Hot Wavelength

Chapter 55 (Transplantation 1): The Fountain
6500 million years ago, Earth
Nikola Tesla divided the Earth into 360 degrees of longitude, with each hemisphere consisting of 180 degrees. To protect the Tasmanian power plant located at 90 degrees east longitude, Tesla positioned the area where Martian debris would impact the Earth at 90 degrees west longitude, specifically in the MAYA region, directly behind the Tasmanian power plant.

The project team implementing the plan scanned and explored the types and quantities of underground mineral deposits in the MAYA area. In addition to metal minerals such as copper and lead, the reserves of anhydrite, also known as calcium sulfate, were excessive and not ideal.

After assessment, Tesla and other scientists concluded that the problem was not significant. The sulfur produced when the anhydrite was impacted would enter the atmosphere, turning the sky yellowish-brown. After oxidation, it would fall back to the ground as sulfuric acid rain, poisoning the air and water.

With the effect of subsidence, this process will not last more than a few decades, so it is not a big problem.

Tesla overlooked the fact that the Mayan region was rich in barite, also known as barium sulfate. The combined effects of sulfur and barium, which had risen into the air and then fallen back into the water, caused mass deaths of invertebrate marine animals, such as mollusks, whose cell walls lacked skin and hair protection.

Even more devastatingly, the near extinction of blue-green algae in the ocean has reversed the role of the ocean as the Earth's largest oxygen-producing machine.

Blue-green algae, which can produce oxygen through photosynthesis, have become extinct, while the organic matter in the bodies of dead shellfish continues to consume oxygen.

Maria was both a genetic engineer and a biologist. Abbott and Tesla were physicists, but they also had a high level of expertise in chemistry. However, even the most skilled cook can't cook without ingredients; the group looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

Abbott pinned his hopes on Maria, asking, "Before the impact, cyanobacteria were widely distributed in the Earth's oceans, contributing 50% of the Earth's oxygen. The fact that we didn't find any trace of cyanobacteria in this batch of samples doesn't mean they were extinct."

Tesla reacted quickly, understanding Abbott's meaning, and said, "Let's try again and find surviving cyanobacteria, even if the number is small. Would it be feasible for you to clone and replicate them?"

Maria categorically denied it, saying, "Cloning is certainly possible, but barium ions will still kill them. Even if we could improve the genes of cyanobacteria, technology is not omnipotent. The characteristics of cyanobacteria themselves determine the upper limit of the improvement in resistance to toxins. To put it simply, I cannot modify a python into a crocodile."

Abbott then pressed on, asking, "What characteristics of cyanobacteria are you referring to?"

“Cyanobacteria are simple-celled microorganisms that live in shallow seas containing salt, or sodium. Because the pressure of seawater is not high enough, their cell walls are very thin. The algae I need must have two characteristics: first, they must be able to survive in a potassium environment, not a sodium environment, and have good sulfur tolerance; second, their cell walls must be thick to resist the penetration of barium ions.”

Tesla grew increasingly desperate as he listened, saying, "The ocean waters on Earth are mostly sodium and low in potassium. Where am I supposed to find the kind of creature you're talking about?"

Maria also showed a hint of despair and lamented, "Yes, they do exist. They live thousands of meters deep in the ocean on Venus and Earth. These algae cannot see sunlight and cannot photosynthesize, but they survive by absorbing heat from underwater volcanoes and by consuming compounds such as sulfur and phosphorus. Unfortunately, we don't have them, and we can't build deep-sea submersibles."

"You mean the algae in underwater volcanoes are both sulfur-tolerant and have evolved thick cell walls under pressure, so that although they don't photosynthesize, they can hybridize and improve with cyanobacteria in shallow seas? Right?" Abbott asked.

What if we don't have a deep-sea submersible, and we don't have the capability to manufacture one on the spot? Tesla suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said:

"Aren't there volcanoes on the Earth's surface? In the hot springs around the craters, there are algae that are very resistant to sulfur. Although their cell walls are not thick enough, at least we can give it a try."

Although Maria felt that thick cell walls were more important for resisting barium ions than for sulfur resistance, it was better to try it out in a volcano than to sit here and discuss it.

Maria thought of Tasmania Island, where the seabed had risen to become land due to the energy introduced by the superluminal power station, and it was no longer an island. Under the intense influence of the two tectonic plates, the western part of Tasmania Island was dotted with volcanoes of all sizes.

Thinking of Tasmania, Maria remembered Vinu and Cynthia; it was time to go see them.

Tesla and his team arrived at Tasmania Island, launched a sampling drone, searched for hydrothermal vents, and collected samples.

The entrance to the cave, sealed for 52 years, was revealed before them. Maria noticed a tear in the sealant, revealing a massive dinosaur skeleton pressed against the opening. A large, shiny black meteorite lay beneath its left hind foot.

Maria wondered, could it be that this dinosaur, before it died, deliberately stepped on the burning meteorite to block the entrance of the cave and protect the people inside? Why would a dinosaur do that?
Eager to understand the situation inside the cave, Tesla led the way, with the others following in single file.

The cave was damp, but the air was fresh and clean. Everyone took off their helmets and reveled in the long-lost natural environment.

Maria saw the figures ahead, and upon closer inspection, she was pleasantly surprised to find that it was Vinu and Cynthia walking towards her.

Fifty-two years later, Vinu and Maria embraced tightly, while Abbott and Tesla stood by, overjoyed yet filled with mixed emotions.

It seems the anti-aging medicine Maria left for Vinu has worked; Cynthia is now graceful and beautiful, her face radiating a youthful smile, and her brothers and sisters have gathered around her. The few fawns that were originally in the crowd have multiplied into a large herd.

