Robert_Moriyama wrote: Oddly enough, Discover Magazine's May 2011 cover story says that modern human DNA is an amalgam of traces from past hominid species:
http://ebookhorn.com/wp-content/uploads ... y-2011.jpgCarriers of the genes would have superior resistance to cold and would be the last ones to die from hypothermia (ensuring that they would then have their pick of the tools and clothing of the frozen dead); a few generations of interbreeding (okay, more than a few), with higher survival rates for those in whom the gene was most strongly expressed, would eventually raise the antifreeze component concentration to the point where one of Them could survive in temperatures that would almost instantly freeze liquid water (i.e., substantially below -50 Fahrenheit?).
Robert,
One of the most succinct and knowledgeable renditions of natural selection that I've ever seen. You're one of 'Us.'
Problem is, it would be a
very slow process. And humans are inventive. All you'd need is a little fire, and some log cabins (a.k.a. almost all of human history) and these kinds of temperatures wouldn't matter. Besides, regular mammals still survived in the more temperate regions. So would we. Don't forget that in
this world, there are no humans at all. We're a little more persnickety than that.
If the temperature change were immediate and worldwide, the species would have died, taking the Neanderthals with it.
Besides, we are pretty sure we are not direct descendants of
Homo Neandertalensis. We share common ancestors, but they were a separate line. And though there is some evidence of interbreeding, it's not statistically significant. And it sure as hell ain't 4-10% of the general human genome. ‘Cause Dude, that's what's referred to as a sh@tload. (I apologize for the highly technical jargon. Old habits, you know. . .)
Robert_Moriyama wrote: One would assume that the natural antifreeze . . . . was not exactly glycol, but had similar properties in terms of low freezing point, resistance to the formation of crystals, etc.
If it's not glycol, why call it that? Ethylene glycol (antifreeze) is sweet to the taste (like Cold Core’s blood). That's why it kills a bunch of dogs (and a few kids) every year. Propylene glycol is only slightly sweet, has much fewer problems since it doesn't do half the damage, and is STILL a petroleum derivative that is not found in nature.
The only other major glycols, according to Brittanica:
"Other important glycols include 1,3-butanediol, used as a starting material for the manufacture of brake fluids and of plasticizers for resins; 1,4-butanediol, used in polyurethanes and in polyester resins for coatings and plasticizers, and for making butyrolactone, a valuable solvent and chemical intermediate; 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, an effective insect repellent; and 2-methyl-2-propyl-1,3-propanediol, made into meprobamate, a widely used tranquillizing drug."So, Robert. . . .which of these do you make blood out of. . . .?
Again it goes back to
NOT trying to explain why/how your critters can take more cold than modern humans. Simply say they can, and forget it. Leave it up to the readers whether they have thick skins, elevated blood alcohol content (naturally occurring and with a lower freezing point), or just a monstrous metabolism that lets them do it. THEY wouldn’t necessarily know why they can take more cold than we can. Why should we—as readers—care?
THAT'S one of the “secrets” of Science Fiction. If you're going to make your characters superhuman (as these guys are, when it comes to cold), either don't explain it, or get it
right.Isn't that what we're here for? To point-out where some stories fall short?
Robert_Moriyama wrote:I think the "phase transition" thing simply refers to the 'fact' that Ander-Tallis blood and body fluids do not freeze in any naturally-occurring conditions with which the narrator is familiar. . . . .
Rick and I have discussed this problem, both in private and in public.
Here’s the gist of it:
Just because your research gives you a cool term for water turning from one state of matter to another (solid-to-liquid = melting and liquid-to-gas = boiling. . . .both are ‘phase transitions’ in scientific lingo. . .)
And my response is: YOU DON’T HAVE TO FREAKING
INCLUDE IT IN YOUR STORY!
Imagine writing: 'I filled a conductive vessel with liquid dihydrogen monoxide and introducted it to a superthermic resistance source. I then had to allow sufficient time for phase transition to occur.'
or
"I filled the kettle with water, put it on the stove, and waited for it to boil."
It is esoteric, somewhat arcane, and downright
confusing for 99% of your readership. It’s also a little condescending, because you’re just flaunting your highly superior (A.K.A. googled) knowledge. And this is coming from a
bona fide, card-carrying, GEEK!
DO NOT ALIENATE YOUR READERSHIP. Snag as many as you can. Every time.
Did calling Cold Core’s blood the ‘color’ of 668 to 780 THz tell most of you that he could see in the infrared? Even
I had to look that up. Why not just say that they could see heat signatures?
He already implied that they can read thoughts. No explanation for that one, I noticed.
Michele called this a ‘solid’ Science Fiction story. It isn’t.
It’s good. It has a lot of really cool stuff in it. I particularly liked how ‘naming’ once character as ‘Finder’, added status to his family, improved his selection of potential mates, and generally just helped him out as far as the social structure of the culture was concerned.
That is very good plotting. It adds verisimilitude and
characterization to the culture.
And I fully intend to steal the concept, and use it as my own. It’s
fantastic.
I don’t particularly expect to hurt Rick’s feelings with this critique. He already knows how I feel about this stuff. But maybe it will help somebody else do it differently, next time.
Bill Wolfe
"I am Susan Ivanova. . . .I am the Right Hand of Vengence. . .I am Death Incarnate, and the last living thing that you are ever going to see. God sent me."