Oxygen Tunic

 | Property | Details | | :--- | :--- | | **Species** | *Tunic aeolian* ("tunic of the wind") | | **Attitude** | Passive | | **Type** | Anchored | | **Category** | Tunics | | **Biome** | Any | | **Scan Tool** | Bioscanner |   The **Oxygen Tunic** is an anchored Lifeform that periodically emits bubbles of oxygen that can refresh the player's oxygen supply.   ## Appearance The Oxygen Tunic is a veiny, bulbous, onion-shaped tunic with a long tube that expels oxygen. It has a color gradient of dark purple to cyan from top to bottom.   ![Oxygen Tunic](Oxygen Tunic.png)   ## Behavior The base of the Tunic will expand slowly, before suddenly contracting resulting in a bubble of oxygen that refills the players oxygen bar by 30 points and fills all Air Bladders.   ## Databank Entry **Source:** Scan an Oxygen Tunic   *Tunic aeolian*. A bizarre animal that splits seawater into hydrogen (on which it feeds) and oxygen (which it releases).   1. **Tunic** Like Earthly tunicates, this is a complex animal with a heart, nerve chord, and a flexible exterior shell (the tunic).   2. **Radiolytic metabolism** At the heart of the oxygen tunic is a nugget of radioactive metal such as uranium, radium, or thorium. Radiation from this nugget splits water into hydrogen and oxygen through radiolysis. The oxygen tunic retains the hydrogen to feed an internal colony of sulfur-reducing bacteria, and releases the excess oxygen.   3. **Blue glow** Cherenkov radiation from the core excites radioluminescent pigments in the tunic, producing a distinctive blue glow. This may be a warning to would-be predators that the oxygen tunic releases poisonous quantities of oxygen.   4. **Implications for life on this world** The oxygen tunic's metabolism suggests that this world has an energetic geology and a biosphere adapted to use radiation as a food source. It also has interesting implications for life without sunlight. On Earth, even deep-sea vents depend on oxygen produced by photosynthesis. No such dependency exists here.   **Assessment:** emergency oxygen source for divers. Beware that repeated use could lead to radon buildup, with serious health risks including cancer.   ## Gallery ### In Game ![An Oxygen Tunic expelling an oxygen bubble.](Oxygen Tunic empty.png) ![The body of the Oxygen Tunic expanding before releasing an oxygen bubble.](Oxygen Tunic full.png) ![Bioluminescence at night.](Oxygen Tunic Night 1.png)