BiologyThe Biology of Gallifrey2010-01-18T08:29:54.312+11:00remeberanceflower.jpegMemento Mori The Gallifreyan Flower of RemembrancePlantsThe leaves of the plant life come in the following colors: red green, blue, bronze,silver,and some are transparent. There are Kaden-Wood trees (with silver leaves),
Maldor Trees, Cerub Trees (with hallucinogenic truffle-flavored nuts), Magentas (fruit tree), and Oaks. Flowering plants include Sarlain(a yellow flower that resembles a Terran Daisy, Daffodil or Rose) , Gallifreyan Flowers of Remembrance ( Memento Mori
- 6 yellow petals), Schlenk Blossoms, Arkytior (a Gallifreyan rose) and red-petaled orchids. Some flowers glow in the dark and some might be
as tall as trees. Others flowering plants are small and blue with long
stamens that eat lizards. There are Trumpberries, Lushberries (probably
edible), Molten Rushes (with zinc hawthorns),and Grass (both in deep red and probably purple). Biotrophic fungi include Feathergills, pogsquats,
skullcaps, and Cardinal's collars. Other plants include Madevinia Aridosa
(small desert plants that have an incredibly rapid life cycle), Hefzi Moss,
Grockel Root (a type of plantthat is eaten and used to make alcohol),Nitvil (a slimy plant with healing properties)owl.jpegAn Owl - The Symbol of RassilonAnimalsInvertabrates: Beatitude Flies (with golden wings),Butterflies, Bees, Gullet Grubs, Blossom Thieves, Scrubblers, Neversuch Beetles,
Sandbeetles, Waspbeatles, Dustworms, Scissors Bugs,Flutterwings(3 meters by 25 meters, never land), web spinning insects, Snails, and
Water-Sligs. There are really nasty creatures that live beneath big stones.
Marine life: Singing Fish , Kittensharks (are hatched from eggs and
presumably grow up to be Catsharks), Elapids include Taipan (10 meters long and venomous snake),Venal Snakes, Bat-Snakes Avians: Owls (the symbol of Rassilon), Flurry Birds, air
diamonds, song birds, Mammels: Plungbolls (thumbnail sized furry creatures,
live in mountains, attatch enmass to warm objects), Taffelshrews,
Fledershrews, Cobblemice (which sprout wings), Rovie Mice (live in fields,
long lived if they are not killed, sometimes kept as pets), Vex (burrowing
animal), Gallifreyan Womprats (1 meter long rats with fifteen legs),
Pig-Rats, Flubbles (small six-legged koalas), Horse-Cats, Elephants,
Pig-Bears,Baanjxx (arboreal browser, eats cerub nuts), and probably walrus. The Doctor and Ruath re- introduced cats into the
eco-system (at a point before The Infinity Doctors).Ancient Gallifreyan BiologyAncient Gallifreyans didn't evolve from apes (they do not believe they
evolved from monkeys either). Early Gallifreyans had only one heart. Most deaths were a result of heart failure. AncientGallifreyans have a bypass respiratory system. When used, the bypass system
makes them very resistant to most forms of anaesthetic(but not chloroform) and stragulation.With warning a Gallifrey can store enough oxygen in their system to be active
for 20 minutes. They can hold their breath for hours if they don't move much. Their
blood, hormones and pheremones have distinct differences from modern
Gallifreyan. They usualycan't interbreed with humans. Their children have milk teeth. Their
children aged slower then Humans and it might take hundreds of years for a
Gallifreyan to mature into an adult. An 11 year old would look like an 8 or
9 year old human,but a 16 year old would look like an earth teenager. At around this point their aging slows dramaticly - a 48 year old would look like an 18 year old human.Gallifreyans in their teens need as much food as a human teenager if not
more. Adult Gallifreyans eat about as much as human.Young Gallifreyans need to sleep a little more then most humans, but after they pass First Maturation and learn to control their bodies,
they only need 1-2 hours a day.They live to be about 300 years old -or possibly forever.They might have had the telepathic, adaptive, and regenerative
abbilites similare to the Marshmen in Full Circle. By human standards ancient Gallifreyans were taller,stronger,and more athletic. The Gallifreyan women tended to be much taller then
Gallifreyan males (this changed after when the looms were created). The
women also tended to have well developed muscels. While a young (around 16) Gallifreyans telepathic powers are still
developing they are vulnerable to experiencing strong emotions from large groups.
Sometimes this causes a psychic feedback where the Gallifreyan ends up
reinforcing the emotions of a group. All the adult minds of the planet were
in constant telepathic entrelacement due to an organ located in their
hypothalamus . This was thought to be the greatest curse of Gallifreyan
civilization. One Gallifreyan every 1,000 years was born an Individual.
