Another interesting note is no Thing copy has ever been observed eating or drinking beyond living humans or dogs, and it also leaves the bodies of killed humans or dogs untouched even though there is usable biomass. It cannot absorb these as noted by MacReady, which could suggest an inability to absorb plant cells or dead cells. Its only interaction with plant based life was in the form of wood/clothing fibers. The Thing's ability to interact with plant based life-forms is largely unknown. This enabled it to lay dormant for at least 100,000 Earth years, awaiting discovery by any sentient life forms who have the means to revive it from its long-term dormancy. One key capability of the creature is its ability to undergo cryogenic stasis, much like the Earth-native yeast fungus. Depending upon the size or nature of the infectious method, the consumption and replication of a host can take a variable length of time, from a very long time period to a shorter one, depending on whether the assimilating agent are small particles or larger forms. It assimilates other lifeforms by either deploying separate, autonomous parts or using the mass of its own body to capture or seize a host, which will subsequently consume and generate a replica of the host from the biomass of the victim and the parasite itself, which is itself a copy of the Thing. Dual-functionality of the creature enables individual cells and/or collections of cells to function as separate organisms if necessary, which are invariably focused on one goal assimilating and imitating other lifeforms. This enables the parasite to gain shelter and be able to adapt to virtually any environment that can sustain multi-cellular, complex life, which is its principal food and host source.Įach individual cell of the creature is both part of a singular multi-cellular lifeform and a distinct, independent entity at the same time. As a parasitic life-form, the Thing seeks to absorb and assimilate any nearby life-form native to whatever planet the Thing arrives on.
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