"I think humans get a bad rap."
"That's an interesting take, a large portion of the GA community....."
"A large portion of the GA community has never met a human. If there is one thing that I have learned after decades in the bush studying alien flora and fauna is that sentient life like us tend to be afraid of things that we don't understand. Its not that that's a bad thing necessarily, it is likely a preprogrammed instinct that has kept us alive for a very long time."
"I see..."
"Here, let me explain further. Think of soemthing you are scared of, weather it be animal or object or whatever else have you, and tell me if you have experience with that thing you are scared of. People who are afraid of.... Lets say earth snakes often don't have much experience with them. Yes they may have seen them, come across them, or what have you, but they have never actually interacted with them, they don't understand them. This rule can apply to anything. People who are afraid of weapons for example are generally the kind of people that don't know how to handle them. The mystery sets them up for fear and their lack of knowledge allows them to prescribe fantastical powers and horrific imaginings to the object. If this can be done with objects, then it can be done with animals for sure."
"So you aren't afraid of being bitten by an earth snake?"
"There is a big difference between being realistically cautious and respectful and being afraid. I am cautious of earth snakes, and I respect them enough to learn about them, and to understand the kind of situations that are going to put me in danger. Just like a soldier understands how to work his weapon, how to make it safe and how to make it unsafe. People with experience don't necessarily have fear, but they have the right amount of respect."
"But that doesn't make sense, someone who has been bitten by a snake or shot would probably disagree with your analysis on experience."
"I'm sure they would, but there is a difference there as well. Just because you have interacted with an object, doesn't mean you have experience. You had an incident not an experience. Being shot or being bitten by a snake is relatively rare and has heavy context in situation. Snakes don't bite unless they find it absolutely necessary. Venomous snakes for instance don't want to bite you, you are far too big to be wasting venom on, and they would rather not waste venom on things that cannot be eaten. In the case of getting shot, It differs from snakes, but I would point out the person behind the barrel is the snake in this case and sentient creatures are far more terrifying than animals."
"I see?"
"As far as both weapons and snakes go, I would rather be in control of both situations. I want to be the one in charge of the weapon because I respect it and know how to use it because I can't trust the same thing out of other people. The same thing goes with snakes, I like to control the situations in which I meet snakes, and the best way to do that is to understand them. This docuseries is a way to give the population caution and respect for life, but not fear."
"Ignorance breeds Fear, and I am here to Cull ignorance."
***
This, is Earth.
Far above its surface, I can't help but find it beautiful. I have been to a hundred planets in my lifetime, I have pushed through dense jungle and trapsed across arctic tundra to see exotic sights and animals, and even after all of those years, I think that she is the most beautiful.
You see all that blue.
Those are earth's many oceans as she is covered in approximately 2/3s salt water. Their oceans are so deep that they know more about the vastness of space than they do about their own planet.
As far as planets go she is one of the most diverse hubs of life I have ever visited. Earth is a cosmic marvel. I have said this about other planets I the past, and any planet that can produce life really is a marvel, but there is soemthing special about earth, her wild beauty and untamable spirit aside, she has a lot going on for her.
For instance, earth has one of the most diverse ranges of biomes in the universe. Unlike Irus, which is primarily a desert planet, and Anin which is primarily Mediterranean except for at it's more extreme poles, Earth contains a mixture of every biome imaginable and sometimes even on a single landmass.
Tundra, jungle, deciduous forest, desert, grassland, marshland, all of it contained right here on earth's surface.
Now A large portion of this is due to the vast swaths of ocean you see surrounding the landmasses. Coastlines experience powerful tropical storms caused by warm water heated at the equator interacting with colder air and water from the north. These can create devastating cyclones with wind strong enough to knock down buildings, but it also helps carry warm humid air to tropical regions. High water content on earth's surface allows for heavy humidity in select areas, making living conditions perfect for plant life
Furthermore, earth has a very unstable crust broken into pieces which floats atop their liquid mantle. The convection currents of heat within the mantle of Earth causes the crust to move, sometimes pressing two plates together or pulling them apart. This creates volcanos, or in many cases mountain ranges. These mountain ranges give earth one of the largest elevation differentials out of all planetary systems known. High altitude air is thinner and doesn't allow for so much humidity, leaving the upper reaches dry and cold. The mountains themselves act as rainfalls, forcing clouds to drop water so the clouds can rise over the mountains and continue moving.
This allows for inland deserts at low altitudes which can be hot and dry with air temperatures that can melt rubber and burn exposed skin.
At the poles sun's rays are bounced off the atmosphere leading to colder climates. With the amount of water on earth this can lead to land mass sized sheets of ice, and winter storms that can plunge well below freezing, so cold that you would die in mere minutes with exposure.
Earth really is a marvel.
Every moment she offers up new and interesting secrets to unravel.
***
"I hear you are related to that other docuseries producer.... What was his name, Mendex?"
"Don't talk to me about him!"
"..."
"..."
"I'm sorry that was rude of me.... Yes Mendex and I are related, we come from the same brood, but I can hardly call him a brother. His work has set me back years, everything that comes out of his mouth is usually a lie and he never checks his facts He is a fear monger, who enjoys spreading panic for his own amusement. A lot of what I am doing here is to.... To remedy the damage that he has caused. His last documentary is specifically why I am here on earth, to talk about humans and Earth and tell it like it really is."
"So you don't think humans are dangers?"
"Oh I think humans are plenty dangerous, but I also think that Drev, and Rundi, and Tesraki are dangerous. If you are a sentient lifeform, you are inherently dangerous because you have the ability to be bad, Take Mendex as an example, he Is dangerous because his idiotic propaganda is spreading false information leading to the distrust of humans and a rift in the galaxy between groups of people."