Individuals could shield their minds from telepathy and had other psionic
powers. When young, Individuals also made good time pilots.Because of their abbility to focus older Individuals often became great philosophers, scientists, and
explorers. Many became Heros. Ancient Gallifreyans were sensitive to time and its movement.Modern Gallifreyan Biology2Hearts.jpegskull.jpgbrain.jpgGENETICSGallifreyans have Triple Helix DNA as well as TNA.The extra third strand was added by Rassilon to make Regeneration
possible.Hidden in Gallifreyan DNA are 'killing lessons' to destroy Cacophony
should she ever appear. Time Lords share 98% of their genes with
Vampires.The DNA of every previous incarnation lies dormant inside a
Gallifreyan's body. By the time he had regenerated 7 times the Doctor(and presumably other Gallifreyans) have 69 chromosomes divided into 23 homogeneous triads. They are
vunerable to some earth viruses, like influenza, fevers, and the common
cold.They can also suffer from rheumatism. Before the curse fadesalmost all Gallifreyans are sterile.Every Gallifreyan has a Bio-Data Extract (aka biog-data extract, or D-E) sample removed and
stored by Coordinator of the Matrix and veiwable only by the Coordinator,
the Castellan, and members of the High Council. Losing one's virginity makes
it much more difficult (if not impossible) for Gallifreyan technology to
read ancestral memories from the subjects biodata.Transmission of an extract is considered treason. There are millions of Time
Lord extracts stored in the Archival Office(implying that Gallifrey has had more then 1000 Time Lords for much
of it history),but as of The Ancestor Cell a total of only 153,846 Time Lord mindes have
been uploaded into the Matrix. Extracts of Time Lords are color coded by
chapter. Time Lord D-Es can only be accessed by the High Council or the
Castellan and all accesses are logged. Also see this http://amica_temporis.home.insightbb.com/xenobiology/genetics.htmlsite.NERVOUS SYSTEMGallifreyan brains are green in color and larger then a human's. They have
Superganglion which allows them to re-order and re-program their neural pathways at
will. Among other things this allows them to separate the operation of the
two hemispheres of their brainsand makesthem immune to some types of interrogation technology. They can also switch off the parts of their brain that process input from
various senses, allowing them to limit their vast number of senses to the
same range as a human. They have perfect memory of everything they
experiance(in that incarnation) and an over greater memory storage capacity than a human.A dormant throwback organ in their brains can allow them to sense higher
dimensions (with training).They are much more vunerable to changing magnetic fields then most humanoids
are. Depending onhow their brain is currently configured, and how "off" their biorythems are it can sometimes take them a while to notice
the blindingly obvious. At the base of their brains is a seperate tertiary lobe called the Autonomic Brain that handles all body and motor functions.This frees the rest of the brain for purely intellectual pursuits allowing
them to think of over 7,432 ideas in a few minutes. An electroencephalograph of a Gallifreyan brain will show a type of
activity unlike any human brain. While human alpha waves are generated by the occipital lobe, Gallifreyan
Alpha Waves are generated by the hypothalamus. If all other forms of
communcation have been disabled they can communicate via reduced-frequency
alpha waves. Because of their extended life font Gallifreyans need to clear
out some of their memories every few thousand years. They usually store the
more important memories useing telepathic circuits. Gallifreyans have a
nerve cluster of major ganglion along their left collar bone beneath the
left clavicle that allows them complete control over their own metabolism .
A blow at this cluster will render them unconscious. Their retinas are so
sophisticated that they can almost think on their own. In addition to rods
and cones their eyes are equipped with octagons, gives them amazing night
vision. They can shift their vision outside the normal visual spectrum
allowing them to see a total of 170 different levels of the electromagnetic
specturm, including in some shades of ultraviolet. There's a lot of evidence
that their eye color can change depending on mood. Their pupil response is
very different from humans and can resist super intense photo-emissions that
would permanenlty blind a human.(If they remember to check) they can tell whether a humanoid is Gallifrey just by looking at
them.A regeneratedGallifreyan's, hearing and smell is better than human'sand some Gallifreyans can perform biochemical analysises of what they eat
including identifying blood type. Unconcious Gallifreyans can often be
awakened with a heated infusion of free radicals, antioxidants, and tannin
(aka boiling tea vapor). The scent of Celery is considered to be another
powerful restorative on Gallifrey. Many Gallifreyans are capable of amazing
voice imatation. Thus locks with voice prints are not in common use.CIRCULATORY SYSTEMMost Gallifreans are loomed with one heart. When they regnerate they
aquire a second heart that is a mirror image of the first. Newblood Gallifreyans are loomed with 2 hearts and have excellent
control over their appearance when regenerating. Their hearts are
bivalved and each heart produces two distinct beats per cycle. After regeneration, most Gallifreyans have two hearts (a primary and a secondary) each of which
usually beat 60 times per minute and normally fibrillate at a rate of 300. A
double pulse of 170 is considered more or less normal.The electical activity of the hearts is much greater then a
humans and the beats are quite powerfulmaking it difficult for the hearts to be exactly located with a
sethoscope.The speed of each heart can vary and they can survive with only 1 heart
beating. Gallifreyans are trained to stop both their hearts and feign death
for several hours.Both hearts are supported by a binary vascular system.The removal of one heart results in the temporay loss of many Gallifreyan
enhancements whiile a new heart is grown. If someone has a Gallifreyan heart
transplanted into their body they will be linked to the doner Gallifreyan
