Chapter 1031 The astronaut who lost his sensitivity to temperature~
Meanwhile, on the other side.
In the distant deep space, on the Hanhai space shuttle, in the crew cabin, after completing today's routine physical examination, Zhai Zhigang looked at Liu Yang, who had the most severe infection symptoms, and asked.
"Judging from the physical examination indicators, your body structure is still changing. Do you feel any discomfort? Or is there any problem with your body?"
Liu Yang shook his head, looked at the back of his hand, his eyes fell on the reflective skin, and said with some confusion.
"Other than these physical changes, I don't feel that there is anything wrong with me. I can eat, sleep and move, but there are not many changes from before. I may even have more energy."
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In fact, when she first realized that her body was infected by Martian microorganisms and began to mutate, she was actually very panicked.
After all, people are born with fear when facing unknown things.
Especially their rhythm, which looks like they have been infected by the legendary zombie virus, and their whole people are mutating in an almost unpredictable direction.
However, as more than half a month passed, she found that the mutation in her body did not seem so serious and scary, and her panic and fear became much more stable.
Even now, she was beginning to speculate about what she might become in the future.
After all, judging from the current mutation, except for the protein replacement of connective tissues such as skin, nails, hair, and bone tissue, there are no other abnormalities in her body.
Of course, the most important thing is that this mutation did not make her become as scary as a zombie or monster. She still maintained her human shape. At most, the details of her skin, nails, and hair were slightly different.
This relieved her mood a lot, at least she didn't turn into a monster.
At this moment, Tang Hongbo came out of the bathroom and wiped his hair with a special space towel. He came over and asked.
"It's nothing."
Liu Yang smiled and said: "It's nothing, it's not much different from the previous two days."
"That's fine. I hope we can return to Earth soon and cure this infection soon. Alas."
After complaining casually, Tang Hongbo looked at Liu Yang and said with a smile: "By the way, Sister Liu, speaking of which, can you take a bath with such cold water?"
“When I turned on the spray gun, I almost froze to death.”
The bathroom on the Hanhai space shuttle is equipped with more advanced bathing equipment than the space station. It can not only imitate the conventional bathing and showering methods on earth, but also provide hot water 24 hours a day.
Anyway, for them, water resources can be recycled, and the electric energy is almost enough for them to boil water for fun.
It just needs to be avoided to prevent water retention from affecting the space station's environmental control.
However, engineers have already considered this. There is an adsorption device in the bathroom, which can efficiently clean up the water vapor and water droplets scattered and floating in the bathroom.
"Huh? Cold?"
Hearing Tang Hongbo's words, Liu Yang glanced at him subconsciously and said: "No, I don't feel anything?"
Tang Hongbo had a question mark on his face: "Didn't you take a bath before I took a bath?"
Liu Yang nodded and said casually: "I should be right, but I don't seem to have touched the water temperature?"
"That's strange."
Tang Hongbo frowned and began to think: "But I did feel that the water temperature was very cold at first, and it took a while before I got used to it after it warmed up."
On the side, Zhai Zhigang seemed to have thought of something and said, "If I remember correctly, the domestic water circulation system of the space shuttle did a self-cleaning yesterday. In the meantime, the shower room and related equipment were cut off and restarted."
"If this is the case, the temperature control of the shower system should be restored to the default setting and no hot water will be heated."
Hearing this, both Liu Yang and Tang Hongbo looked over: "You mean I (Team Liu) took a cold shower? But I (she) didn't feel anything?"
"This possibility cannot be ruled out."
Zhai Zhigang nodded, then walked towards the control room, opened the computer mounted on the wall of the cabin, and called up the data related to the shower system.
Indeed, judging from the equipment log, at three o'clock yesterday morning, the water circulation system performed its third self-cleaning during the voyage, and all related equipment including showers were restarted.
Without noticing this, Liu Yang might have taken a cold shower with a water temperature of only ten degrees or even lower.
