Nanobots and Viruses, or How to Make Sense of Matora/Makuta Biology

[~kh]

I originally wrote this for this topic about how the Makuta evolved, but per direction of bonesiii I've decided to expound/put everything into an actual topic for more discussion.

 

(Disclaimer: I'm not an expert on either biology or computers and I apologize for any terrible abuse of terminology/concepts that might follow)

 

So there's been a theory I've been bouncing around in my head recently and it has to do with Matoran biology. Specifically, it has to do with the general rule that Matoran are 20% organic and 80% mechanical. Now, in our own bodies, we have these things called cells that do stuff like regulate growth, circulate oxygen, deliver energy, fight off infections, etc.

 

But Matoran can't have cells that do all of those functions, because if they did, they would be much more than 20% organic. They have to have something else that can serve those kinds of functions. I personally propose that those things are nanobots.

 

(Nanobots, for those who don't know, are basically just really, really small robots, generally about the size of a nanometer)

 

BS01's page on protodermis lists variations of protodermis. Solid protodermis is the durable metal that makes most of the armor/tools/structures of the Matoran Universe at large. Liquid protodermis is, well, the liquid form of solid protodermis. But then you have this weird thing called organic protodermis, which isn't really given a way of formation outside from the fact that it just makes up the organic tissue of protodermis.

 

So here's what I propose. The special property of protodermis, and the reason why the Great Beings chose to use it to make everything, is twofold: one, it can exist in both a solid, liquid and "organic" form. The other is that it is in fact a "memory metal", something that can be quickly assembled into a solid form by passing an specific electrical current through it (or it could also be a chemical release, either one works here).

 

The nanobots are what pass as cells in MU Biology. They're often contained in things like viruses, because the misty-ooze-thing that viruses are make it easy for the nanobots to instantly communicate/transfer data in their primative state. While each nanobot (like our cells) contain all of the available data that's needed to create a lifeform, when the viruses are fused with things like liquid protodermis (the process that Makuta use to create Rahi), what they do is arrange themselves in the proper formation and then use the electrochemical-reaction to harden the protodermis.

 

Of course, since there's so many nanobots and since they're so small, they're able to create really minutely complex systems out of the hardened protodermis. They're also able to make different levels of hardened protodermis, create passages to send nanobots in and out to deliver energy/oxygen and whatever else is needed to keep Matoran functioning.

 

On top of that, they also fuse the virus-misty-ooze with the protodermis in order to create organic protodermis, which is also assembled into organs and the like. The nanobots that fused with the organic protodermis in the brain then take direct operating control of the system, and the new lifeform is born. Additionally, because organic protodermis is, well, organic, they can use the regrowing tissue to generate new nanobots in case any of them get depleted. Now you have the distinction between solid, liquid, and organic protodermis.

 

So here's the deal with the Makuta, though. See, the code in the OS that governs the whole of the Matoran Universe is specifically built to learn. It gave everybody personalities after only a few years of social interaction, after all. So the Makuta's OS are also learning, but they're also learning with experiences that only the Makuta deal with.

 

Well, the Makuta's job is to work with viruses to create Rahi. So the OS deals with specifically learning and observing the Makuta work with viruses for a pretty long time (thousands of years, in fact!) and slowly it gets this idea.

 

See, the Great Beings made the Matoran Universe Inhabitants work the way they do because they themselves were organic and they built off what they know. But this advanced OS, which has spent the past several thousands of years working with viruses, gets this idea that, hey, why don't they advanced their consciousness into the entirety of the nanobot system? Instead of having the brain run the show and regulate the maintenance of everything, why not just direct everything into working everything in parallel?

 

So their brains decide to do this, but they need to be able to transfer data instantly to all of the nanobots at the same time. Well, they couldn't degrade the solid protodermis in the armor, because that requires intense heat and could also compromise the system. But they could degrade back the organic protodermis and get back the virus-like misty ooze that allowed them to transfer data instantly back when they were viruses.

