Editing 2872: Hydrothermal Vents
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Created by SANTA'S REMAINS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
− | + | This comic was released on Christmas Day, in the ([[Randall]]'s) morning. In the world above the surface of the sea, Santa Claus had just finished his annual trip around the world. This comic makes a joke on that by saying that here are "{{wiktionary|benthic}} Santas", meaning there are Santas that deliver gifts {{w|Benthic zone|to the seafloor}}. The joke here is that all Santas may tend to [[1620: Christmas Settings|go down chimneys]], and that {{w|hydrothermal vent|hydrothermal vents}} have {{w|Aggressive mimicry|evolved}} to trick undersea Santa into entering them, believing they were these, and thus getting killed by getting digested by the vents, as seen in the comic. This is not an entirely unknown {{w|Pitcher plant|digestive mechanism}}, albeit that the depicted version goes beyond all known biological processes. | |
− | There are many things that are very strange mentioned. There is little to no evidence that actual humans live down deep in the sea, and fish and other undersea creatures are unlikely to know what "Santa" is or understand the concept of Christmas, so it is unclear what the exact | + | There are many things that are very strange mentioned.{{citation needed}} There is little to no evidence that actual humans live down deep in the sea, and fish and other undersea creatures are unlikely to know what "Santa" is or understand the concept of Christmas, so it is unclear what the exact goals of "benthic Santas" might be.{{citation needed}} The comic shows the remains of many "Santas", suggesting that there are multiple members of the 'Santa' species (this might also explain the many Santas who appear on street corners, shopping malls, etc.) in contrast to some assertions in the literature that there is only one. It is also possible that there is only one (perhaps or perhaps not specifically subsea) Santa, whose death invokes the spontaneous appearance of [https://buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Slayer a replacement]. |
− | The title text may | + | The title text may referring to {{w|abiogenesis}}, the origin of life. It was thought non-living matter combined into living cells in shallow water through the energy supplied from the sun and lightning. At least, amino acids can be synthesized this way, as proven by the {{w|Miller–Urey experiment}}. A new explanation places the origin of life on hydrothermal vents, as it's rich in chemicals and rocks there serve as catalysis, with energy coming from earth's heat. Either way, forms of life are known to migrate environments to fill new (or vacated) niches, after having been established in another. The current residents of {{w|hydrothermal vents#Black_smokers|'black smokers'}} include creatures (like shrimps, worms and crabs) that are known elsewhere, but could theoretically repopulate the surface if there were ever extenctions in the real world, as there have been in prior times. |
The 1970s timeframe likely refers to the discovery in 1977 of hydrothermal vent ecosystems near the Galapagos Rift, which formed the basis of this new theory of abiogenesis. By suggesting that the "benthic Santas" were part of this discovery, the comic implies that a key aspect of Christmas folklore might also have its roots in these deep-sea ecosystems. | The 1970s timeframe likely refers to the discovery in 1977 of hydrothermal vent ecosystems near the Galapagos Rift, which formed the basis of this new theory of abiogenesis. By suggesting that the "benthic Santas" were part of this discovery, the comic implies that a key aspect of Christmas folklore might also have its roots in these deep-sea ecosystems. | ||
− | + | ==Transcript== | |
+ | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
− | + | :[Top label:] Smoke | |
− | :[ | + | :[Middle label:] Chimneys |
− | + | :[Bottom label:] Santas being digested | |
− | :Middle label: Chimneys | ||
− | :Bottom label: Santas being digested | ||
:[Caption below the panel:] | :[Caption below the panel:] | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
+ | [[Category:Christmas]] | ||
[[Category:Facts]] | [[Category:Facts]] | ||
− | |||
[[Category:Geology]] | [[Category:Geology]] | ||
[[Category:Biology]] | [[Category:Biology]] | ||
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