Vinu and Maria seemed to have endless topics to discuss, chatting and laughing. The clear underground river meandered along, splashing water at the bends in the rock walls, as if singing joyfully.

Tesla calmed down and remembered the question that had been troubling him on his way to Tasmania. The underground river in the cave was connected to the outside water bodies; would the sulfur and barium levels in the river also be excessive? The moment he saw Vinu and the others, his anxiety finally subsided.

Sure enough, the test results supported Tesla's hunch: the sulfur and barium content in the underground river was extremely low, and it was completely non-toxic. How could this be? Maria was engrossed in her conversation, so Tesla didn't disturb her and instead discussed it in hushed tones with Abbott.

Without the slightest hesitation, Abbott gave the answer: "The oxygen in the cave is produced by chemical oxygen-generating agents introduced into the underground river. The oxygen content in the air in the microenvironment is about 20%, and the oxygen content in the river water is even higher. The oxygen reacts chemically with sulfur and barium to grow into solid barite, thereby removing the toxic sulfur and barium ions from the water."

The algae samples from the crater hot springs were retrieved, and Maria used them to conduct hybridization experiments with the algae collected from the underground river. The atmosphere in the cave gradually became heavy, and Vinu noticed the unease in Maria and the others.

The hybrid cyanobacteria showed significantly improved sulfur tolerance, but their cell walls were still too thin, allowing barium ions to pass through freely and disrupting the potassium balance inside and outside the cells. Unsurprisingly, Maria declared the experiment a failure.

How can we obtain seaweed samples under the immense pressure of the deep sea? The group looked at each other, filled with despair.

Vinu broke the silence, but his words weren't what Maria was most concerned about: "Thank you again for saving Bramar back then. His consciousness was uploaded intact, and he still has a chance to be resurrected. His clone and living robot avatar are guarding the power station for him. Later, were the invaders defeated?"

Maria vividly recounted to Vernoo what she knew: the plan to use Brahma's two clones to seize the nuclear-powered spaceship was a great success, and all the invaders were wiped out on Earth.

After the robot carrying Brahma's consciousness took control of the spaceship, it sent a complete report of the entire incident to the Alliance fleet. Brahma and his clones are heroes who protected Earth.

Upon hearing that the invaders arrived on Earth 30 years after the Martian explosion, Vinu asked curiously, "Your allied fleet has always lived at the Iapetus base. Those invaders only had one spaceship. Was there enough oxygen and food on that spaceship to survive for 30 years?"

What was said without intention was taken seriously by the listener. Abbott's mind raced, listing the various bases and space stations the Venusians had built in the solar system. Suddenly, he thought of the answer and said:

"Before the Venus crisis, we thought Europa was the most likely moon in the solar system to harbor life. We built a base there, which was later abandoned. Troy and his crew must have been hiding there for 30 years."

Maria seemed to see a glimmer of hope and said, "Yes, now, in the entire solar system, besides Earth, the most likely place to have life is in the seawater beneath Europa's icy shell."

Abbott sighed again: "The oceans of Earth are all around us, yet we can't even dive deep to retrieve that damn seaweed. Europa's ice shell is a kilometer thick; we can't break through it. Even if there were suitable seaweed, we couldn't obtain it."

For no apparent reason, Maria recalled Tesla's lunar mass tumor experiment, which involved sending space debris into the target lunar maria from Earth's orbit to fill them up.

Inspired by this, she asked, "The Alliance fleet has many ships. Could we use one of them to ram into Europa's icy shell? If we could break through the shell, wouldn't we be able to extract the algae from the seawater?"

Abbott said with a wry smile, "The ice shell is too thick. Even the thinnest part is tens of meters thick. The impact energy of the spaceship is far from enough. Besides, you need seaweed from the deep sea. Even if you break through the ice shell, it still won't work."

Tesla slapped his thigh and shouted, "A fountain! There's an ice crystal fountain on Europa!"

Europa is Jupiter's fourth largest moon, located 67 kilometers from Jupiter. Its surface is covered by a thick icy shell, beneath which lies an ocean up to 18 kilometers deep.

Europa's orbit is nearly circular, completing one orbit around Jupiter every three days or so. Influenced by Jupiter's tidal forces, Europa is heated, and as it moves relatively far from Jupiter's orbit, its icy shell cracks, causing the internal ocean water to erupt outwards, creating spectacular ice crystal fountains.

The fountains typically last for about 7 hours and can reach a height of up to 200 kilometers.

Upon being reminded, Abbott became excited and said, "Only when there is immense internal pressure can a fountain reach such a height. Seawater and organisms in the deep sea of ​​Europa are also squeezed out by high pressure and ejected into space. We can send a spacecraft there to collect samples from the vent."

Tesla asked Maria, "Do you think the cell walls of algae in the deep sea of ​​Europa are thick enough?"

Maria nodded firmly and said, "The algae beneath Europa's icy shell must be under much greater pressure than the cyanobacteria thousands of meters deep in Earth's oceans, so they must have evolved thicker cell walls. They would be perfectly capable of resisting barium ions."

&
The poem composed of collected verses at the end of the chapter:
Cleverly imprinted on the half-circle of the sky, by Zheng Qingzhi of the Song Dynasty.

He threw the jade-like algae into the clouds. (Song Dynasty, Hu Su)

Stored the true and pure essence of eternity, purity, Hongli
Breaking through the barrier of the three lifetimes' dream. (Song Dynasty, He Menggui)
(End of this chapter)