A little 'theory' about life and resources

I have read somewhere, that not a hundred years ago, the bat was not believed to have any special sense, and the idea that it could produce ultra-sound waves and hear them when they return, was considered nonsense and pure fiction.

As it happens regularly in science, fiction became reality once again. You can hear from time to time about exciting discoveries, with scientists being amazed what is possible. Did you know some bacterias can feel magnetic fields? I don't know what it is useful for, but hey, who cares?

I think it is a wrong approach to be surprised again and again, how much better would it be to ask: 'What IS possible?' in the widest sense, and continue from there.

Wisdom here:
If there is anything that can be considered a 'resource', Life will sooner or later find a use for it.

What is that unclear thing called resource, you ask? Anything you want.

Take all elements from that periodic table.

Take all existing molecules.

Take all possible wavelengths of light, and not only of it.

This is fantasy, so take all those unreal things too.

Take all those weird dimensions and planes.

Think of several more things...

...and NOW think of all possible ways Life could use this. You can be sure the reality will be more bizzare than you can imagine. Whatever mysterious power works in your world, you can be sure moss will grow on it one day.

Whether be it simply for food, poison against other life forms, or only a source of information, unless it is much too rare, or really too hard to use, there WILL emerge a life-form able to use it.

One real world example for all:

Around 1970, a transport of freshly-mined uranium from Africa was found to be 'used' (ie having not the right amount of critical isotopes) as if it was already in a nuclear plant. Did some terrorists steal it? No, homo sapiens, the bacterias were first again! And made their own reactor...

There are many bacterias able to purify and concentrate various minerals. One type specialized on uranium, concentrated it on a certain location, where it naturally began to work like a reactor. Estimated up-time: several million years.
(From James Lovelock's Gaia.)
http://www.alamut.com/proj/98/nuclearGarden/bookTexts/Lovelock_Oklo.html

Challenge:

Think of any bizzare life-form, WHATEVER life-form that lives a not-so-standard way. Not the way common sense would expect it. Make it in some way logical or not, just forget the boring everyday logic.

To inspire:
See the World of Kerren and think what other lifeforms can that Warp dingus have attached.

Some organisms tolerate Undead. What if one begins to use that Negative energy thingy somehow, growing while everything around withers? (Free campaign idea here!)

A weird plant (or animal?) that attaches itself to the shoes of bi-pedal humanoids, removes them, and wraps around the feet. And there it stays and survives of things you step on. Right, you can walk on, and it serves as your shoes, for miles and miles. Unremovable at first, when you finally get used to it, it dies as the winter comes. Thanks for the seeds you helped to spread this way.

A minor scavenger that follows you everywhere, and consumes your excrements. Somehow a question of taste? Ewwww....

... the strange world inside your Bag of Holding.

A thin membrane-like being that 'consumes' sound waves. Useful for separating dungeon sections, so no sound will get far. May be a simple plant that uses this 'energy' to support growth... or may trap denizens and devour them while they scream, your choice.

... it moves around the world, and sometimes stops here and there, to feed on a tiny fraction of the energy neural systems of advanced lifeforms have.DM use: try to foretell PC's actions. They meet some orcs-> they fight. Comes that strange being, and erases the short-term memory of everyone. So they walk peacefully down the corridor...
and suddenly are in a room with orcs, swords drawn, plus some fresh wounds and minus some ammo and spells. Both sides are confused. Ah, the sweet roleplaying...

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