16
votes
Accepted
Is the Descolada based on an actual virus?
No. The Descolada's pathology makes no sense for a real-world virus.
First of all, "changing random genes" would result in death from all the infected cells dying in the body long before an ...
- 16.3k
15
votes
Accepted
Does "planting" have any biological impact on the Pequeninos (piggies) lifecycle?
Updated answer
No, the tree would grow even if the piggie isn't planted.
When visiting the mothers, Ender is warned:
“And if you harm them,” said Leaf-eater, “we will kill you unplanted and knock ...
- 336k
10
votes
Accepted
Why don't the piggies plant a seed when they kill Pipo and Libo?
DISCLAIMER: this is all from my memories of reading these books many times as a teenager, and it's possible that I have remembered the details wrong. Other folks should feel free to dispute this ...
- 1,854
7
votes
What is the Speaker for the Dead cover depicting?
Spaceships doing generic spaceshippy stuff
But I also hated the cover on my bestselling book, because the art came from a game sold in the UK and it depicted spaceships doing generic spaceshippy ...
- 74.9k
6
votes
Accepted
The founding of Starways Congress
Starways Congress had control over the ansibles.
The far-flung colonized worlds were self sufficient, but the human need to belong to a greater community and receive the scientific and cultural ...
- 820
5
votes
Accepted
Where do the Mother Trees came from?
In Xenocide it is shown that when the old Mothertree died in a fire started by the villagers after Quim was killed, they "planted" the most respected wife to grow a new mothertree.
In the ...
- 336k
5
votes
Does "planting" have any biological impact on the Pequeninos (piggies) lifecycle?
Planting is important. When Human says that "the most ancient trees are the warriors who died in battle" he means that the planting was done after it was clear that they were going to die, but before ...
- 74.9k
3
votes
Ender's apparent lack of impact in Novinha's family
I just wanted to point out a few things:
You said that Miro and Olhado were the only ones he had an impact on, but Quara, I would also argue, used to almost never speak, but with Ender's coming she ...
- 185
2
votes
1
vote
Is the Descolada based on an actual virus?
Transmittable cancers
While they don't randomly change the genome everywhere, cancer cells do represent a mutation of the existing genes. And in particular, the transmissible cancer known as Devil ...
- 111
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