The biology of a kerbal.

[DoctorDavinci]

I think you guys have some good ideas although I personally like to think of kerbs as the ancestors of the Orks in 40k since Orks are plant based bipedal humanoid masses of algae/plant material that propogate through releasing spores ... basically they are intelligent mold 

[Xd the great]

Can the moderators move this back to the science thread?

[RealKerbal3x]

6 hours ago, Xd the great said:

Can the moderators move this back to the science thread?

It was originally moved here as it's talking about KSP rather than real life science. So I reckon it's better here.

[Mikki]

I think it`s actually true that male Kerbals can only shout "AAAHHHH!" and female Kerbals use to whistle if they like. As seen in UV`s Kerbal Parody...

[kerbiloid]

(I'll just copypaste some thoughts from another thread)

Chromosome combination should define Pilot/Engineer/Scientist/Tourist and Courage&Stupidity.

Like blood types.
There are A & B factors, so: 0, A, B, AB major types.

Kerbals could have A(cting) and T(hinking) factors.

If a Kerbal has A factor, he is permanently doing something by hands. 
If a Kerbal has T factor, he is permanently thinking about something. 

So, A = Pilot, T =  Scientist, AT = Engineer, 0 = Tourist.

Both factors are recessive.

So, there are alleles A/a and T/t.

Only homozygotes with AA and/or TT receive the corresponding factor, while most of Kerbals are Tourists.

So,
AA + tt/Tt/tT = Pilot.
TT + aa/Aa/aA = Scientist
AATT = Engineer (they often write this as AT&AT, because that's what they get from the parents)
other combinations = Trashourist

(So, you have a lot of pilots for one-way flights, a lot of scientists for expendable scientific dropships _{Hi, Venus!}, but you have to care about the Engineers, as they are a real elite.)

***

Courage and Stupidity don't correlate with these factors. They just enforce them or vice versa.
But they are also defined by the chromosomes.

Alleles of two more genes define the level of two corresponing hormones production, which in turn defines Courage and Stupidity changing level.
These two hormones are NOT hormones of Courage and Stupidity, but their combination defines these characteristics non-linearly.

Edited August 21, 2018 by kerbiloid

[Kernel Kraken]

I think the T allele is more dominant as I seem to never find pilots in the astronaut complex.

[Kernel Kraken]

Nevermind, I found a pilot, but they're stupidity is at the max and courage is at the minimum. The perfect candidate for my Eve mission!

[AtomicTech]

On 7/23/2018 at 11:54 PM, kerbiloid said:

Kerbals have popped eyes.
This reminds of Total Recall scene..

Maybe Kerbals are from a place with much higher pressure?
From a denser atmosphere or the ocean bottom?

Unlikely they can be from ocean bottom, as they can hardly sink.
On another hand, did you ever see a baby Kerbal? As well as Kerbal towns (except from mods)?

Look...

An oceanic hypothesis of Kerbal origin nature.

Disclaimer: I don't claim this for sure, it is just a hypothesis which may or may not be right.

Here is a life cycle of medusa/polyp.

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And here is a hydra polyp's life cycle. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budding

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So, there is a plant-looking (though it is animal) polyp sitting on the oceanic bottom.
It reproduces by developing a bud from its body.
Then the bud splits and depending on the polyp species either sits aside (like hydra), or floats away (medusa).

As we can see, Kerbals cannot be hydras, as they can actively move.
So, if Kerbals are buds of some oceanic polyps, they belong to a medusa-like lifecycle.

Also, as you can see, for hydra the "main" (and the only) form is the polyp.
While for medusa we could say that the floating form is "main", more complex and so. While its polyp is like an intermediate form, a medusa spawner.
(I know, this is a rough simplification, but this is important for further explanation.)

***

So, the hypothesis.

Somewhere on the oceanic bottom, in the abyss next to KSC site, there is an underwater polyp colony.
It is a deep colony, water pressure is high there.