and it will be very difficult to kill the doner without killing the receiver
as well.A Gallifreyan's blood pressure is typically 70/70 millimeters of
mercury. Gallifreyan blood is darker than human blood and redish-orange.It doesn't conform with any form of human bloodbecause it has a different pathological stateand lots of unusual acids.The respiratory pigmentdoesn't use hemoglobin but does share some of structural characteristics of human
hemoglobin. Their blood carries a uniquie artron energy signaturs and the temporal
platelets cluster around any wound, accelerating time in that area to speed the healing. These advanced platelets detect even tiny amounts
of toxins. Time Lord Phagocytes can resist Grell space time altering Viral
Particles that would easily influence humans. If a Gallifreyan is injected
with a sample of genetically contaminated blood their immune systems can
create anti-bodies of such sophistication that when injected back into the
original donor they teach the victims white corpuscles how to break down the
hostile DNA. Their blood doesn't have a type and (due to its regenerative
properties) it is in a constant state of genetic flux. Not surprisingly
doesn't smell like human blood. Because of its unique nature it can be
transfused into any human without complications. A human recipient will feel
rather energized, probably because it carries oxygen (and other gases) vastly better than human blood.Gallifreyan lungs can absorb every single
molecule of oxygen inhaled. They need less (only 1/4)oxygen as a human to function normallyand thus they normally take only 4 breaths a minute.Gallifreyans have a bypass respiratory system and a secondary cardiovascular
system. When conciously triggered, the bypass system contracts, closing off their primary respiratory passages making them very resistant
to most forms of anaesthetic, ether, cyanide, stragulation, hanging, and the squeaky voice caused by helium.Gallifreyans are also much more resistant to mercury poisoning than
Humans.Mustard Gas is still deadly however. They lose their sense of smell when they rely on their Bypass respitory
system. The bypass respitory systems also allows them to hold their breath for several minutes and, with warning,a Gallifreyan can store enough oxygen in their system to be active
for 20 minutes.If this is insuficient they can enter a trance to reduce their oxygen intake
even futherallowing them to hold their breath for hours. As Gallifreyans pass 1000
years of age their bypass respiratory system becomes less reliable and there
is a chance that they won't be able to awaken from its use.Some Gallifreyans (such as the Rani) have some trouble breathing in humid
environments.Also see thishttp://amica_temporis.home.insightbb.com/xenobiology/respiratory.htmlsiteand thishttp://amica_temporis.home.insightbb.com/xenobiology/cardiovascular.htmlsite.PSIONICSWhenever two Gallifreyans meet there is a courtesy mind-touch to identify
and aknowledge each other. This allows them to recognize each other even if they are wearing a new body. There are also able to tell if humans are telepathic or not. Gallifreyans
suffer psychic feedback, fever and headaches as their telepathic abilities
mature.Gallifreyans can use touch telepathy to formentrelacement(Contact). If they are trying to telepathically contact one of their own
incarnations they don't even need to be touching. Indeed such contact can be
made over the astral plane (the 4th Dimension) over galactic distances. Some of them can telepathically block a person's
memories back to an arbitrary point in their life. They can also implant post-hypnotic suggestions in people who are trying
to read their minds. The Matrix also enhances the Time Lord telepathic
powers. Every Time Lord possesses a quantum of Artron Energy which gives
them a unique artron energy signature. This is significantly more life-energy than a human has.It's possible that females might be more gifted with telepathic
abbilites. They generate Artron Energy traces that can be used by others to
determine their age and identity. The energy they possess increases by a
minute amount every time they pass through the Vortex. They are capable of absorbing lethal amounts of energy from another
humanoid. After doing so a regneration will be nessecary to eliminate the
energy. They can also donate some of their energy to recharge a TARDIS Power
Cell but doing so consumes 10 years of their total lifespan. Gallifreyans can uses a process called Soul Catching toMindbending (aka Time Lord Wrestling) is a Time Lord game that involves a
telepathic battle between two contestants. They try to regress each other
mentaly through their previous incarnations. Its just a game but it can end
in deathlock if a contenstant is pushed back to the point of death.GENERAL BIOLOGYDespite looking like humans from Sol III, biologically speaking
Gallifreyans have much more in common with Chelonians. Gallifreyans have got
multiple organs of virtually everything including two more ribs (than
humans). They have 2 of most of the organs that humans have only one of, and
4 of the organs that humans have only two of. Asside from the extra ribs a Gallifreyan's skeleton is almost
identical to a humans.They can have fillings inserted in their teeth that are supposed to regenerate when their body regenerates (though this
process isn't perfect). They have only one liver.Their internal body temperature is 15-16 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit) however their skin temperature is only a little below the human
norm.Gallifreyans tend to find a room temp of 20 C to be uncomfortably hot. Despite this, adult Gallifreyans are capable of withstanding extreme
temperatures at both ends of the scales. They can remain concious in the
-270 C cold of space for 6 minutes and can withstand 200 degreec C for up to 3 minutes. At body temperatures
of several hundred degrees below 0 C a Gallifreyan will lose complete
control of their body and appear dead. Despite this their mind is infact
very active. Gallifreyan probably have tonsils and its not probably not
unknown for them to have to be removed. Gallifreyans have more than one
stomach and are not as vulnerable to malnutrition as Humans are. Some
(if not all) believe that only one meal a day is perfectly normal.
