Yeah, you might be right. Under the influence of the various comments that there is no chance of effective photosynthesis in humans I was trying to add some additional benefits of the fungus that would make it more explainable why it is so effective (the metabolism and toxin thing).vokzhen wrote:Personally, I think in this case less in more. The more things this fungus does, the more it becomes like any other speculative-fiction superpower. Allowing photosynthesis in human-like creatures? Sure. It's interesting, and allows for interesting speculation on how they would differ from normal humans. Add immunity to toxins, enhanced metabolism, EM detection, and objective emotional sense? It's gone into magic-handwavy territory that strains credibility.gestaltist wrote:I have some additional ideas but I would like to check for your feedback on the above first.
What would you say if I do it like this: due to the evolutional differences, some stuff that is toxic for humans is not toxic for the Porphyroi, and vice versa. I kinda have an idea for a misunderstanding when the two species meet each other, and one of them gets accidentally poisoned while being invited to a meal.
Regarding emotional sense - yeah, I might have gone too Avatar-heavy with that one. The thing is, I would like to have some „trace of magic“ in that world that isn’t strictly magic. Would it be less jarring if it is a rare ability? I.e., let’s say, one in a few thousand Porphyroi has it.
I’m not gonna argue because my knowledge of biology and genetics is much worse than I would like it to be. I thought that if a fungus was that beneficial, it would try and infect everything - but you might be right that it makes more sense to have it integrate with one species only. I am fine either way.I won't comment much on the time scale - it seems far too short for me, especially for cellular-level incorporation, but I'm not knowledgeable enough except to point to chloroplasts' and mitochondria's billion-plus years - but the fungus infecting multiple species seems odd. What are the chances multiple species, encompassing highly divergent groups, all have the same immunodeficiencies that let the fungus infest the host, and (presumably) all gain use of its photosynthesis?
Fair enough. The EM field was partly a bit of attempted explanation, but also, as I mentioned above, an attempt to add a little bit of „magic“ to the world. In hindsight, it is very sketchy.And one final comment, I'm of the opinion that leaving things unexplained is better than handwaving them poorly. If you say photosynthesis can be enhanced through the Earth's EM field, I'd expect you to be able to back that up with details, given how much we know about photosynthesis and the EM field. If you just say they photosynthesize more efficiently than chloroplasts, it satisfies curiosity without trapping you in something you ultimately handwave anyways (assuming that the EM field bit is just a bit of attempted explanation, without any real scientific basis).