Chapter 1031 Astronauts Who Lost Their Sensitivity to Temperature

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."

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 entire body is 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 a 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?"

After 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 would be 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, Liu Yang and Tang Hongbo both looked over: "You mean I (Liu Dui) 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 life forms is very strong in terms of the current human understanding of microbiology and biology.

You know, this manned Mars landing project is not without precautions against possible bacteria and viruses on Mars.

The equipment of the Mars landing space suit is fully enclosed, including protective measures for research at the temporary base and on the space shuttle after collecting Martian samples.

Although the protective measures on the base and spacecraft cannot reach the level of biological BSL-4/3 laboratories due to limited conditions, there are airtight closed laboratories, isolation equipment, biosafety cabinets, and ventilation systems.

Being able to infect astronauts through these protective measures, the transmission channels of these Martian life forms or traditional disinfection methods may be beyond imagination.

Of course, what makes Xu Chuan more puzzled is not how astronauts are infected with Martian microorganisms, but the problem that these Martian microorganisms coexist with astronauts and cause mutations in their bodies.

In his opinion, this is even more confusing.

Since the four Mars landing teams confirmed that they were infected with Martian microorganisms and bacteria, he has made up for a lot of knowledge in the field of infection such as microorganisms, bacteria and viruses.

Although it is not enough for him to become a microbiology expert in a short period of time, it is no problem for him to have a relatively in-depth understanding of these things.

As for infection, it may be caused by various loopholes and imperfect protective measures.

But coexistence and causing mutations in the human body are quite confusing.

After thinking for a while, Xu Chuan looked up at Professor Chen Wenzhe, a microbiology expert at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and asked.

"Professor Chen, in the field of microbiology, are there any microorganisms, bacteria or viruses that can significantly affect or transform the host?"

After hearing this question, Professor Chen Wenzhe thought for a moment and replied: "I don't know what standard you mean by "significantly" in the words of Academician Xu."

"However, there are indeed some organisms in the field of microorganisms or parasites that can affect or transform the host."

"For example, 'Toxoplasma' hijacks the host's nervous system and changes the host's behavior by secreting neurotransmitters (such as dopamine). "

"Mice infected with Toxoplasma will show a lower fear response, and even become sluggish in their 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 phototropism and hydrotropism after being parasitized by 'iron wireworms'."

"These parasites or parasitic microorganisms can indeed affect the host by manipulating metabolism, mental control, and changing social behavior."

Please...you...collect_6Ⅰ9ⅠbookⅠbar (六\\\九\\\book\\\bar!)

Xu Chuan nodded and continued to ask: "Is there any way to transform the host's body structure on a large scale without affecting the host's life?"

Chen Wenzhe: "Are you talking about something like Martian microorganisms?"

Xu Chuan nodded and said, "Yes."

Hearing this, Professor Chen Wenzhe frowned, thought for a long time, and then shook his head and replied: "No, at least not found on Earth at present."

"Even if it was discovered in Antarctica a few years ago, Antarctic nanoarchaea can absorb the host's lipids and change the structure of the lipid membrane, but they can't do the same as this Martian microorganism. "

After a slight pause, he looked over curiously and asked, "Any questions?"

Xu Chuan thought for a while and said, "According to what you said, and referring to the evolution of organisms on Earth and the isolation between different populations, even if the four astronauts are infected with these microorganisms and bacteria, there should be no siliconization of body tissue structure. "

"Because for a kind of organism, in the long evolutionary time, they tend to evolve themselves to the form that best adapts to the surrounding environment. "

"For example, various life forms on Earth, fish in the ocean have evolved gills, animals on land have evolved air lungs, plants have evolved chloroplasts, and so on. "

"Although There are indeed many parasitic organisms, but the purpose of these parasites is usually to reproduce themselves. "

"And the Martian microorganisms that infected the four astronauts do not seem to have this purpose."

After a pause, he looked at Professor Chen Wenzhe and continued: "Generally speaking, after parasites invade the human body, they will grow and develop in tissues and organs, and continue to multiply and increase until the host eventually dies, or the host finds a way to balance and then coexist. "

"However, from the various examinations of the excrement and blood of the four astronauts, the Martian microorganisms in their bodies reached a state of balance about two days ago and did not continue to reproduce on a large scale. "

"In addition, as you said, Professor Chen, even if it is a parasitic influence, it is almost impossible for microorganisms or bacteria to transform the host's body structure on a large scale.

"But these microorganisms on Mars have shown characteristics that are almost the opposite of the way of natural evolution."

Hearing this, Professor Chen Wenzhe quickly picked up a latest report from the Hanhai space shuttle from his desk.

Just as Xu Chuan said, about two days ago, the Martian microbial indicators in the bodies of the four astronauts reached a peak and have almost never risen again.

This is almost impossible for hosts infected by microorganisms, bacteria and viruses.

Normally, microorganisms and bacteria parasitizing the host will constantly consume nutrients in the host and continue to multiply and expand their own population.

Unless there are thousands of years of co-evolution, such as bacteria such as Escherichia coli in the human intestine, symbiosis will occur.

Otherwise, these Martian microorganisms that infect and parasitize the human body will only proliferate and metastasize in the human body like cancer cells, eventually leading to the death of the host.

"Perhaps they have reached their maximum self-limiting population size?"

Looking at the indicators on the report, Professor Chen Wenzhe frowned and said, "Just like the cancer cells in the whale's body, the super-tumor structure can inhibit the canceration of surrounding normal cells, thereby stopping the unlimited expansion of cancer cells in the whale's body."

"Perhaps this Martian microorganism also has this special mechanism?"

Xu Chuan nodded and said, "This possibility cannot be ruled out."

Professor Chen Wenzhe looked over and asked curiously, "Academician Xu, do you have any other speculations or conjectures?"

Xu Chuan: "Indeed, but this idea may be relatively"

After thinking about it, he found an adjective and continued, "It may be relatively 'outrageous'."

"How do you say it?"

After thinking for a while, Xu Chuan continued, "What if we consider that the Martian microorganisms that infected the astronauts were not naturally evolved?"

Hearing this, several people in the office looked over in surprise.

Xu Chuan took a deep breath and continued: "Generally speaking, if an organism wants to evolve a certain function, it must have this need, or the external environment must force it to evolve this ability."

"And the astronauts who have been transformed by these Martian microorganisms have more obvious resistance when facing more severe environments."

"The most typical ones are Liu Yang and Jiang Xinlin, who have stronger adaptability to lower temperature environments."

"And this should not usually appear in the impact of parasitic bacteria on the host."

"After all, there has never been a kind of life that will evolve a set of mechanisms that allow the other party to adapt to the environment for another life."

"This evolutionary mechanism will theoretically only appear on the body, rather than affecting the host."

"Unless. This kind of life is manufactured."

"Just like the 'virus vaccine' we made, it stimulates the human immune system to achieve resistance to external viruses."

"This Martian microorganism that infected the astronauts feels a bit like this to me."