Despite this their metabolism is relitively close to a humans and they can
eat the same foods. Some Gallifreyans can use their stomachs to interpret
human memory RNA and producing the Gallifreyan equivalent. They and can easily go two days without water and a week without food is not a major strain. Infact they sometimes sit
in thought for days without food or water. However 40 days without food or water will make a Gallifreyan
delirious.Gallifreyans metabolize alcohol very quickly so it is almost impossible
for them to become drunk or suffer the effects of hallucinogen s. Thus can
easily drink 10 pints of beer without showing any ill effects. Some
Gallifreyans can use special meditations to regulate their metabolism . This
gives them a very fine control over the rate at which they metabolize
alcohol, making inebriation or hallucinations possible. However Ginger pop
has a severely deleterious effect on any Gallifreyan metabolism. This allows them to be easily effected by any alcohol they might
have consumed. They need to urinate every few days. Arsenic is toxic to Gallifreyans and will inhibit their enzymes. If a large
source of protein, salt, and other chemicals (found in ginger beer) are
availible a Gallifreyan who has been poisoned with arsenic can use a major
shock or surprise to trigger Detox. This detoxification allows their stomach
to stimulate inhibited enzymes to reverse and release all toxins a gas that
can be exhaled. Aspirin is incredibly toxic to Gallifreyans.The allergic reactions that occur when aspirin begins to interfer with
their genetic struture causes massive a pulmonary and cerebral embolism
severe enough to prevent regeneration. Even touching it can be dangerous.
Detox can be used to negate aspirin poisoning if the Gallifreyan can consume
some chocolate. The simple triglycerides in the chocolate combats the
anti-platelets effect of the aspirin. The Detox procedure doesn't work for all toxins. Gallifreyans don't have prostate glands. When trained they can control
their adrenaline, blood-suger levels, heart rate, respiration, and
presperation to the point where they can fool 23rd century medical
diagnotics into thinking they are human. They can even switch off any of
their organs at will. They also have control over the speed and location of
their hair growth. They can grow hair faster then humans or stop the growth
compleatly. Despite this some Gallifreyans still shave their faces. Their skinsmells like honey and has extra subdural and subcutaneous layers. This makes their skin very resistant to radiation, physical damage, poison ivy, sunburns, and tanning .Gallifreyans can resist radiation that will kill a human in 4
minutes for 2-12 minutes before they start to take noticable
damage.They can easily absorbe 50 times the output of a 21st century medical X-ray
machine (approximately 50 rems of Roentgen (aka X-Ray) radiation) and them expel it into any object they
they can touch. Incarnations which appear to be physically younger are
significantly more resistant to radiation then older bodies.Gallifreyans can erect non porous barriers around their noses, ears and
eyeballs that prevent any intrusion on the molecular level. This allows them
to remain concious for 6 minutes and survive up to 20 minutes in space
unprotected. Gallifrreyans have incredible strength for their size. They can remain concious when exposed to G-forces that would kill a
human.They can enter self-induced sleep trance in which breathing, heart beat,
and brain activity are all reduced to an absolute minimum. While in this
trance a Time Lord can ponder complex ideas without any outside
distractions. 20 minutes in this state is equivalant to 8 hours of sleep for
a human. Thus they only need about 1-6 hours of sleep every 2 days and some
Gallifreyans can get by on a decade of sleep every 100 years. Others become
tired after only being awake for only 4 days. Most prefer 1 hour of sleep a
day. Gallifreyans rarely dream, but when they do, they sometimes dream of
choosing their next bodies, being able to fly, becoming the opposite sex,
and bearing children.Gallifreyan who have regenerated in that last few days will require a lot of
sleep, even by human standards.LOOMINGThere are between 3 and 9 million Gallifreyans and just over 10% of them are female.Because of their history, Gallifreyan culture tends to view the
female gender as a symbol of the unlike and the outside.The Curse of the Pythia rendered almost all Gallifreyans are sterile.
