Comparison of known biotas

This article compares the biochemistry and characteristics of the biotas within the populated cosmos.

Overview

Feature		Cevobiota (Ce)				Helenobiota (He)	Maiabiota (Ma)	Zoabiota (Zo)	Kannobiota (Ka)	Telebiota (Te)	Araiobiota (Ar)	Enyabiota (En)	Atavalpobiota (At)	Clannadobiota (Cl)
		Cytobiota	Erdobiota	Vitobiota	Óótobiota
Planet		World		Julee	Elm	Torch	Maaya	Celiane	Kanno	The Farthest Land	Arai	Enya	Atahualpa	Clannad
Solvent		Water				Hydrogen sulfide	Water				Ammonia	Water
Genetic storage		DNA + RNA				NTP	INDs	GNA	FNLP	RNA	NPC	DNI	FNC	RNLP
Energy currency		ATP				Sulfur oxidisation	Sphrigocalcin	Polyphosphate chains	Flavin mononucleotide	GTP	CTH	Polyphosphate chains	Pyrroloquinoline quinone	ATP
Chirality of...	Amino acids	Levous				Dextrous	Levous	Dextrous	Levous	Dextrous	Levous	Dextrous		Levous
	Sugars	Dextrous					Levous		Dextrous	Levous			Dextrous
Amino acid count		20				16	26	12	23	22	18	21	28	25
Non-universal prolific characteristics
Blood respiration binder		Iron (haemoglobin)	Clunium (clunocruorin)	Cobalt (coboglobin)	Iron (haemoglobin)		Iron (ferroglobin)	Iron-copper complex (FeCubin)	Iron (chlorocruorin)	Copper (haemocyanin)	Titanium (azotorespirin-W), Calcium (hydrorespirin-K)	Nickel (niccocruorin)	Manganese (manganocruorin)	Copper (cuproglobin)
Photosynthetic pigment		Chlorophyll		Biliverdin	Phycoerythrin		Rhodopsin	Indigo	Lycopene	Bacteriochlorophyll e	Corrin-like violet pigment	Methylene blue	Chlorophyll	Riboflavin
Bone mineral		Hydroxyapatite					Whitlockite		Struvite-collagen complex	Whitlockite (main), Lignin (supplementary)	Magnesium-ammonium-phosphate mineral	Hydroxyapatite		Struvite-collagen complex

Differences across biotas

Cevobiota

• All derived from an ancient poly-pseudo-panspermia event which introduced RNA to each planet of origin.
• One of two biotas with tryptophan in their metabolome, on which they are dependent for circadian rhythm and mood regulation.

Maiabiota

• Sphrigocalcin's use of 3 calcium ions makes calcium intake highly important.
  • However, calcium intake and excretion is significantly less than expected due to maiabiota's efficient calcium recycling biomechanics.
• Potassium is another important dietary requirement, necessary for genetic stability.
• Larger, multi-purpose proteins make maiabiota highly susceptible to protein aggregation diseases, especially during old age.
  • These same proteins are also more energy dependent, requiring metabolism to be more efficient.
• Whitlockite bones require magnesium and iron intake as well as calcium.
• Selenocysteine and selenomethionine amino acids require selenium intake. Deficiency impairs redox capacity.
• Mutation-resistant INDs render cancers less likely.

Zoabiota

• Neural pathways are simple and reliant on electrical synapses (over chemical).
• Immune systems are enzymatic rather than cellular. Specialised enzymes are generated for novel pathogens, although the reaction time for this is considerably slow.
• Fewer, simpler proteins entail fewer chances for misfolding and protein aggregation, rendering diseases akin to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, etc., exceedingly rare, almost impossible.
• Faster, simpler biosynthetic processes lead to advantages such as faster wound healing and tissue regeneration.
• High-metal-cofactor systems require high-metal-content diets, specifically iron, copper, zinc, manganese and especially magnesium.
  • Magnesium and iron are especially important for their whitlockite bone structure.
• Structures that might be keratinous in CEVO group organisms (fur, hair, claws, nails...) are instead primarily chitinous.
• Better chemical sensing capabilities due to higher cofactor diversity.
• Polyphosphate chain energy storage renders phosphorus a major dietary requirement.
• Small amino acid metabolome renders the production of certain enzymes impossible. Ethanol, for example, is completely indigestible to a Zoan organism.
• Epigenetic regulation requires a different biosynthetic mechanism due to the lack of methionine.

