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The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 66 Page 1 of 22)
ALIEN & ALIENS
S C I E NC E M O VI E N I G H T
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 66 Page 2 of 22)
What is the purpose of life?
There are many debates on what is the purpose
of life. From a biological argument some
statements include: • To procreate
• To survive
• To ensure the continuation of the species
• There is no purpose.
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 66 Page 3 of 22)
Describe the various stages of the
aliens life cycle.
Things to consider?
Host (Malaria)
Alternation of Generations (Fern)
Metamorphosis (Frog)
Describe the various stages of the
aliens life cycle. (Malaria life-cycle)
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 66 Page 4 of 22)
Describe the various stages of the
aliens life cycle. (Fern Life Cycle)
Describe the various stages of the
aliens life cycle. (Frog Life Cycle)
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 66 Page 5 of 22)
Describe the various stages of the
aliens life cycle.
Face Hugger
Queen
Egg
Chest Burster
Warrior
Drone
Male Gamete via Mitosis
Female Gamete via Mitosis
Fertilization
Spore via Meisos, Incubation in host
n
2n
2n
n
n
n
How do we know that it was alive
(what criteria did it satisfy, and how)?
Life is considered a characteristic of organisms
that exhibit all or most of the following
characteristics or traits: • Homeostasis (Regulation of internal environment to
maintain a Constant Steady State): • Organization: • Metabolism (Using Energy via chemical reactions): • Growth and Development: • Adaptation: • Response to stimuli: • Reproduction:
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 66 Page 6 of 22)
What did it consume?
During the first two movies the aliens are not
observed eating.
• The Alien must eat something since it is a living thing and one of the primary tenets of living creatures is they need energy to live and grow. It is illogical to assume the alien not eat ANYTHING and yet can grow to well over six feet tall and weighing at least two hundred pounds.
What did it consume? (Theory)
Alien
In Alien, there is a single creature and all it has to eat are the humans on board the
Nostromo and anything they brought with them. It was shown that Ripley found an
empty storage container during the hunt for the creature. So, it can be assumed, it
needed mass to grow and in this case was able to eat the food of its host creature to
survive. This seems reasonable if the creature has taken some of its biology from the
host, ensuring at least some level of compatibility with the organisms ecosystem and
food supply.
It can also be inferred there was more than one storage container of that type on the
ship so it does not take much to assume human food, plus the humans it killed
during the hunt were sufficient for it to get the mass it needed to grow and expand in
size.
All of its advanced biochemical processes as well as its silicon makeup would
probably be able to be met by the technical equipment that made up the ship in the
form of metals and other inorganic materials found in a starship of the size and
complexity of the Nostromo. Unless a thorough scan of the ship was done, it would
have been able to eat its fill of inorganic material and it would never be noticed or
missed by the crew.
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 66 Page 7 of 22)
What did it consume? (Theory)
Aliens
In Aliens, we have almost the same conditions, a sizable human base, plenty of
human food stores, a significant number of humans to eat (and drink from, blood is a
decent source of iron and lesser minerals) and refined inorganic materials in great
abundance. So their growth, size and numbers can be presumed based on the amount
of food available. We can assume they may be biologically efficient, processing a
greater amount of energy and converting more mass than we do, so it may not take
much organic material for an Alien to develop physically, which is why they are so
willing to abandon their host if the nymph finds itself in danger.
In summary, the Aliens eat what their hosts eat and can likely find a source of
inorganic material compatible with their biology on any planet they find
themselves on (Silicon is the eight most abundant material in the universe and
the second most abundant mineral compound on Earth). This high level of
adaptability would surely make them an Alpha predator on any world they had
sufficient compatible inorganic material for them to complete their molting and
grow to their adult size.
How quickly did it grow?
The alien grows very quickly once the chest
burster erupts from its host body. • Chest burster is less than 1 foot tall initially.
• With in a couple of hours the alien drone reached a
height of over 2 meters.
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 66 Page 8 of 22)
Did every individual reproduce, or
were there females for the purpose,
or was there a single queen for the
purpose?
The aliens appear to have a single queen for
reproductive purposes, much like bees or ants.
How did the eggs survive long
periods in space?
The eggs appear to remain dormant much
similar to how plant seeds remain dormant.
Plant seeds stay alive due to access to food and
oxygen contained within the seed.
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 66 Page 9 of 22)
How did the alien get aboard the
ship?
A face hugger attaches to the face of one of the crew members. The science officer overrode safety protocols and brought the victim onto the ship in order to “treat the victim”. Later a chest burster erupted from the body of the victim.
Who was the mad scientist in Alien?
Ash
• The science officer
• The android (synthetic humanoid)
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 66 Page 10 of 22)
What was he/she/it willing to
sacrifice?
Ash was willing to sacrifice the life of the
Nostromo’s crew.
Since Ripley survived by destroying
the specimen, thereby depriving
science of knowledge, does science
itself have to be mad in order to
advance its knowledge?
No. • Knowledge can be gained through proper use of
the scientific method.
• With some experimentation, a level of risk may be
involved.
The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College (Science 66 Page 11 of 22)
Was the alien a successful life form?
Yes. • It was able to reproduce.
• It was able to adapt as a species.
Prepared by D. Leonard – Learning Specialist Edited by K. Martin – Peer Tutor The Academic Support Center @ Daytona State College http://www.daytonastate.edu/asc/ascsciencehandouts.html
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