What was even more surprising was that she didn't feel the water was cold.
After realizing this, the three people immediately conducted a simple test. Soon, the test results showed an answer that was not so wonderful.
Under the influence of Martian microorganisms, the bodies of Liu Yang and Jiang Xinlin, who were most severely infected, may have experienced 'errors' in their temperature perception.
The nearly zero-degree water was not so cold to the touch of the two of them.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Jinling, a subordinate aerospace base.
In Academician Chang Huaxiang's office, after helping Xu Xiao get the brain-computer interface chip and the launch of the bionic robotic arm, Xu Chuan focused his energy back on the manned mission project.
Looking through the documents in his hand, his eyes fell on the physical examination data of the four astronauts of the Hanhai space shuttle and the biological data of these Martian lifeforms. There was some thinking in his eyes.
It has to be said that the infection ability of these Martian lifeforms is very powerful based on current human understanding of microbiology and biology.
You must know that this manned mission is not unprepared to prevent bacteria and viruses that may exist on Mars.
The equipment of the space suit for landing on Mars is fully enclosed, including protective measures for research at the temporary base and on the space shuttle after collecting Mars samples.
Although limited by conditions, the protective measures on the base and spacecraft do not reach the biological BSL-4/3 laboratory level, but air-tight closed experimental rooms, isolation equipment, biological safety cabinets, and ventilation systems are available.
Being able to infect astronauts through these protective methods, the spread of these Martian life forms may be beyond imagination through traditional disinfecting methods.
Of course, what puzzled Xu Chuan more was not how the astronauts were infected with Martian microorganisms, but the fact that these Martian microorganisms coexisted with the astronauts and caused their bodies to mutate.
To him, this was even more puzzling.
Since the four landing teams were confirmed to be infected with Martian microorganisms and bacteria, he has gained a lot of knowledge in the field of infections such as microorganisms, bacteria and viruses.
Although it is not enough for him to become an expert in microbiology in a short period of time, there is no problem for him to have a relatively in-depth understanding of these things. When it comes to infection, it may be caused by various vulnerabilities and imperfect protective measures.
But coexisting and causing mutations in the human body is quite confusing.
After thinking for a while, Xu Chuan looked up at Professor Chen Wenze, a microbiology expert from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and asked.
"Professor Chen, in the microbiology community, are there any microorganisms, bacteria or viruses that can significantly affect or modify the host?"
After hearing this question, Professor Chen Wenze thought for a moment and replied: "I don't know what the standard of large amplitude you mentioned, Academician Xu, is."
"However, there are indeed some living organisms in the field of microorganisms or parasites that can affect or change the host."
"For example, Toxoplasma gondii hijacks the host's nervous system and changes the host's behavior by secreting neurotransmitters (such as dopamine)."
"Mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii showed a lower fear response and even had a blunted response to other dangerous things."
"Or Caenorhabditis elegans infected with 'Pseudomonas aeruginosa' will show an enhanced response to pheromones, promoting its mating behavior with male nematodes."
"There are also more common 'praying mantises' that will show phototaxis and hydrotaxis after being parasitized by 'ironworms'."
"These parasites or parasitic microorganisms can indeed affect the host by manipulating metabolism, mind control, and changing social behavior."
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Xu Chuan nodded and continued to ask: "Is it possible to modify the host's body structure on a large scale without affecting the host's life?"
Chen Wenze: "You mean something similar to Martian microorganisms?"
Xu Chuan nodded and said, "Yes."
Hearing this, Professor Chen Wenze frowned and thought for a while before shaking his head and replying: "No, at least it has not been found on earth so far."
"Even the Antarctic nanoarchaea discovered in Antarctica many years ago can absorb the host's lipids and change the structure of the lipid membrane, but they cannot do so to the extent of this Martian microorganism."
After a slight pause, he looked over curiously and asked, "Is there any problem?"
