Oxygen Tunic

-| Property | Details |+| Feature | Details | | :--- | :--- | | **Species** | *Tunic aeolian* ("tunic of the wind") |+| **Type** | Anchored Lifeform (Tunic) | | **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.+The **Oxygen Tunic** is an anchored lifeform found in various biomes that periodically emits bubbles of oxygen. These bubbles can be used to 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.+The Oxygen Tunic is a veiny, bulbous, onion-shaped organism with a long tube that expels oxygen. It features a distinct color gradient, transitioning from dark purple at the top to cyan at the 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.+The base of the Tunic expands slowly before suddenly contracting. This action releases a bubble of oxygen that provides the following benefits:+*   Refills the player's **oxygen** bar by **30 points**.+*   Fills all equipped **Air Bladders**.  +![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)+  ## Databank Entry-**Source:** Scan an Oxygen Tunic+**Source:** Scan an Oxygen Tunic with the Bioscanner.  -*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)+> ***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.