Though they are physicaly capable of sex most have almost no sex drive. Losing one's virginity makes it much more difficult (if not impossible)
for Gallifreyan technology to read ancestral memories from the subjects
biodata. While some Gallifreyans will enjoy erotic dancers actual
prostitution is very rare. Low Town does support a few brothels.Despite all this, some Gallifreyans fall in 'love' and some undergo marriage. However
Gallifreyan Marriages are almost always undertaken to maintain the power of
the Chapters by strengthening the political power of the Houses
involved.A Gallifreyan generation is 10,000 years. Each Chapterhouse has a loomshed, which holds the Houses
Loom. The Honorable Central Population Directory defines the quota of cousins
for each House's Loom.This dierectory is directly controled by the High
Council. A loom consists of millions of fine cords which weave matter (probably Rapid Growth Biomass) and biodata
together. For several days spirals of data flow down these cords and are woven into
a mesh. From this mesh a Gallifreyan Childe is formed. During this time Loom-Tenders's supervise and occationally
sing traditional rhymes.The Looms are complex anchors in time designed to link the
Gallifreyan to Gallifrey and, by extension, the Web of Time. As such they
have limited knowledge of the future of every loomling. They probalby weave
not only DNA but also give each loomling a distinct future. Depending on the Loom, some loomlings (or childes)produce offspring as small childes (reminicent of a human child) other looms produce them as full grown adults. The childeren have milk teeth. A loomling will have trouble using proper grammar,
but can walk right after Looming.masterlongs.jpgdocscard.jpg.jpgschism.jpgA Novice, The Seal of the Prydonian Chapter,The Untempered SchismDEVELOPMENTA Gallifreyan childe ages slower then Humans and it takes hundreds of years for them to mature
into what a Gallifreyan would consider an adult. At 5 years old, loomlings are amazingly intelligent.An 11 year old would look like an 8 or 9 year old human, but a 16 year old would look like an earth teenager. At around this point their aging slows dramaticly - a 48 year old would look like an 18 year old human. Some one around 60
would still still look like young adult but would still considered to be a
very young childe.Gallifreyans in their teens need as much food as a human teenager if not
more. Adult Gallifreyans eat about as much as human.They are still considered kids at age 90. Young Gallifreyans need to sleep a
little more then most humans, but after they pass First Maturation and learn to control their bodies,
they only need 1-2 hours a day.Childes spend several decades undergoing Brainbuffing both at home and at
school. Many Childeren recite prayers to the Time and her
Sisters.The spend almost all of their childhood learning focused on their life of
duty. Most (if not all) children are taken from their families at the age of
8 to attend their Chapter's Academy.At some points in history some aliens (such as Gresaurus) are allowed to
take classes at the Academies. These aliens are not allowed to learn any
Temporal Engineering skills. One of these races was the War Lord Aliens.
They were expelled for trying to learn how to build TTCs (TARDISes).The Prydon Chapter has its own Time Academyand the Patrex Chapter has its own Acadmeyas does each of the other Chapters.The Prydon Academy is open to the air and located on the slopes of Mount
Cadon (Gallifrey's highest mountain). Cadon is often covered with little
blue flowers. Prefectly groomed lawns surround the ebony buildings,P which are accessed by sand filled pathwaysThose taking the mystic studies course spend a great deal of time
meditating and dark secrets are taught to the monks in the upper levels of its towers.
The Lodge of the Patrexes Academy is located in the Capitol. It has a gate
of solid light with a sphere of the first gold ever formed in the
Universe.The same year they enroll in the Academy each Novice is taken outside the
Capitol to the Untempered Schism for their initiation. They gaze into this
gap in reality and stare at the raw power of the entire Space-Time Vortex.
When confronted with eternity some Novices are inspired, some run away, and
a very few go mad.Gallifreyans who pass are know as Time Tots(aka Time Toddlers) andare given the rank of Novice.Some (if not all) students receive a new official name while attending
their Academy. All Gallifreyans receive single names (though they are usually very
long). The long version of a Gallifreyan's name is writen in Old High
Gallifreyan. The length of a Time Lord's name grows as his social and
political stature increase.They also receive a nickname using Greek lettersthat identifies them uniquely and relates to the location their mind will
occupy in the Matrix, based off theirphysical and mental abilites . The closer to alpha their names is the greater their
preceived abilities.These names are listed on the Academy Roll in a bronze Records
Building.Gallifreyans are force-educated using Neural Training, which on
high-intensity level, can teach someone to speak, read, write, count, and
play an instrument in one hour. Despite this, there are a number of major similarites between the Prydon
Academy and the schools on Earth in the 20th century. Novices learn quantum
mechanics in Infant School and even the simplest geometry problem is solved using the first 5 dimensions.