Kannobiota

• Kanno's high-oxygen atmosphere combined with kannobiota's flavin mononucleotide energy currency constantly generates reactive oxygen species. As such, antioxidant processes are necessary for survival.
• Struvite-collagen composite bones require dietary magnesium.
• Chlorocruorin's lower efficiency compared to haemoglobin requires higher blood volumes or more efficient respiratory systems.
  • Iron deficiency is therefore more immediately and strongly dangerous than in other ferrous blood organisms.
• Selenomethionine production requires dietary selenium.

Telebiota

• Development of RNA independent from cevobiota, not included in the Estranged Mother Theory.
• Lignin-based structures are resistant to weathering but more susceptible to enzymatic degradation.
• In some species, copper deficiency cascades not only into hypoxia, but also neural degeneration, as the nervous systems of these telebiota require copper.

Araiobiota

• The use of ammonia as a solvent precludes all water-based biomaterial from being compatible with araiobiotic biosynthesis.
• NPC-based genomes make araiobiotes highly sensitive to high temperatures and strong magnetic fields.
• Cobalt is one of the main dietary requirements, necessary for genetic stability, as well as titanium for nitrogen respiration and potassium for hydrogen.

Enyabiota

• As with zoabiota, phosphorus is a main energetic requirement.
• Dietary nickel necessary for respiration.
• DNI's methyl-interval encoding makes methyltransferase systems central to genome maintenance; dietary methyl donors are thereby metabolically significant.

Atavalpobiota

• Genetic epimerisation rates pose a significant threat, rendering cancers more likely.
• Largest known amino acid metabolome generates large, multifunctional proteins which are more highly susceptible to aggregation events, about the same as maiabiota.
• Proteinic chaperone systems are highly efficient to combat aggregation events.
• One of two biotas (alongside cevobiota) that include tryptophan in their metabolome.

Clannadobiota

• RNLP, being based on a ribose-phosphate backbone, is susceptible to hydrolytic degradation. Genome maintenance systems compensate for wear.
• Struvite-collagen composite bones require dietary magnesium.
• Selenocysteine production requires dietary selenium.

Genetic storage

Deoxyribonucleic and ribonucleic acids

Main article: wikipedia:DNA

Deoxyribonucleic intervalene

Deoxyribonucleic intervalene.

DNI (deoxyribonucleic intervalene) is the genetic polymer found in Enyan life. It consists of a deoxyribose-phosphate backbone with methyl groups interspersed throughout, akin to a comb with broken teeth. It stores genetic information through the intervals between these groups. These intervals can be of 1, 2 or 3 backbone units, and codon length is 3 intervals, which gives 27 combinations. Enyan life encodes for 21 amino acids, with some codon redundancy.

Fuculonucleic chiralene

Fuculonucleic chiralene.

FNC (fuculonucleic chiralene) is the genetic polymer found in Atahualpan life. It is superficially reminiscent of DNA/RNA in its double-stranded, ladder-like conformation, where each monomer on one strand is bound to its respective enantiomer on the other. Codons are 3 monomers long, which gives 64 combinations, the second highest number behind INDs' 256. Similarly to Maayan life, amino acid count stops well before filling all codon combinations, only encoding for 28 amino acids, the highest of any known biota. In another similarity to maiabiota, atavalpobiota are also highly susceptible to protein misfolding events.

Mutations mainly come in the form of epimerisation, where one monomer spontaneously becomes its own chiral enantiomer. Indeed, the 28-amino-acid metabolome of atavalpobiota may have derived from a larger inventory that became shorter as high-epimerisation-related deaths of early life became common. Repair enzymes can detect these errors as a pair of the same enantiomer is not allowed, but they are incapable of independently recognising which monomer needs to be re-epimerised. The typical solution to this problem is, as in DNA, strand age marking, although this doesn't arrive without errors.

Glyconucleic acid

Glyconucleic acid.

GNA (glyconucleic acid) is the genetic storage polymer used by Celianese life. It consists of a glycol-phosphate backbone and two discrete nucleobases (2-amino-8-(2-thienyl)purine and 2-pyridone), forming Watson-Crick base pairs that combine into 4-base codons. This means that life in Celiane produces the fewest number of amino acids of any known biochemistry by far (only 12: Gly, Pro, Cys, His, Ser, Ala, Leu, Glu, Arg, Tyr, Gln, Val). The lack of amino acids is compensated by other macromolecules and cofactors (vitamins, minerals, organometallic compounds) filling the same niches.

Inositol nucleic disc

Single IND. Position 2 is depicted darker and longer to denote its importance for hosting the start-stop group.

