A Wisdom Archive on endoskeleton

Different tissues contain Ca in different concentrations. In vertebrates Ca (mostly calcium phosphate and some calcium sulfate) is the most important (and specific) element of bone and calcified cartilage. Some invertebrates use calcium compounds for building their exoskeleton (shells and carapaces) or endoskeleton (echinoderm plates and poriferan calcareous spicules). Many "protists" also make use of calcium. There are also some plants that accumulate Ca in their tissues, thus making them more fi ...

Read more here: » Calcium in biology: Encyclopedia II - Calcium in biology - Organs and tissues

Surprising as it may seem, sea cucumbers have inspired musical composition: in the first of his Embryons desséchés Erik Satie presents the "(desiccated embryo) of a Holothurian" and inserts a description of the animal in the score: The Holothurian crawls across bolders and rocky surfaces. This sea-animal purrs like a cat; also, it produces disgusting silky threads. Light appears to have an incommodating effect on it. Nonetheless it is the sea cucumber's closest relative (the echinoidea) that gets the most attentio ...

Read more here: » Sea cucumber: Encyclopedia II - Sea cucumber - Sea cucumbers in art

The following castes do not appear in the movies and are thus not considered canon. Xenomorph - Praetorian. A royal elite guard to the Queen. Praetorians are larger than typical adults, but still only about half the size of the queen herself. Praetorians appear in the graphic novel series (and the Millennium/Orion books based on the same), such as Rogue and Female War (originally serialised as Earth War). They are also a playable class in the computer game Aliens vs. Predator ...

Read more here: » Xenomorph: Encyclopedia II - Xenomorph - Non-Canon castes

Metallo - The Silver Age Metallo. John Corben was originally a journalist (and secretly a thief and murderer) who had just committed what he thought was the perfect murder. While fleeing from the scene of the crime, Corben suffered a near-fatal accident that mangled his body beyond repair. However, elderly scientist Professor Vale happened upon Corben, and used his scientific skill to transfer Corben's brain into a robotic body covered by a fleshlike artificial skin. However, Corben discovered that his power source, a capsule of uranium, would only last a day, but was told by Vale that kryptonite would prov ...

Read more here: » Metallo: Encyclopedia II - Metallo - History

T-800 - Differences between the 600 and 800 series. The first incarnation of the Terminator was the T-600 series. The series of Terminators were mentioned in a scene from the first Terminator film by one of the main characters, Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn). This version of the Terminator was a similar infiltration unit, but unlike its 800 series counterpart which appears to be human, it had rubber skin. However, it was easily detectable because the rubber skin was unnaturally smooth and was unconvincing exce ...

Read more here: » T-800: Encyclopedia II - T-800 - Comparison between series

A young woman, Sarah Connor, inexplicably finds herself hunted by a relentless killer. She is eventually approached by Kyle Reese, who explains that in the future, an artificial intelligence called "Skynet" will be created by military software developers to make strategic decisions. The program becomes self-aware; in a panic, the humans attempt to destroy Skynet. In the interest of self preservation, Skynet seizes control of most of the world's military hardware (including various highly advanced robots), and launches an all-out thermonuclea ...

Read more here: » The Terminator: Encyclopedia II - The Terminator - Plot summary

The Alien has been portrayed in noticeably different ways throughout the films. Much of this is due to the special effects technology and techniques used to bring it to life. Xenomorph - Body shape. In the original Alien film, Alien, and sequel Aliens they were depicted as tall, slender creatures with a roughly human silhouette and a biomechanical design. Notably, the creature in the first film was far taller than those in the second. This was because of the difficulty of finding multiple sev ...

Read more here: » Xenomorph: Encyclopedia II - Xenomorph - Variations

Xenomorph - Life cycle. Socially, in ideal situations, Xenomorphs are hive-minded creatures with a defined caste system which is ruled by a queen. They can exist and reproduce independently of this system and hive structure however, which makes their ability to spread and infest areas much more dangerous. They reproduce as parasitoids and grow to full size very rapidly. The Alien queen lays eggs that release a single parasitic facehugger when a host comes near. The facehugger attacks the host and slides a tubular proboscis down the victim's thr ...

Read more here: » Xenomorph: Encyclopedia II - Xenomorph - Characteristics

Some aspects of the story were sufficiently similar to two episodes of the TV series The Outer Limits — both episodes written by Harlan Ellison — that Ellison pursued legal action against Cameron. Cameron settled out of court and acknowledged Ellison's work in the film's credits. The episodes in question were called "Soldier" (which involves a specially-trained man sent back in time to assassinate a rival) and "Demon with a Glass Hand" (concerning a time traveler who suffers memory loss and relies on a computer chip implanted in h ...

Read more here: » The Terminator: Encyclopedia II - The Terminator - Inspirations