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Kerbals: A Compendium of Biology, Neuroscience, Sociology, History, & Space Travel

Rainbowtrout

By Rainbowtrout
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Rainbowtrout

Rainbowtrout

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Kerbals: A Compendium of Biology, Neuroscience, Sociology, History, & Space Travel

CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Biology

2.1. Muscle Structure

2.2. Skeletal Structure

2.3. Brain

2.4. Skin

2.5. Blood

2.6. Internal Organs

2.7. Other Biological Articles

(MORE PLANNED, THIS LIST IS NOT DEFINITIVE!)

1. Introduction

Kerbals are a fascinating species. Conquering adversities, and maintaining a relatively orderly society, with interplanetary capabilities. Despite their size (Detailed in Chapter 2, Section 1, 2, and 7), they have rapidly expanded, and prospered. They are proud, their language spoken with a great fluency, especially when it comes to bragging about their latest engine. When the time comes for them to expand from the Kerbol System, it will be done with a degree of inefficency. But, who cares when resources are expendable? Mine Minmus to pieces, MOAR BOOSTERS FOR THE WIN!

2. Biology

Kerbals have a complicated biological system, the best way to describe them is in detail. So, individual sections are detailed in later chapters.

2.1. Muscle Structure

Studies on numerous kerbonauts and regular kerbals have shown that their muscle composition is rubbery, seemingly designed to withstand hard blows, which helps when the KSC Engineers "accidentally" forgot to attach parachutes to the spacecraft. The intensive training that is required to become a Kerbonaut has been proven to increase rubber bio-compounds in muscles, which helps for emergency escapes.

2.2. Skeletal Structure

Kerbal skeletons are primarily dominated by the large skull. Normally, with most humanoids, that would unbalance them and weaken their bones, but kerbals tend to have thicker bones in general than most species. Kerbal skeletons are in sync with the muscles, so when going through the Kerbonaut training, kerbal bones grow with the muscles, albeit with a slower rate. This is one of the contributing factors of their resistance to low gravity.

2.3. Brain

Kerbal brains are not one central structure, but a system of "thinking nodes" which vary in amount and size. Kerbals are seemingly adapted to their profession, as a scientist would tend to have more, larger nodes, while a KSC Groundkeeper would have less, smaller nodes. Most of these nodes are centred around the head, but in the case that a kerbal's head may be damaged (head-diving), the other nodes in the rest of the body would continue to function. By human IQ scales, some kerbals could be considered geniuses, with most kerbal's IQs ranging from 80-145. A noted individual (Wernher von Kerman) has been reported to have an IQ of 156. Despite high IQs, and generally being considered as intelligence, they lack what some call "common sense".

2.4. Skin

Kerbal skin widely varies with thickness and colour, ranging from a paper-thin pale green, to a thicker, more robust dull green. Again, a kerbal's skin adapts due to profession, as a scientist would have paler skin, from their specialisation and lab samples, whereas engineers would have thicker skin to cope with totally unintentional mainsail explosions. Kerbal skin is smooth, nearly flawless, and is rubbery, helping cushion impacts even further.

2.5. Blood

Kerbal blood is a fascinating biological oddity. It comes in numerous varieties, and changes visual properties and viscosity with gravity. On Kerbin, kerbal blood flows normally, along the veins and arteries. A quirk, compared to many other species, is that if a kerbal is born, in the Northern areas of Kerbin, their blood will start off as a silver, quite sludgy substance, and eventually turn red. But, a kerbal born in the Southern Hemisphere, will have green blood their entire life. It is said that due to a biological mishap in Kerbin's prehistory, the northern hemisphere's life forms, particularly "Proto-kerbals" (Detailed in the history segment of the compendium), developed an accretion of iron, whereas in the South, there was a buildup of Chlorocruorin in life forms. When subjected to low gravity, kerbal blood becomes viscous, possibly to make it easy to recapture.

(More to come)

Edited by Rainbowtrout
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FlamingPotatoes

FlamingPotatoes

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I have an Idea for the brain

2.3

Kerbals appear to lack a definitive central nervous system with only 4 'nodes' throughout the body. 3 of these are in the head and one in the central portion of the torso, as in this diagram.

descriptioon.png

Thus if they sustain damage to the head sufficient to damage the three nodes at the head the kerbal will continue to use the fourth node.

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FonVegen

FonVegen

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Really well done! Waiting for more with patience (would contribute a sketch or something like that, but I lack the talent of drawing, painting or anything in that area).

Maybe, but consider the fact that there are many races of kerbals, and many of the differences go beneath the skin. So, one kerbal's blood could be green, but the other's could be a whole different colour.

Rainbow Kerbals?

Edited by FonVegen
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