Inositol nucleic discs (abbreviated INDs) are the main Maayan genetic information storage chemical. They are near-flat wheels, a central cyclohexane-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexol (myo-inositol) molecule in the middle, with positions 2, 3, 5 and 6 recording information by changing groups (methyl, amino, carboxyl and hydroxyl). These discs are stacked together in long cylindrical polymers, similar to DNA, linking together in positions 1 and 4 through phosphate groups. Position 2, being axial, serves as a start/stop point for enzymes reading the information.

With 4 states possible per 4 positions, the possible disc combinations add up to a total of 256. However, despite the large number of combinations, the genome only encodes for around 26 amino acids, with many disc configurations being redundant. This implies that there is a hard limit of possible amino acid biosynthesis pathways. The leading theory is that ancestral lifeforms on Maaya encoded for many more amino acids, but only those with few remained, while every other evolutionary line perished due to exponentially more frequent and deadly protein misfolding and Alzheimer's-like aggregation events. As proteins became bigger and more complex, there were more opportunities for them to synthesise wrong. Even today, one of the top death causes among amono is ACS (amono cerebrosclerosis, the hardening of brain tissue due to massive protein aggregation), almost as common as cancer.

INDs are highly mutation-resistant as a result of their chemical stability. However, genetic repair enzymes on Maaya are much less efficient than their CEVO group equivalents (the biological unit group that includes World and Earth cells), making it easier for a mutation to slip through and become a permanent, inheritable part of the genome.

A common genetic issue is the sticking together of the oppositely-charged carboxyl and amino groups in the genome. This condition (called cytoplasmic potassium salt deficiency or CPSD) arises from imbalances in the usually potassium-salt-rich nuclear cytoplasm, which shields these groups from interacting. The IND strands become tangled and unreadable, leading to cells undergoing rapid necrosis if K-salts (especially potassium sulfate) are not reintroduced into the system.

Nucleic laminar polymer

Fuconucleic laminar polymer.

NLPs (nucleic laminar polymers), chiefly genetic tape or genetic laminar, are the main Kannoan and Clannadian genetic information storage chemicals. They are long, flat molecular ribbons that store information through patterns utilising two chemicals, the bases. These bases form two- (in simpler organisms) to six-base-wide lines (in most multicellular life) that go horizontally across the tape's width.

An important distinguishing factor of NLPs is their continuous-pattern genomes: each line in the genetic code influences the next. Sequences of lines form semi-predictable combinations, owing to the tendency of their bases to form labyrinthine chemical patterns. This pattern-based structure is inherently self-healing, in that, were a mutation to occur, enzymes would rapidly recognise it and rearrange the molecules to match the surrounding pattern. However, this system is not perfect, and lines that are "close enough" to matching are left as-is. This provides the NLPs with ample room to mutate and adapt to environmental constraints.

Kannoan FNLP (fuconucleic laminar polymer) uses fucose backbones and 2-aminopyrimidine and 2,4-dioxopyrimidine for data encoding, while Clannadian RNLP (ribonucleic laminar polymer) uses ribose backbones, much like RNA. These two biochemistries are fundamentally incompatible:

• Kannoan FNLP is typically six bases wide, while Clannadian RNLP usually has only five.
• Even in sequences with the same width, the same base combinations encode for different amino acids.

Nucleic polycobaltocene

Nucleic polycobaltocene.

Nucleic polycobaltocene (NPC for short) is the main method of genetic encoding in Arai. Unlike all other known life taxa, Arai life is unique in its use of the inherent magnetic properties of different metal ion oxidation states for data storage, instead of chemical reactions. This works due to the planet's freezing cold temperatures helping to maintain magnetic properties stable, and the use of ammonia as a solvent instead of water.

NPC makes use of cobalt in three distinct oxidation states: the diamagnetic Co⁺ and Co³⁺ and the paramagnetic Co²⁺. These cobalt ions are bound together by cyclopentadienyl anions in a Co-Cp-Co-Cp-[...] structure, giving the molecule a slightly twisting rod shape. "Codons" in this system are 3 cobalts long, thus allowing for 27 combinations that encode a total of 18 amino acids. Mutations are known to happen, primarily in the form of oxidation state changes (Co³⁺ ↔ Co²⁺ ↔ Co⁺). Due to its molecular structure as a polymetallocene, NPC is the thinnest genetic polymer known to exist.