 

So they take apart the organs and turn them back into the virus form, (which is why Bitil suddenly realize that he couldn't move his muscles), and this in turn becomes Antidermis, which is how the Makuta "evolved" over time from biomechanical beings to pure Antidermis. It also explains why Antidermis has always to be contained, 1. If they spread out too much and the Antidermis dissipates, the nanobots are not able to communicate and lose function and 2. since there is no more organic protodermis, they cannot produce new nanobots and instead are limited to the amount they have right then and there.

 

Bonus: since the Antidermis is one "conciousness", when inserted into a foreign biology they end up continuing their original function, that is, degrade the organs and turn them into Antidermis. So they end up shutting down the brain functions that control things like reasoning and personality, except the foreign body realizes what they're doing and end up fighting against them. While in this state, however, the foreign body is susceptible to commands and orders, since those functions that normally fight against them are shut down. This is how shooting Zamor Spheres made of Antidermis ended up "enslaving" the Voya Nui Matoran.

 

Bonus bonus: this also explains what it means to have "specific" viruses made, such as the one Teridax used to take down Mata Nui. The nanobots in that specific virus were programmed to take down all of the operating functions in the Mata Nui robot.

 

tl;dr of theory notes:

1. Nanobots are the "cells" of MU Biology

2. Viruses are a "misty-ooze" that contains the nanobots and they both fuse in liquid protodermis to form organic protodermis tissue

3. Protodermis is a "programmable" (loose term!) memory metal, which can assume a certain solid form from liquid if enough nanobots are spread around and release certain electric (or chemical, not sure which works best) signals

4. Virus makeup also allows the nanobots to transfer data instantly

5. The OS/AI for the Makuta thought that it would run much more efficiently if all the nanobots just instantly communicated with each other, so it degraded all of the organic protodermis tissue into virus form (which is how they evolved into Antidermis)

6. Nanobots also are what caused the Great Cataclysm

 

tl;dr tl;dr

1. Nanobots are kind of freaking awesome

 

Again, not a computer expert nor a biology expert, nor have I actually spent time looking in other Matoran biology topics. I'm sure someone has had an idea like this before, but this is the best I could come close to explaining it. If you have any ideas/discussion, I'd love to hear it, and I'll be updating this page with more suggestions as they come along. Thanks.

[Some Random Phrase]

Interesting. Does this theory factor in mutations? As in, how mutative agents affect the nanites? Also, Greg has confirmed that Protodermis and Antidermis are different.

[~kh]

Interesting. Does this theory factor in mutations? As in, how mutative agents affect the nanites? Also, Greg has confirmed that Protodermis and Antidermis are different.

 

Mutations happen mostly the same way they would in "real life". The code that's replicated in the nanobots gets twisted just a little bit, and it changes the way something ends up.

 

(not sure what you mean by that last part, though; I thought it was naturally assumed that they were different?)

[Some Random Phrase]

 

Interesting. Does this theory factor in mutations? As in, how mutative agents affect the nanites? Also, Greg has confirmed that Protodermis and Antidermis are different.

 

Mutations happen mostly the same way they would in "real life". The code that's replicated in the nanobots gets twisted just a little bit, and it changes the way something ends up.

 

(not sure what you mean by that last part, though; I thought it was naturally assumed that they were different?)

 

I mean like Pit mutagen. Or EP.

 

(It seemed like you were calling them the same kind of nanites.)

[~kh]

 

 

Interesting. Does this theory factor in mutations? As in, how mutative agents affect the nanites? Also, Greg has confirmed that Protodermis and Antidermis are different.

 

Mutations happen mostly the same way they would in "real life". The code that's replicated in the nanobots gets twisted just a little bit, and it changes the way something ends up.

 

(not sure what you mean by that last part, though; I thought it was naturally assumed that they were different?)

 

I mean like Pit mutagen. Or EP.

 

(It seemed like you were calling them the same kind of nanites.)

