Deep Earth Excavation Project (DEEP)
Biological Team Report Log
Maintained by Dr. Katherine Lang, Ph.D. Research Team lead
April 13th, 2042 3:27 pm EDT:
My team was called in
to help shed some light on an unexpected biological phenomenon discovered at
the DEEP operational sight in the Nevada desert. The project was originally
started 5 weeks ago as a joint geological and paleontological effort to
understand more about the depth, composition, and history of the Earth’s crust.
However, on April 13th at approximately 6:30 am PDT a biological specimen
was found in the geological samples pulled from 3 miles below sea level. The
pictures and videos sent to my office show a small member of the genus Lumbricus that, despite the extreme
pressure and depth it was found at, is clearly alive and moving. The specimen has
been preserved appropriately and sent to my office for further analysis. Anticipated
arrival date of the specimen is April 16th.
April 17th, 2042 1:48 pm EDT:
After some minor
shipping delays the specimen has arrived at the lab. My intern Mr. Ahmed Almoud
found the package waiting at the lab at 7:30 am. He called me to come to the
lab and immediately began preliminary observations of the exterior. The
specimen is 5.94 cm when fully extended and has an extremely pale hue. Like any
common earthworm it has setae along its ventral side for locomotion, although
it is hypothesized they must be much stronger than standard setae to move
through the more compact and hardened terrain deep below the surface. The mouth
of this creature is lined with microscopic teeth resembling incisors near the
front and molars towards the rear. This tooth set up is ideal for chipping through
and crushing rocks and is in fact very similar to the drill bits being used by
the DEEP geological team. This is an exciting adaptation that clearly shows the
creature’s acclimatization to its deep subterranean environment. When it arrived
at the lab and during these external observations the animal was still very
much alive. It has since been placed in isopropyl alcohol to prepare it for dissection
tomorrow.
April 18th, 2042 7:18 pm EDT:
The dissection of
the specimen has been completed and several very interesting discoveries made.
First, the animal was still moving when myself and the interns came into the
lab this morning despite being in the alcohol for 10 hours, although the speed
and suddenness of the motions was noticeably decreased. After another 3 hours
in the alcohol it had finally stopped moving enough to begin the dissection.
Cutting through the creature’s dermis proved to be rather difficult. The skin
was much tougher than anticipated, another adaptation for its high-pressure
environment, and a normal scalpel did not suffice. Instead, a special laser
scalpel used for precision slicing of terrestrial mammal bone tissue had to be
employed. Once the specimen was open the internal observations could be made.
The anatomy did not differ dramatically from that of any other member of the
genus. However, we were shocked to find that, despite it not moving, the brain
of the animal still seemed to be active during the dissection. All other vital
systems, including the respiratory and cardiac, indicated that the animal was
deceased, but the cerebral ganglia were still visibly moving under the
microscope, as if still trying to control the rest of the body. This fascinating
discovery is quite the puzzle, as it was previously believed that no such brain
function was possible without the aid of other systems. Dissection and further
investigation into these ganglia will be performed tomorrow. It should also be noted
that more specimens have been found at the excavation site in Nevada. I have decided
that myself, Mr. Almoud, Mr. Dickerson, and Ms. Shiraz will set up a mobile lab
at the dig site in order to avoid the introduction of any complicating factors
from shipping the specimens.
April 19th, 2042 6:22 pm PDT:
After a long flight
and drive out to the desert excavation sight the mobile lab has been set up and
prepared to analyze the new specimens tomorrow. Dr. Artonin, the project’s lead
geologist, says that more and more of the worms are being found with each set
of samples pulled up. This is exciting news for our team, as word from my main
lab also came in today about the results of the brain dissection. The intern
who performed the dissection, Mrs. Emelia Sanders, says that worm and the brain
had, in fact, been deceased during the dissection, but that a parasitic
bacterium was found in the cerebral ganglia that was the cause of the motion
and activity seen. This bacterium acted as a sort of mind controlling parasite,
rooting itself so deep within the worm’s brain that the 13-hour alcohol bath
only reduced it to a kind of hibernation rather that killing it off. While zombie-like
parasites are not unknown in nature I have never head of one which is so resilient.
In light of this discovery, I have decided to take the research here at the
mobile lab in a slightly different direction. Several specimens will be dissected
immediately to see how many are infected with this bacterium. Once this is
known, further test will be conducted on the remaining specimens to test the
animal’s resilience both with and without the parasite. In the meantime, the specimen
at my main lab has been properly preserved and will wait my return for further
analysis.
April 20th, 2042 7:30 pm PDT:
The tests on the new
specimens have been completed and the results officially recorded.
Unofficially, I will say that these results are shocking to say the least. In
testing to find how prevalent this bacterium is, my team and I discovered that
infection is by far the more common state for the worms. Of the 46 specimens
dissected in this test only 2 were found to not have the infection. It was also
seen that even without the alcohol bath the vital systems of the infected worms
had still been shut down before the dissections. This indicates that the
parasite does not simply take control of the host, like some others of this
nature, but indeed kills it and is able to continue using the brain as a
breeding ground and locomotion control center. Knowing this, we endeavored to
find just what kind of control the bacterium exhibited over its host. Making
small cuts in the dermis, the tissue of the worm was observed under the microscope.
It was found that no mytosis occurred within the cells; the cells themselves
were also dead and could not repair themselves. This leads me to believe that
the bacterium can maintain some adaptations of the host, such as the tough
hide, but cannot repair or make new cells once the host is dead. In essence,
the only way for the parasite to survive repeated physical damage to the host
body is to find a new host, hence the extreme proliferation within the worms.
Mr. Almoud has volunteered to stay the night at the mobile lab and continue
running additional tests.
April 21st, 2042 10:23 am PDT:
A terrible and
troubling tragedy has struck the research team. I came back to the mobile lab
this morning to find it in a horrifying state of disarray. Equipment had been
broken or thrown about, papers lay everywhere, and specimens were scattered all
over the lab. I went to ask Ahmed what had happened but found that he was the cause.
When I said his name, he looked over at me and I instantly knew he was dead.
His skin had become a pale grey and his eyes were a milky white. His mouth hung
slightly ajar and, instead of answering, he let out a low, incomprehensible growl.
It sickens me even to remember that sound as I write about it. In the most unnatural
way, the body got up from where is was sitting and began to hovel towards me,
grumbling and growling as it came. I screamed and ran from the lab, slamming
the door and bracing it with a nearby trash can. I watched as Ahmed’s body
slammed itself against the door, trying to get out, but clearly unable to
operate the handle or move the trash. I stood for a moment trying to catch my
breath and began to weep. My tears were partly for Ahmed, the poor boy, but
also for the terrifying realization that came over me. Seeing Ahmed’s body move
despite clearly being dead meant only one thing: he had been infected by the
parasite. That meant it could move to, kill, and control a human host, and
there was no telling who all had been exposed. Myself, all my interns, the
excavation team, the workers, anyone may now be a carrier for these bacteria.
And not just us, but anyone we had seen or spoken to off site could be infected
as well. I was able to keep my head level enough to speak with Dr. Artonin and
have the excavation site quarantined, but there is still no telling how far
this thing has already spread. We have no idea if the parasite can lay dormant
before killing in the host, or if the conversion is instant, or what it will
take to identify and destroy it without killing the host. For now, I am sitting
in the quarantined site, recording what has happened today, and trying to calm
my nerves. I pray that we can research and learn enough here to find a cure and
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