Chapter 203 - Sol Three Hundred and Twenty-Six, The Flocking Amoeba (1/2)

Chapter 203: Sol Three Hundred and Twenty-Six, The Flocking Amoeba

“Mutated bacteria?” Tang Yue took the petri dish from Tomcat. “You mean that they have mutated?”

“Bacteria are considered prokaryotes that lack full cellular structure. The stability of their DNA is relatively weak. Under the radiation on Mars, mutation is a common outcome… I’ve been rearing these bacteria for some time. I dare say that every time they replicate, there will be a mutation.” Tomcat nodded. “However, most of the mutations lead to a dead end. Gene mutation is like shooting with your eyes blindfolded. It’s very rare to hit the target.”

Tang Yue curiously observed the mutated bacteria in the petri dish. The bacterial colony was a dark-colored oval with a smooth surface. He didn’t know which bacteria it mutated from, but this was the first life he discovered to be born in a Martian environment—even if their parents came from Earth.

Mai Dong had already woken up and heard the conversation between Tang Yue and Tomcat.

“Mr. Cat, you reared bacteria?” The girl was very curious.

“Yes,” Tomcat replied. “These bacteria are my pets. I’ve just brought them in from the radiation exposure. I discovered that one of the bacteria, perhaps bacillus, has mutated.”

“Why do you expose it outside?”

“Isn’t this common when rearing pets?” Tomcat replied. “You humans walk dogs, I walk my bacteria.”

“The mutation has allowed it to adapt to the Martian environment?” Mai Dong asked.

“You can’t call it adaptation to the Martian environment.” Tomcat shook its head, clearly disinterested in the mutation. It then turned around and continued taking care of the tomatoes. “They have merely adapted to the environment inside the petri dish. If you opened the lid and poured them onto the sand outside Kunlun Station, I believe they wouldn’t survive for more than twenty-four hours.”

“I was still hoping that they would produce the next civilization.” Tang Yue leaned in close to the petri dish and observed it. The bacteria were spreading on the substrate, but they had no idea that there was a pair of eyes looking at them from above. “Although I have no interest in playing God, I do wish to know what a brand new ecosphere would look like.”

“Think about how sulfur bacteria survive. For example, anaerobic purple sulfur bacteria. If they successfully evolve into higher-order lifeforms…” Tomcat hypothesized. “Then, they might be massive, slow-crawling creatures. They will be like reptiles that resemble amoeba. Their bodies will be translucent, and they will move by lying on the ground. However, their bodies will be much bigger than reptiles, spanning several meters.”

Tomcat’s description immediately made Tang Yue imagine a nasal mucus.

“They will form swarms as they travel across the Martian desert. They will have mouths that resemble shovels, moving dirt as they travel. They will survive by consuming the sand on Mars because it will be rich in ferrous iron. These super worms will obtain energy from the microbial oxidation of ferrous iron to ferric ion,” Tomcat continued. “Their translucent bodies will have massive amounts of churning liquid that’s filled with sulfuric acid as they will be responsible for oxidizing and vulcanizing. Apart from sulfuric acid, oxidation will also generate sulfates, leaving behind a long trail of their excrement on the desert to mark their activity.”

“Why would their bodies be translucent?” Tang Yue asked.