"So you are here to show the good side of Humanity?"
"No not even that, I am here to tell the truth, the good and the bad. I want to give members of the GA the information they need to make their own opinions. I will openly admit that I have met humans that scared me before, but I have also met humans that made me want to be a better person. You can't just take an entire sentient species and try to force them into a box. Everyone knows where stereotypes are going to get us."
***
Another amazing fact that sets earth apart is the placement of her moon and her axial tilt. Generally speaking axial tilts on planets can be difficult to maintain, causing the planet to wobble and producing a catastrophic change in climate. However, earth has one satellite, the moon, which scientists estimate is what holds earth's tilted axis as steady as it is. In turn this axis allows for seasonal changes in some of earth's middling regions.
Humans call them seasons.
A grassland might be a near desert in the summer, when thar part of earth is tilted towards the sun, or it could be a tundra in the winter when the axis is tilted away. Certain seasons bring about different dangers, flash flooding, snowstorms, hurricanes, tornados , heat waves.
Earth is a microcosm of biomes, a beautiful place where we are going to meet exciting new plants and animals.
Starting with the humans
So sit back, relax and come join us on a journey of discovery in this docuseries.
The Azure world.
***
Twelve miles west of the Atlantic coastline.
She has just finished her third mile. It has been thousands of years since humans used running to hunt for their food, at least in this country, but she still retains the stamina of her ancestors, granted she might not be as durable as they are, and she has technology to help her. The clothing she wears is moisture wicking, helping to keep her cool, and she wears the latest advancement in athletic technology on her feet. After thousands of years of wearing shoes, humans can't run barefoot like they used to, as this can lead to the collapse of the arches in the feet.
Despite all of that there are still some similarities.
Sweat for instance, it isn't very hot outside, and the sun isn't yet up. The morning is cool and a cool mist lies over the coastline, however the exertion of running three miles at the pace she has worked up a sweat. Most species can't run for sustained periods of time like humans can, three miles isn't a lot for some humans, but still enough to turn on their natural cooling method.
Most earth animals, and many species off earth must use mechanical means of cooling. Panting is a common method of cooling, while other animals are forced to rest in the shade.
Not humans.
If you look closely at human skin, you will see that it is not completely smooth, mountainous cracks and ridges run along its surface, with a closer look we can see the tiny holes in the skin. These are known as pours. Pours are used to secrete both waste products and oils from the body.
Human skin is the largest organ on their bodies, and acts as the body's first line of defense against all manner of harmful agents. Human skin is waterproof and seals the outside world away from the inner workings of the body, primarily helping the human to avoid infection from microorganisms and acts as insolation against hypothermia.
Human skin is a primary regulator of body temperature, without it, humans would lose heat fast
Because human skin is so important, the human's shield against the outside world, the body must take special care of it, any crack or imperfection in the skin could allow germs to get inside. Skin that is too dry can cause the skin to crack, breaking the delicate barrier between outside world and skin.
This is where the pours come in.
Human pores are an important part of keeping human skin safe: these tiny pinpricks lead down into the skin where small pockets contain glands that secrete oil. This oil coats the skin and keeps it smooth, flexible and soft to avoid cracking.
These pours also allow for the secretion of sweat.
Though human skin helps keep their bodies insulated and warm, it also acts as a hinderance to losing body heat. When humans run, massive muscles inside the body generate energy, which in turn generates heat, which causes core temperature to rise.
This is dangerous, as even ten degrees fluctuation inside the body can result in death. The average human core temperature rests at around 98.6, too high, and the brain will fry, too low and the body will shut down. As heat rises inside the body, the skin begins to secrete a salt water solution called sweat. The water is salt to keep a balance in the body. If the water were to leave without the salt, too much salt in the body and not enough water can be disastrous.
From there this salt water solution collects on the skin and evaporates creating a cooling effect that helps keep the body temperature from rising too high. Unlike panting, sweating can be done at any time, at an place, and doing any activity, so humans don't have to slow down and stop to cool off like other creatures.
There is one downside to this, the human will have to drink plenty of water in order not to dehydrate. Sweating can lose water from the body fast which can be catastrophic as humans are 60% water. Without drinking a human might lose five pounds of water weight just from sweating. However, there is one upside, humans are bipedal, so she can carry water with her as she runs.
As she rests a minor breeze stirs the hair on her arms.
Lets zoom in for a closer look.
Some people say that humans are hairless, though that is not entirely true. If you look closely at the human body, it is almost entirely covered in a light layer of delicate fuzz. Depending on where the human is from this is more or less noticeable as this hair can be longer, shorter, thicker or finer depending on location. This hair is present almost everywhere on the body except for the palms of the hands and the pads of the feet.
This is remnant of their ancestral lineage. Humans are primates and descended from a common primate ancestor which would have been covered in thick fur at one time or another. Some say that human hair is vestigial and serves no real purpose, however you might say that this is not the case.
Just like whiskers on cats, human hair can act as a sensory organ, it can help sense air currents, changes in pressure, and most importantly.
Bugs.
Even a single disturbed hair on a human arm causes the human to swat at the location, dislodging the bug before it can do any real damage.
Why would such a small creature pose any threat to a human?
Well, if you live on earth even the smallest creature can really pack a punch. A few thousand years since humanity crawled from the trees and they still haven't gotten rid of their hair completely.
Would you want to? If it meant spiders might be able to crawl on you for longer periods of time.
In human history even the smallest creature could be dangerous, even deadly, so the earliest warning that something might be crawling on you uninvited is a tactical advantage. A single hair may not seem like a lot, but human hair and skin works together to keep humans safe and sound, both internally and externally.
Truly a marvel of evolution.
I am Caelum, and you have been watching the nature channel.