 

 

Oh, that's a good point! I didn't think about that first off, but I would assume that the EP generates a chemical reaction that radically changes the code/nanite makeup as well as turn solid protodermis back into liquid protodermis. So like, a horrible mutation would be like the EP turning everything back into liquid protodermis, then screwing around with the code or the nanite order, and then having them go through the same "hardening" process except this time with whatever horrible mutation they ended up with. Alternatively, it just screws the code/nanites up so much they just don't turn back again and the subject disintegrates (which is like, what, 90% of contact with EP?)

 

Same thing with the Pit, it just does something to alter the code. If you wanted to go more in-depth, you could say that the Pit gives off specific chemicals that the OS realizes is a good substitute for oxygen, so it quickly alters the makeup to prevent the subject from drowning. But after everything's said and done, the new system completely depends on these chemicals so when people exit the pit they can no longer go back to breathing air.

 

Also, sorry about the confusion. For clarification protodermis is basically just memory metal, liquid protodermis is liquid memory metal, organic protodermis is virus/nanobot fused metal, viruses are mist-ooze "container" for generic nanobots, and antidermis is an actual conscious spread out over nanobots in virus material (BS01 says that antidermis and viruses are really similar to each other, so...)

[bonesiii]

Glad you made it its own topic; it's an interesting idea (and I felt replies might get too tangential in that other topic -- anywho). Here's what I had written up from the original version (looks like this version clears up a bit of it but I'm too tired right now to think much about it; figure I'll just post what I had for now ):

 

Interesting thoughts. I have some nitpicks, but most of them are just semantics, so bear with me.

 

Now, we know that as a general rule, Matoran are 80% mechanical and 20% organic, but that relation has some serious implications. For instance, much of our body is organic cell makeup, but Matoran obviously don't have cells, else they'd be a lot more than just 20% organic. So what has to regulate the Matoran system / fight off infections / deliver oxygen/energy to tissues/systems?

Nanobots, of course.

It isn't obvious that they don't have cells just because of the ratio of organic to mechanical parts; only the organic parts would have cells.*

Also, pretty sure Greg said once that nanites aren't... involved... or something. I forget the exact wording though.

Though both these cautions are more or less irrelevant as we don't know for sure that they DO have "cells" by the standard real-world definition, and we do know they're made of protodermis which is a really advanced super-molecule that likely is equivalent to both cells AND nanites.

*Under my old "dormant cell" theory of protodermis, the only difference between the protodermis molecules in the metal parts and in the biological would be that some functions in the molecule are switched off in the metal parts. I still think this is probably true to some extent, but I'll get into the details in my upcoming protodermis theory (to be posted coinciding with its featuring in my retelling... I think it's in Part 2... or 3... I kinda forget which lol). So in a sense, the entire body could be essentially like cells... as would be the dirt under their feet and the clouds above their heads... just not the air.

I doubt they have cells that are made of multiple protodermis molecules, though that's entirely possible. But assuming each "cell" is a single molecule with otherwise dormant parts switched on, the only reason to say it isn't a cell would be that it's a single molecule. (This is the main question my upcoming theory handles -- how can it be one molecule and do everything it does? ) Real-world cells by definition have to be made up of vast numbers of molecules, not just one. And the only reason to say it isn't a nanite is that it isn't likely nano in size. Both are nitpicks. so, if you want to call what they have a cell or a nanite, or not a cell, it's probably just semantics.

 

Now, one thing that's never made sense to me is how Makuta "mix viruses together to make Rahi". I can't exactly envision that.

Basic idea's pretty simple -- the Makuta give building instructions to the viruses, and the viruses turn the liquid protodermis into other kinds of protodermis in the right shape and programming to be a creature. It's directly analogous to a kid being given building instructions for a LEGO set, using a "pool" of pieces for the construction.

 

viruses are really similar to Antidermis, which is what the Makuta evolved into.

No, Makuta were always antidermis. They started out solid, and turned gaseous. Common misconception. But also nitpick...

 

Protodermis is a memory metal, able to conduct into a shape by electrical currents by the nanobots.

Probably yet another nitpick, but doesn't memory metal mean a metal that if bent out of shape, returns to its proper shape? Or is my memory failing me as usual and it's a category term that just includes that?

