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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>From:</B> <A title=jane_delawney@sky.com
href="mailto:jane_delawney@sky.com">Jane Delawney</A> </DIV>
<DIV>On 26/09/10 12:10, Lee Berman wrote: </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite=mid:SNT123-W3EB435644616ABC41D83DCF640@phx.gbl type="cite"><PRE wrap="">All these fantastic biological processes are casually accepted yet a slight
protein readjustment in the histamines of a human-appearing alien by the best
doctors of an interplanetary empire to suppress organ rejection is deemed
impossible? </PRE></BLOCKQUOTE>Not impossible; just very very improbable
:)<BR><BR>Unless it is to be believed that all lifeforms everywhere in the
universe share a common biochemistry, it's about as believable that an alien
Typhon would be able to receive human organs (or body parts, whatever) as it
is that a human woman would be able to bear the child of an alien being with
copper-based blood, as occurs in that well known <I>fantasy</I> series Star
Trek. </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Of course, it is not very probable according to
conventional evolutionary theory (admittedly, Wolfe has a penchant for
Lamarckism) that the native animals and plants of St.Anne would be
edible to humans, or that humans would be edible to alzabo, for that
matter. Indeed, the alzabo seems to have evolved a solution which is
radically more effective and biologically implausible than
the transplantation of human organs!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Personally, I don't much care where Typhon came
from. I don't see it as important. He looks human (or at least if he
doesn't, Severian doesn't see fit to burden us with the details of any horns or
tentacles he might sport) so I assume he is human. Perhaps there is a
'birther' faction dedicated to resisting his rule on the grounds that he was not
born on Urth, but if so I suspect they mainly object to him for other
reasons.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>- Gerry Quinn</FONT> </DIV>
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