to move more actively, and one variety of fish developed its fins into "legs" and aimed for land.
To move around on land, stronger muscles would be necessary. Developing their organs for absorbing metal internally and externally even further, they perfected semiconductive muscles with greater energy efficiency.
These closely resemble the ion-conducting macromolecular membrane technology produced by the latest robotronics, which can expand and contract due to electric charges.
Through this, they gained quicker movements and harder shells, and came to prosper on land.
- The Origin of the Zoid Core
The life of Planet Zi was born within a blast furnace of high-temperature, high-pressure, high-concentration hydrogen sulphide, and even when their environment changed and they began to live on land, they continued to preserve the composition of Planet Zi's primeval high-temperature seawater as the composition of their blood and bodily fluids. However, by the era in which huge sauropods strode across the land, this primeval high-temperature seawater no longer existed anywhere on the planet (except in the special environments of underground lava reservoirs), and thus when generating new individuals, they had lost the environment in which to give birth to offspring. The "Zoid Core" was a groundbreaking system that they produced in order to overcome this situation and leave behind new individuals for the future.The Origin of the Zoid Core
- Life on Land ~ Subsequent Conversion to Zoids
For the creatures of Zi, which were born in the high-temperature, high-pressure depths of the sea, the environmental upheavals that attacked them one after another were extremely harsh ordeals.The "Zoid Core" was the system they developed as a method to overcome these.
How does this system differ from the creatures of Earth?
Other than viruses, protists and the like, which multiply through cell division, all higher life forms produce eggs for the purpose of reproduction. Even humans produce eggs, but they produce them within their bodies and raise the embryo internally, and are therefore classified as mammals.
In the sense that it is a means of reproduction, it could be said that the Zoid Core is also an egg.
However, the Zoid Core is not the "basis of a new individual" generated during breeding periods, but a life data storage device that always exists at the centre of the Zoid organisms.
Having climbed onto land as metallic life forms, they gradually gathered their organic matter in the centre of their bodies, and safeguarded it with a firm, strong structure with a high concentration of metal.
Before it developed into the Zoid Core, this organ was a fluid circulation organ that governed their internal chemistry. It constantly maintained a high temperature and pressure by means of chemical reactions, and if their body temperature decreased accompanying a decrease in outside air temperature, it would adjust their body temperature by releasing its heat. It was truly the basis of life.
Eventually, as a result of directional evolution, the majority of their internal organs and structures were condensed into this organ, and their organic structures came to be completely zoned (compartmentalised) within the organ.
Through this, the "Zoids" were born, creatures with a body structure unique to Zi in which their skeleton, muscles and skin are metal, and their organic structures are zoned in the centre of their body (their centre of gravity, to be precise).
The system of generating new organisms through this Zoid Core was extremely effective as a method of coping with dramatic changes to the environment.
After the fall of the planetesimals, cooling proceeded and the average air temperature on Planet Zi became 8 to 26 degrees. However, due to changes in its orbital eccentricity as it revolved around its sun, as well as changes in its axial inclination which recurred on a scale of tens of thousands of years, the planet came to alternate between glacial periods with an average air temperature of -50 degrees and comparatively warm interglacial periods.
This is extremely similar to the "milankovitch cycle" (a cycle of glacials and interglacials) on Earth, and even if there had been any land creatures without this Zoid Core system, it would surely have been impossible for them to continue existing on Zi until today.
The Zoid Core is the cradle of life, which reproduces the "high-temperature, high-pressure primeval seawater" in which life was once born within itself when generating new individuals, no matter how much the external environment changes.
- The Zoid Core
The appearance of the Zoid Core is similar to the early nuclear fission chambers created by mankind.
Its interior is at a high temperature and pressure, so it takes a spherical shape to seal in this pressure, and it moves by shifting its centre of gravity.
The Life Cycle of Zoids
- Wild Zoid Growth Mechanisms
Once, Wild Zoids could let their descendants flourish just by producing embryos in seawater. However, when their high-temperature, high-pressure environment was lost, they developed a system to generate and maintain a high-temperature, high-pressure environment inside the embryos.After the death of the adult, these embryos would move towards water, and once submerged they would take the water and metallic elements contained within it into themselves, reproducing the high-temperature, high-pressure environment internally.
The juveniles thus produced would put their metal absorption and distribution organs into full operation, growing by absorbing the metallic elements in the water and creating skeletons and shells.
- Wild Zoid Breeding Mechanism
We Earth humans proudly call ourselves primates, but the composition of our blood is surprisingly similar to the composition of Earth's primeval seawater. If you were faced with composition tables for both, you could justifiably call them almost identical.This stems from the fact that our distant ancestors originated within the primeval seas.
We have attained civilisation, and someday the time will come when we journey to other stars and beyond. Even then, we will continue to replicate the primeval seawater of ancient Earth within our bodies.
This is the "Birthday Shackle". This law of nature also applies to all the organisms of Planet Zi.
The Zoid Core was a splendid evolution to escape from this shackle. Zoids are time capsules that reproduces the same high-temperature, high-pressure environment as when their distant ancestors were born inside their Core when generating new individuals.
In terms of Earth life, the Zoid Core is both an egg and an embryo.
Within it, the experience that the adult has accumulated during its life at dealing with its environment is stored as genetic data.
Zoid Cores have a wide variety of characteristics according to each species, and their size also varies. All of them form the basis to generate new individuals in water, and produce offspring.
Depending on the physical constitution and living environment of the adult, multiple Zoid Cores may be left behind by one adult, and the number is not determined by species.
Zoids have no breeding season; when the Zoid Core is exposed outside of the body - in other words, when the organism dies - the Zoid Core immediately begins preparations to generate a new individual.
- Wild Zoid Breeding Mechanism
"Zoid Cores" come in different sizes, colours and shapes, depending on each individual. The history of the evolution of life on Planet Zi is etched inside these spheres.
2 Million Years Ago
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