-Poul Anderson, Three Worlds To Conquer (London, 1966), Chapter 3, p. 25.
Trisexuality increases genetic diversity, compensating for the low mutation rate in a cold, less radiated, environment.
The Ulunt-Khazul are a different species from the Nyarrans:
a foot taller;
small tusks;
broad webbed feet;
natural swimmers;
long thick tails;
shining gray skin;
alien angles and proportions;
acrid animal smell;
wearing hooded mantles and looted Nyarran bracelets.
Imagine a different species of Terrestrials, never seen before, sailing across the Atlantic or the Pacific, to wage war and conquer...
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I did wonder if three sexes made reproduction too complicated. But the bit about three sexes increasing compensating for the lower mutation rate in a colder, less radiated environment like Jupiter's makes the idea less difficult to accept.
And I think Jupiter is more than vast enough to allow for several species to evolve to intelligence.
Sean
H. sap. sap. has been the only hominid around since the end of the last glaciation, but prior to that there were usually at least two and often more existing concurrently.
Back around 40,000 years ago you had us, Neanderthals, Denisovians, the Flores hobbits, and probably relict populations of h. erectus all at the same time.
Dear Mr. Stirling,
All this is very interesting and I can't help wishing some of these other hominid still existed! My personal favorite being the Neanderthals (but the Flores "hobbits" interests me!).
Sean
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