Xu Chuan thought for a while and said: "According to what you said, and with reference to the evolution of organisms on Earth and the isolation between different populations, even if the four astronauts were infected with these microorganisms and bacteria, they should not have physical symptoms. Silicoproteinization of tissue structures ”
"Because for a kind of creature, in the long evolutionary time, they will often evolve themselves into the form that is most suitable for the surrounding environment."
"For example, various life forms on the earth, fish in the ocean have evolved gills, animals on land have evolved pneumatic lungs, plants have evolved chloroplasts, etc."
"Although it is true that there are many parasitic organisms, the purpose of these parasitic organisms is usually to reproduce themselves."
"The Martian microorganisms that infected the four astronauts do not seem to have this purpose."
After a pause, he looked at Professor Chen Wenze and continued: "Generally, after parasitism invades the human body, it will grow and develop in the tissues and organs, and continue to multiply until the host finally dies, or the host finds a way to balance it. , and then symbiosis.”
"However, judging from various tests such as excrement and blood of the four astronauts, the Martian microorganisms in their bodies reached a balanced state about two days ago and did not continue to reproduce on a large scale."
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"In addition, as you said, Professor Chen, even if it is a parasitic influence, it is almost impossible for microorganisms or bacteria to modify the host's body structure on a large scale.
"But the characteristics of these microorganisms on Mars are almost completely opposite to the way natural evolution occurs."
Upon hearing this, Professor Chen Wenze quickly picked up the latest report from the Hanhai space shuttle from his desk.
As Xu Chuan said, about two days ago, after the Martian microbial indicators in the four astronauts reached a peak, they almost never went up again.
This is an almost impossible occurrence for hosts infected by microorganisms, bacteria, and viruses.
Normally, the microorganisms and bacteria that parasitize and infect the host's body will continue to consume nutrients in the host's body and continue to multiply and expand their own population.
Only after thousands of years of co-evolution, such as bacteria such as E. coli in the human intestine, will symbiosis occur.
Otherwise, these infected and parasitic Martian microorganisms in the human body will only act like cancer cells, which will continue to proliferate and metastasize in the human body, eventually leading to the death of the host.
"Perhaps they have reached their reproductive self-limiting maximum population size?"
Looking at the indicators on the report document, Professor Chen Wenze frowned and said: "Just like cancer cells in whales, the super-tumor structure can inhibit the canceration of surrounding normal cells, thus preventing the unlimited expansion of cancer cells in whales."
"Perhaps this Martian microorganism also has this special mechanism?"
Xu Chuan nodded and said: "This possibility cannot be ruled out."
Professor Chen Wenze looked over and asked curiously: "Academician Xu, do you have any other speculations or conjectures?"
Xu Chuan: "Indeed, but this idea may be more reasonable"
After thinking for a while, he found an adjective and continued: "Maybe it's quite 'outrageous'."
"How to say?"
After thinking for a moment, Xu Chuan continued: "What if we consider that the Martian microorganisms that infected astronauts did not evolve naturally?"
Hearing this, several people in the office looked over in surprise.
Xu Chuan took a deep breath and continued: "Generally speaking, if a living thing wants to evolve a certain function, it must have this need, or it needs the external environment to force it to evolve this ability."
"The astronauts who have been transformed by these Martian microorganisms have more obvious resistance when facing a harsher environment."
"The most typical ones are Liu Yang and Jiang Xinlin. They have stronger adaptability to lower temperature environments."
"And this generally shouldn't be the case with the impact of parasitic bacteria on the host."
"After all, no life has ever evolved a mechanism for another life to adapt to the environment."
"Theoretically, this evolutionary mechanism will only appear on the body, rather than affecting the host."
"Unless this kind of life is created."
"Just like the 'virus vaccine' we create, we achieve resistance to external viruses by stimulating the human immune system."
"This Martian microorganism that infected astronauts feels a bit like this to me."