Periodically the colony develops buds, they split and emerge.
The air pressure at the Kerbin surface is much lower than at their mother colony place, so their eyes pop out.

They are less dense than water, so they don't sink, but float to the closest shore and get on the ground.

But are the Kerbals a medusa-like form? No.
They are (see the pic.) ephyra(e).

But what is an adult, "medusa" form?

Do we know another endemic animal but Kraken?

Kerbals are ephyric phase of Kraken life cycle!

Krakens grow as Kerbals.

***

Do you remember that smal funny animal in a glass pot in from the old Kerbal science trailer?

It is Kraken's and Kerbals' planula larva (see the pic.)

***

Some Kerbals are tougher than others and are nearly immortal like Kraken.
They wear orange suits. They are grown ephyrae.

***

So, an adult Kraken from time to time returns to Kerbin, to its natural spawn place.
This happens since the Kerbin life had begun.

Kraken drops its larvae into the ocean, they sink and sit on the bottom and become the Kraken polyp form.
They are primitive, they don't move, nothing. This is just a Kraken incubator.

They develop buds, buds emerge, get to the ground and become ephyrae, whom we know as Kerbals.
As you remember, their eyes are popped due to the decompression.
They breathe with air. They should never return to the oceanic bottom to protect the defenceless polyps from intraspecies aggression.
So, their air breathing and high bouyoancy are on purpose, it keeps two phases of Kraken offsprings safe from each other.
(Of course, sapient Kerbals would not harm their maternal polyps, but who know what the wild Kerbals did).

There is only one place in the Universe, on Kerbin, where the Krakens spawn.
So, the only place on the shore where they get to ground.
This is the KSC site.

The place where newborn ephyrae (i.e. Kerbals) gather is where you can see the KSC pool.
This is a natural spring from underground full of nutrition minerals.
That's why they build a crew complex at that place, and why you employ them exactly there.

When Kerbals (i.e. Kraken ephyrae) got sapient, they have built KSC.
And that's why there is no other settlements on Kerbin.
"Kerbals" don't need other settlements. Here is the Kraken offsprings boot camp. They train there, and then spread around from there.

We can say, KSC is an important part of Kraken reproductiive cycle.
It spreads Kraken's ephyrae (i.e. "Kerbals") from their native planet.

An analogy: the shell of a snail, the crust of a crab, termite heap, other mineral structures made by the soft biological objects.
So, building spaceports is a strong instinctive desire of "Kerbals".
They do this automatically, like termites.
"Kerbals" may even not realize what are they doing, then oops! and a KSC is built.
Of course, originally it was just like a termite castle, not a spaceport. But when Kerbals got sapient, it became a spaceport.

The same story with Kerbal suits, which they wear almost always.
While KSC is like a termite castle for them, a spacesuit is like a natural crust.
Not that it grows on them, but they make and wear spacesuits instinctively. They can't oppose a desire to make and wear a spacesuit.
The same with helmets. They always wear helmets not because they can't breathe with air. This is just a part of their artificial  crust.

The grown ephyrae change their spacesuits color to orange.
There is some hierarchy between the "Kerbals". The most grown ephyra is always named "Jebediah".

The ephyra (aka Kerbals) spread around the Kerbol System.
They do this on purpose. They are looking some place where some of them can become adult Krakens.

Then adult Kraken (a former Kerbal) returns to Kerbin to drop some larvae into the ocean.

Important! Kerbals are not children, they are as adult as human adults.
Kraken is a patri/matri/whatever-arch form.

Also, that's why Kraken cannot be defeated in KSP.

***

Upd.
Even moar.

Possibly, BadS Kerbals are not a Kraken precursors.
Maybe they are a new, neotenic branch of evolution.

A normal Kerbal (i.e. Kraken's ephyra) can evolve either into a Kraken, or into a BadS Kerbal, which doesn't evolve into Kraken.
This could explain the antagonism between Jeb & Co. and Kraken.

Woah.