Metabolic strains have led Arai life to find ways to greatly regulate cobalt levels in their cytoplasm. The main distinguishing feature of cobonephrotes (the domain containing the extinct organic stage nene) is the development of a specialised organelle, the cobonephrus, which regulates cobalt levels in the cell, filtering out excess and warning the organism whenever there is a deficiency. Other cellular characteristics include acrylonitrile cell membranes and polyphosphazene cell walls.

Due to the very nature of NPC's data storage, high temperatures and strong magnetic fields might tear apart the genome, leading to effects similar to radiation exposure.

Nucleic thiofuranose polymer

Nucleic thiofuranose polymer is used by the biota of Torch for genetic encoding. It consists of a backbone made of repeating units of thioester bonds connecting to the 4 and 5 sites of a thiofuranose ring with Watson-Crick-like base pairs between modifiead thiophenes and benzothiophenes, in a shocking parallel to DNA and RNA. This genomic polymer encodes for 16 amino acids.

Energy currency

Flavin mononucleotide

Flavin mononucleotide is used on Kanno as an energy carrier. It is a redox carrier: it stores energy as FMNH₂, and releases it by reoxidising back into FMN. The high oxygen atmosphere of Kanno contributes to the use of FMN as molecular oxygen is the terminal electron acceptor, guaranteeing continuous energy turnover. A byproduct of the O₂ reduction involved in this metabolic process is reactive oxygen species. This is counteracted by antioxidative metabolic processes which have evolved independently several times in nearly all taxa of Kanno. One of these is lycopene, generated almost universally by the native flora of the planet as both a photosynthetic pigment and an antioxidant. Many herbivorous species are dependent on lycopene as a result, and have de-evolved ancestral, less efficient antioxidative systems.

Polyphosphate chains

Polyphosphates are the energy currency macromolecules used in the biota of Celiane and Enya. They are inorganic polymers with several points of cleavage, whose energy potential scales with their length. Any number of units may be cleaved at once, a mechanism exploited in both zoabiota and enyabiota for precise energy spending and control. Phosphorus is therefore central to Zoan and Enyan life, and is both a high-importance dietary requirement and the main metabolic waste product.

Pyrroloquinoline quinone

PQQ to PQQH₂.

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a redox cofactor and the energy currency molecule used by the biota of Atahualpa. It works similarly to kannobiota's flavin mononucleotide by storing energy in its dihydrogenated form PQQH₂ and releasing it by reoxidising back into PQQ. Unlike Kanno, Atahualpa's atmosphere is not as high in oxygen, rendering antioxidative systems largely unnecessary.

Respiration in araiobiota

Araiobiota use a form of anaerobic respiration involving one molecular nitrogen and three molecular hydrogens to create ammonia, the reaction of which independently creates energy. This is the baseline energy production system devised by most araiobiotes. Their lungs, unlike those of aerobic organisms, are single chambers that contracts by the pressure of the reaction itself, and expands aided by muscle.

Cobocorrin tris(hexaaminotriphosphazene).

The energy currency molecule is cobocorrin tris(hexaaminotriphosphazene) (CTH). It is formed by a corrin macrocycle with three hexaaminotriphosphazene (HATP) tails and a cobalt(I) ion core. Energy is expended through sequential ammonolysis of the tails, a remarkably similar mechanism to ATP and GTP transposed to ammonia-solvent biochemistry.

Step 1: CTH + NH₃ → CBH (cobocorrin bis(hexaaminotriphosphazene)) + Free HATP + energy

Step 2: CBH + NH₃ → CMH (cobocorrin mono(hexaaminotriphosphazene)) + Free HATP + energy

Step 3: CMH + NH₃ → Bare cobocorrin + Free HATP + energy

Most araiobiotes have a secondary dense energy storage solution, hydrazine (N₂H₄), stored in vacuoles inside specialised cells called panicosomes. It disproportionates into ammonia and molecular nitrogen as its terminal reaction, completing a metabolic loop with respiration. Hydrazine is used under high stress, and causes a distinct "hissing" from araiobiote spiracles as excess N₂ is produced and expelled in high quantities.

Sphrigocalcin

Life on Maaya utilises a specialised molecule named sphrigocalcin for energy storage and currency. It binds three calcium ions which are then spent by releasing them into the cytoplasm. Maayan life therefore has a high need for calcium salts. Due to its high metabolic priority, Maayan life has evolved extremely efficient calcium recycling systems, and as such is rarely excreted. Sphrigocalcin itself is heavier than ATP, and its ratio of energy-per-mass is lower. Maayan life compensates by having larger, more specialised proteins which accomplish more tasks at once for less energy spent. The large 26-amino-acid metabolome of maiabiota is likely a result of this energy constraint.