While still Time Tots they read 4 dimensional pop-up books likeOur Planet's Story and Every Gallifreyan Child's Pop-Up Book of Nasty Creatures From Other
Dimensions. They are also taught to recite their 2337 times tables. They attend
Temporal Protocol classes. Some of the games the children play might involve extra-galactic space
travel. They are taught how to live and act in society and that all life is
sacrosanct and that Gallifreyans need to be dedicated to a life of service
to Time.They also study supralogic. At around 60 they are taught Tri-bio-physics. Novices take the entrance
examination for the Time Academy while still in brain buffing.If they are accepted then, after 12 years with their Chapter's Academy, they are enrolled in the Time Academy. If they don't pass they remain at their Chapter's Academy. Gallifreyans are not consideredlegaladults untill they are 200 years oldA Gallifreyan who is almost 400 years old is a legal adult, but they are
viewed as being an adolescent but his elders until he can taste his own
tongue.750-850 years old is considered to be analogus to "approaching middle age."REGENERATION (aka Face-Lift, Telebiogenesis)Several sources claim that Time Lords are the only Gallifreyans who are
capable of regeneration. But several other sources show normal (ie non-Time
Lord) Gallifreyans regenerating without anyone considering it
unusual.Regeneration was created to extend the already amazing Gallifreyan
lifespan.Gallifreyan bodies are filled with self-replicating biogenic molecules
(sometimes known as the Immortality Virus,
the Legacy of Rassilon or nanites) that work ceaselessly to repair and prune
damaged and malformed cells. Because of this it takes hundreds of
years for a Gallifreyan to show signs of aging. These biogenic
molecules are a variation of symbiotic nuclei
and(probably using sonic waves) gives
allGallifreyans a symbiotic self-renewing
cell structure. Time Lords actually use their symbiotic nuclie to govern
regeneration. If a Gallifreyan's symbiotic cell structure was ever
deactivated they will not be able to regenerate. The biogenic molecules
allow the body to dispose of foreign objects and implants fairly quickly.
They usually recover from unconciousness faster than humans. By "retreating"
into a healing trance most injuries (such as burns and
diseases) can be healed in a day. While extreame
pain or a sufficiently strong audio-visual barrage will
automatically induce a tv>healing
trancesome training is required to enter one voluntarily. The
biogenic molecules are aided by temporal platelets which cluster around any
wound, accelerating time in that
areato speed the healing. A broken leg can heal in
anywhere from a few hours to 4 days depending of the severity of the break.
Most nonlethal bullet wounds heal in a day (the bullet is ejected from the
body). Bullet grazes heal in a few hours. A
combination of a bullet hole through the frontal lobe, a broken nose, jaw,
femur, and collarbone will take a Gallifreyan 6 months to heal. These rates
of healing can be enhanced if the Gallifreyan is kept near (or inside) a
TARDIS.While in the healing trance, they will appear dead to most humanoids,
but other Gallifreyans can tell they're alive. Their
body temperature will drop so far below zero that that frost sometimes forms
on the body and the mind will essentially switch off. Despite this
one heart will continue to beat about once every 10
seconds. While in the trance they can metabolize many
types of poisons and drugs using Detox.Using the trance, a fall from over 200 feet can be survived without losing conciousness or
seriously breaking any bones.This is accomplished by a combination of bone relaxation and cellular
break down and regeneration (similar to what happens in larval pupa).Gallifreyans have even been know to survive lightning strikes. They can selectively regenerate specific organs while in the trance and
(given several months) a Gallifreyan can grow a new heart (should one of
their originals be removed). It might be possible for them to grow new
limbs.If kept alive, a Gallifreyans severed body part can be used to detect
whether that specific Gallifreyan is in the area.If the body is subjected to great stress such as a severed
limb, extreme illness, (or perhaps extreme
boredom) the the Limbic (or Lindal) Gland releases the hormone Lindos to
trigger Regeneration. As the hormone travels throughout the Gallifreyan's body will begin to feel weak (especially if this is his
first regeneration) As the body prepares to lose solidity the Gallifreyan there will always
be a moment of hallucination. Ideally all regenerations should take place within a low-grade telepathic field (like the inside ofa TARDIS) . At this pointthepermanently carried self-replicated biogenic molecules heal the body of its wounds.Gallifreyans who are exposed to the vacuum of space for several minutes,
have had both their hearts punctured, or suffer a direct hit by a Dalek
Neutraliser can not regenerate.It is possible to regenerate from a glancing hit by a Dalek
Neutraliser.Gallifreyans are educated in how to control their regenerations at their
chapter's academy.It is also possible for some (all?) Time Lords to will their own regeneration without stress or injury. Chemical and telepathic signals can be used to force regenerate someone
who is badly wounded (but not somebody who is concious and refuses to
regenerate).In most cases, once all the cells have been healed, the regeneration of the