Anywho, are you saying that protodermis = nanites or that nanites are something else? It sounds here like the latter, but at first I thought you meant the former. Relevant to this also is what "energy" means. Although the viruses are described that way, so is antidermis sometimes even though really it's a gas, made out of an advanced molecule like protodermis is, which can also be as solid as protodermic stone. And the viruses are also described as a "fine powder". My understanding is that the life in both cases is energy-based rather than organic, and it's like a ghost holding together anchoring (molecular) particles. So, the molecule part of the virus could be essentially the nanite here (though probably not nano in scale, exactly), doing whatever physical actions are needed to shape the protodermis.

I'm not sure if this is what you meant to say or not, but there it as food for discussion anyways.

[Reading on, it sounds like you're saying the viruses are the nanites. Anyways, it's a semantic question of labels more than anything so yeah...]

 

That's the reason why the Piraka were able to shoot Matoran with Antidermis to enslave them, because the nanobots basically shut the reasoning part of their brain down.

I would say more like commandeered it, but maybe.

 

Before you ask, no, I'm barely knowledgeable on computers as-is and I'm pretty sure that I've used some of the terms just horrifically wrong in my attempt to sound complicated.

Pretty sure you used the computer terms correctly.

 

And I haven't looked into this topic/see other Matoran biology topics, so I'm pretty sure that someone's come up with this idea before and I'm not trying to steal it or whatever. But I think it has merit? Dunno. Feel free to tear it apart, it's just something I thought about while in class today.

I don't recall seeing this one. I think it's very plausible. I just see one main question, and depending on the answer the theory would either be very likely or probably wrong -- are data transfer speeds really faster in gaseous form? (Or "energy".) I don't really know how to go about answering it, but it's possible. It makes sense to me that the energy form would have that kind of advantage. On the other hand, sound travels better in solids than gasses, and electricity over wires... but then radio is faster... etc. So I dunno, but it's a good idea to at least consider.

I'm also a little confused on how you talked about the nanites in terms of Makuta viruses, but then brought it to the transformation into gaseous antidermis (if I read that right). Are you saying Makuta viruses would be naturally mixed in with their antidermis? (Which is possible, just asking. )

[Zox Tomana]

Probably yet another nitpick, but doesn't memory metal mean a metal that if bent out of shape, returns to its proper shape? Or is my memory failing me as usual and it's a category term that just includes that?

You're right, Bones. A shape-memory alloy or memory metal is a metal allow capable of returning to it's original shape upon deformation.

 

I just see one main question, and depending on the answer the theory would either be very likely or probably wrong -- are data transfer speeds really faster in gaseous form? (Or "energy".) I don't really know how to go about answering it, but it's possible. It makes sense to me that the energy form would have that kind of advantage. On the other hand, sound travels better in solids than gasses, and electricity over wires... but then radio is faster... etc. So I dunno, but it's a good idea to at least consider.

Sound travels better in more dense mediums, but that is really apple-to-oranges when talking about an energy based system, methinks. I've stated this elsewhere that I'm no physics expert, so I could be wrong there XD

 

If we have protodermis being a system of nanobots in need of communicating with each other I think your radio vs wires idea is a better analogy. I'm going to drop the idea of electricity, and instead go for a general idea about sending signals. If I send a signal through a wire (say by picking up a house phone and calling someone), I can send data at a comparable rate to using a radio. The advantage of the radio is that I can send that data to multiple endpoints. Yeah, there's group calling with phones, but you can only dial one number at a time, and you need to get a lot of senders going to get the information out to, say, a whole town. If I equip the entire town with radios, I only need one signal tower and BAM, I can get information to everyone.

 

I think that's the way he's thinking about solid vs gaseous proto. In solid protodermis you envision the signals being sent along "wires" where each molecule or nanobot receives the data in sequence. In gaseous antidermis you can envision each molecule or nanobot can send a signal to all the others without having to send it through others.

 

Or am I just nuts?