Amino acids

The following is a table showing presences of amino acids considered proteinogenic per biota.

Amino acid	Presence										Notes
	Ce	He	Ma	Zo	Ka	Te	Ar	En	At	Cl
Alanine (Ala)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	One of the 8 amino universals.
2-Aminoethylphosphonic acid (Aep)	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	Exclusive to araiobiota. Being a phosphonate, it has an affinity for chelating metal ions (titanium, in araiobiota's case).
2-Aminoisobutyric acid (Aib)	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	In araiobiota, a strong cold-temperature stabilising amino acid.
Arginine (Arg)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	One of the 8 amino universals.
Asparagine (Asn)	✅	❌	✅	❌	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅
Aspartate (Asp)	✅	❌	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
β-Carboxyaspartate (Asa)	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	✅	❌	Linked with calcium binding in maayabiota, titanium in araiobiota, and manganese in atavalpobiota.
γ-Carboxyglutamate (Gla)	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	Additional calcium binding amino acid for maayabiota.
Cysteic acid (Cya)	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅	❌	❌	Replaces Cys in the araiobiota's hydrazine-containing biochemistry, and linked with nickel binding in enyabiota.
Cysteine (Cys)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅	One of the 4 amino hydrouniversals.
3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dop)	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	Linked with titanium chelation in araiobiota.
Glutamine (Gln)	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅	One of the 4 amino hydrouniversals.
Glutamate (Glu)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	One of the 8 amino universals.
Glycine (Gly)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	One of the 8 amino universals.
Histidine (His)	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅	One of the 4 amino hydrouniversals.
Histidinoalanine (Hia)	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	Linked with copper chelation in telebiota.
β-Hydroxyhistidine (Hoh)	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	✅	✅	Metal coordinator: copper in telebiota and clannadobiota, manganese in atavalpobiota.
Hydroxyproline (Hyp)	❌	❌	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅	Linked with general large protein stability in maayabiota and atavalpobiota and collagen stability in kannobiota and clannadobiota.
Hypusine (Hpu)	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	Both maayabiota and atavalpobiota have this as an anti-aggregation amino acid.
Isoleucine (Ile)	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	✅	❌
Isonitrine (Ine)	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	Aliphatic metal coordinator exclusive to araiobiota.
Lanthionine (Lan)	❌	❌	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅	Largely used to counteract protein aggregation and as an antioxidant (especially in Kanno, which is hyperoxygenated).
Leucine (Leu)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	One of the 8 amino universals.
Lysine (Lys)	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅	❌	❌	✅	✅
Methionine (Met)	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
α-Methylphenylalanine (Mpa)	❌	✅	✅	❌	❌	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅	Aromatic. Fills a similar niche as Phe in maayabiota and Trp in telebiota and clannadobiota; in atavalpobiota and enyabiota it was selected as an additional aromatic amino acid.
Methylvaline (Mev)	❌	✅	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅	Nonpolar. Fills a similar niche as Ile in most biota that exclude it.
Norvaline (Nva)	❌	✅	❌	❌	✅	❌	✅	✅	❌	✅	Nonpolar. Extensively used in araiobiota for its ammonia phobicity. Everywhere else it fills a similar niche as Ile.
Phenylalanine (Phe)	✅	✅	❌	❌	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅
Proline (Pro)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	One of the 8 amino universals.
Serine (Ser)	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅	One of the 4 amino hydrouniversals.
Selenocysteine (Sec)	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅	Redox-active, good at metal coordination.
Selenomethionine (Sem)	❌	❌	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	Redox-active, good at metal coordination.
Threonine (Thr)	✅	❌	✅	❌	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅
Trifluoroleucine (Tfl)	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	Phobic to ammonia, used exclusively in araiobiota.
Tryptophan (Trp)	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌
Tyrosine (Tyr)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	One of the 8 amino universals.
Valine (Val)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	One of the 8 amino universals.
Total	20	16	26	12	23	22	18	21	28	25

Peculiarities

Virus-like lineages

Every biota listed has its own version of, in its simplest form, a free strand of nucleic polymers that requires a host to reproduce. These are all chiefly referred to as "viruses," but the more precise medical term would be parasomatic agent, informally parasome. Different biota see different pathogenic parasomatic agents taking the forefront. In cevobiota, viruses (free-floating genetic material enclosed in a capsid) are the most prevalent, while in zoabiota they are the obelisk-like cyclosomes (long, unprotected cyclic GNA strands).