body will proceed. However, by enacting the proper meditative techniques a Gallifreyan can temporarily delay the completion of their regeneration for several hours and (if their will is great enough) several days. This assumes they don't die first. If a Gallifrey the regeneration was
triggered by an injury, and a suitble bio-matching receptacle (a spare hand
that had been amputated for example) is availible, they can abort the
Regeneration after the healing process is complete by siphoning off all the
extra energy into the receptcal. This is a rare occurance as regeneration
was never intened to be used to heal injuries (and bio-matching recepticles
are rarely availble). After healing, the regeneration proceeds and the
subject's body (and to a lesser degree the mind) will be completely
restructured.The extra third strand of Gallifreyan DNA was added by Rassilon to
make Regeneration possible.This strand storesthe regenerative information within the Gallifreyan's Bio-plasmic Fields
that surrounds their bodies. With out these feilds of cronon energyregeneration would be impossible anda Gallifreyan would age and die. These fields of chronon energy also
protect a Time Lord as they travel from one time stream to another. These
fields have to be very active to adapt to the trauma of Regeneration. So
much so that if a member of a lesser speices is exposed to a Gallifreyan for several monthsthe bio-fields will 'infect' them providing the same protection from the
timestream, rejuvinating their cells, and replace their telemeres. As a
result the primitive will age very slowly and live for centuries. If this
alien was to leave Gallifrey they will start to age at the rate of a year
for every day. >During regeneration this information is conveyed from these
fields to the biogenic molecules via a bio-language called Nucleolingua Symbiotica.When a regeneration does occur the permanently carried self-replicated biogenic molecules rebuild the body in a violent biological eruption of ArtronEnergy.Normaly this energy comes from the Lindos hormone,though other sources of artron energy can be used as well. Using this
energy every molecule in every cell is adjusted, displaced, rearranged causing a complete renewal
and healing andconsuming the rest of the Energy.Regeneration also restructures the biodata of the subject, thus it
could affect the subjects past as well as its future.Regeneration is an exihilerating experianceakin to driving a car very very fast. A blinded Gallifreyan will regain
their sight after after a regeneration if the neural pathways controlling
his sight are intact. Even damaged synapses are repaired and a Gallifreyan
who regenerates after decapitation will grow a new head (that will probably have the same memories as the
original).At the first regeneration the nanomachines are programmed to build
into the new body a number of improvements and backup systems
includinga new heart.For this reasonthe first regeneration is usually the most painful. At the end of the regeneration the comatos Gallifreyan is awakenedwith by an automatically triggered electroencephallic
shock.It takes about 10-60 minutes for the body to "gel"
completelywhich allows Gallifreyans of New Blood Housessome time to try various forms.Occasionally two Gallifreyans will end up with bodies that look the same.
This has been witnessed on at least 1 (or 2, or 3) occations.This could mean that the looms have only a limited number of bodies
stored in their data spirals.The new body will oftenhave a different personalitythat expresses a different aspect of their fundemental
personality.A copy of the previous personality is stored in the memory space for
eventual transfer into the Matrix. Each copy is kept "sleeping" in a "room
with no doors." The past incarnations often resent being locked away and
wish they could have lived longer. Some Time Lords of the first rank can
achieve Retro-Regeneration and temporarily summon the skills and personality
of a former incarnation. A TARDIS's Telepathic Circuits can help a Time Lord
acheive this. While Regeneration often causes temporary memory gapsthe new body does have the same memories. However, because of the new
personality, he will tend to draw different conclusions from those
remembered experiences. W hile many skills remain the same, it appears that many dexterity based
skills need to be "relearned" (at a fairly quick rate)due to the differance in body design.A Gallifreyan's handwriting remains more or less the same throughout all of
their incarnations.Until recently Regeneration was still a relatively risky procedure. While regeneratinga Gallifreyan's body might incorporate any foreign biodata it comes in
contact withallowing them to change species.Thus a Gallifreyan could regenerate and find himself to be half human.
This problem was only corrected within the last several thousand years.
Gallifreyans from Newblood Houses have amazing control over there
regenerations. This allows them to try on several different genetic templates (and
appearances) during a regeneration. This techniquie can be taught with some success to other Gallifreyans.
Some are even capable of temporarily shifting their genetic makeup enough to
fool some types of gene scanners without inducing a regeneration. It is possible for a Gallifreyan's gender to change during regenerationif they regenerate by commiting sucide. This illegal procedure is
known as a Sex Change Regeneration. It is also possible for them to regenerated in an animal like a
dog.Within thefirst 15 hours of regeneration a Gallifreyan will still have enough risidual
cellular energy to regrow a severed body part, such as a hand. The new body
part might be designed to prevent what ever caused the loss of the original.
Shortly after regeneration Gallifreyans will often experience bursts of
superhuman strength and speed while the new body stabilizes.They can also experiance Ambient Complexity which causes erratic and
volatile mood changes. Its worth knowning that extreame heat combined with
adrenalin can temporaily stabize a newly regenerated mind. In most cases the
Gallifreyan's mind will synchroniz properly within 4 days returning their
strenght, reflexes, and personality to normal (for their new incarnation).
In some cases Post-Regenerative Trauma can cause severe personality
instability. Some times in the absence of a Zero Room the subject never sychronizes properly.Both Metamorphic Symbiosis Regenerators and Zero Rooms can assist with
regenerative trauma and ambient complexity.Anaesthetic can delay or destroy the regenerative process and cause amnesia. For all these reasons regenerations are usually
planned months to years before the actual event.Gallifreyan technology (such as a TARDIS) or assistance is essential to
ensure survival during a regeneration especially if the subject has suffered radiation damage.Without technological assistance (such as a TARDIS) a Gallifrey runs the
risk of the rengeneration aborting halfway through leaving the subject
looking like some sort of multi-limbed monster. It is very dangerous for
Gallifreyans who haven't passed First Maturation (ie teenagers) to
regenerate.For this reasonit is usually forbidden for Gallifreyans to regenerate until they are 500
years old. S ome seedy Gallifreyan Cardinals hang themselves to get rid of
extra regenerations. This is considered to be a dangerous hobb y. For these
reasons their's a fair amount of "regeneration politics" among certain
factions on Gallifrey. These focus on issues of class, gender, and species. A Sex Change Regeneration is forbidden and is considered to be a
worse crime then stealing a TARDIS and interfering in other time zones. The
standard punishment is for the Time Lord to be locked inside their TARDIS
forever. Their only escape is to activate the de-materialization switch with
will remove them from History turning them into a neverperson.Public discussions of regeneration among Gallifreyans appears to be
similar to sex amongst humans (i.e. not good table manners) .A single body can last over 1000 years but the subject's body will atrophie
until he's only a few feet tall and he will require a wheelchair for
mobility. Each body is refered to as an "incarnation" or a "life-span."After 12 regenerations the biogenic molecules begin to decay
naturally.Gallifreyans are limited to 13 bodies becausetheir minds andbodies can only withstand the strain of twelve regenerations. Each body can
last centuriesand Gallifreyans only need to regenerated every thousand years or so.
However the last few incarnations generally don't last as long as the
earlier bodies. If a Gallifreyan suffers a severe enough injury in his 13th
body a regeneration will be triggered, but its inevitable failure will kill
the subject. Triggering a 13th Regeneration might be the accepted way that
Gallifreyan's end their lives. It is possible to "recharge" a regeneration cycle, but this can only be
done with the permission of the High Council and requires a massive amount
ofArtronEnergy. It probably involves aMetamorphic Symbiosis Regenerator.Occasionally a Gallifreyan renews his regenerative cycle by "Jumping
Looms" (being reborn into a new Family). A Sonic Micro-Field Manipulator appears to use the same principles of
regeneration only the technology is external to the subject. It can use
hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance which destablizes the
subjects cell structure. A metegenic program can then hack into the subjects
genese, manipulate the coding in the protein strands, and program them to
regenerate. This technology can also be used to prevent regeneration hyper
age a Gallifreyan. It can be built into a Laser Screwdriver to be used as a
weapon. A Distillation Chamber can be used to collect up a Gallifreyans lifeforce
(and thus steal their future regenerations) if it is applies as soon as the
Gallifreyan begin to regenerate. DEATHTechnically Gallifreyans are immortal except for accidents. In practice they choose there final Death Day between 7,000 and 12,000(usualy at about age 10,000). They often spend the last years leading up to their final Deathday in
meditation. All Gallifreyans can force themselves to stay alive
indefinitely. When they choose their Deathday, many Gallifreyans have
massive ceremonial funnerals (with lots of Remembrance Flowers). Legallyall deceased consciousness must be interned in the Amplified Panatropic
Computations Network (sometimes known as the Remembrance Garden) of the Matrix.This is done either directly using electrical scans of the brain pattern at
the moment of death (or no more then an hour afterwards)or after the fact in cinerary urns. Because of the risk of psychosomatic feedback living brains are never
hooked directly into the Matrix. The Lord President is an exception to this
but he spends years training for such contact.Gallifreyans can also use 'Soul Catching' to take the 'mind' of someone
who is dying.Once in the APC they live on forever.The deceased Gallifreyan's body is entombed in the vaults beneath their
Houses where they quickly break down into degenerate matter and then into
random molecules. Sometimes this breakdown occurs within seconds of death -
though this is very rare.. Under some (not entirely clear) circumstances the disintegration of a Gallifreyan's body can happen within
a minute after death.This page is the property of William B. Swift (B.S. Productions)
willbswift@hotmail.com