FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

(Note: this is a companion piece to my story series "Woofy and Me," and occurs shortly after the events of that story. This piece contains what could be considered to be major spoilers of certain plot points in that series, and may not make much sense outside of that series' context.)

This entry is dated approximately two and a half weeks after the previous one, although it was found in a different set of notebooks following a series of complex organic-chemistry formulas.

Earlier today, we finished the latest round of chemical analysis of some of the compounds extracted from the bodily fluids of various CS subjects who volunteered to contribute samples. The most recent samples analyzed were stool, blood, and certain enzyme samples, and were comparable to our previous studies of saliva, skin gland secretions, and seminal fluid. I suppose it's hardly a surprise at this point that certain elements of the gas-chromatograph analysis returned as inconclusive, featuring a number of complex organic compounds that our scientific team has yet to reliably factor into its component parts, although traces of hormones and certain chemicals involved in neurotransmission have been detected in varying quantities. However, while this analysis still posits more questions than it answers, it does shed some light, I believe, on certain internal processes that may prove quite important.

Ever since the unfortunate event that led to the deaths of one of the CS subjects and a promising young researcher, we had been puzzled as to why the act of anal sex had proven to be so suddenly and violently lethal, apparently the result of neurotoxin exposure similar to what had presented in Dr. Dubrovnikov's military trials involving humans. The situation was more puzzling due to the fact that the exposure apparently took place within the colon of the CS, and yet initial testing of the solid waste excretions from multiple CS subjects showed no sign of the implicated neurotoxin, with compounds similar to the other bodily fluids. However, this new, more detailed analysis picked up something the other tests had missed - some of the compounds discovered turned out to be chemical components which were actually breakdown products from the neurotoxin after it is exposed to certain chemical processes. This led to the conclusion that something is being done to the accumulated neurotoxin within the body in order to render it safe for excretion.

To verify this hypothesis, after a considerable amount of cajoling, we were able to convince two Canos to undergo sigmoidoscopy in a biosecured laboratory, where we were able to obtain swab-type and micro-biopsy tissue samples from the intestinal lining with minimal disruption or bloodstream exposure. Upon analyzing these samples, we were able to detect cells that appeared to form a barrier layer between the intestinal lining and the bloodstream, in which we discovered a high concentration of the neurotoxin in question. This seemed to indicate that some sort of genetic adaptation had occurred, perhaps serendipitously as the result of Dr. Dubrovnikov's genetic recombination, that allowed for a group of cells to sequester the neurotoxin safely (or, if an alternate theory is correct, these cells could potentially be the location where the neurotoxin is created - it is impossible to be sure without more information). However, this still did not explain how the neurotoxin eventually left the body.

The key to the breakdown and excretion process apparently lay in a different sample, from the intestinal lining itself, where we found a somewhat mutated strain of bifidobacterium, which was apparently able to partially digest the neurotoxin along with more usual nutrients, managing to extract some energy from it, but in the process also breaking it down into precursor components that were not directly neurotoxic. It appears that gradually, over time, the neurotoxin leaches outward from the cells and into the intestinal lining, where it is intercepted by the opportunistic bacteria and broken down before it can pose a neurological threat.

Given what we now know from these new analyses, it appears that Cano Sapiens have somehow found a way to achieve an equilibrium with the chemicals their body naturally produces, although whether this is due to serendipity or specific intention, I am still unsure. Dr. Dubrovnikov is understandably hesitant to discuss the situation in light of his still-uncertain legal status, and while I have gathered from some oblique mentions that the current group of Canos are several iterations advanced from his original experiments, he refuses whatsoever to speak of the generations that preceded the current one, which leaves me tempted to assume the worst. (Also, given this situation, I may have to revise my previous theories as to the development of CS sexual practices, as it occurs to me that if Dr. Dubrovnikov did, in fact, have some of this information earlier, he may have actively discouraged experimentation with anal intercourse among his subjects, thereby redirecting them towards the aforementioned sexual practices. Again, I am unable to convince Dr. Dubrovnikov to discuss this particular issue.)

However, this does shed some light on why Operation Basilisk may have failed. If, in fact, the innate chemical processes that produce the complex organic compounds that were supposed to make the program work, as in CS, also produced similar sort of neurotoxins, it would have been problematic for the human test subjects. Even if there is a suitable layer of cells in humans to store the toxin, if there was not a similar sequestration from the bloodstream or the absence of the symbiotic bacteria, the toxins would have slowly leached into the bloodstream over the course of days, leading to progressively worse neurological side effects until the concentration was sufficiently toxic enough to cause acute neurological symptoms and death. Because the two projects were so jumbled and intermingled, it is possible that Dr. Dubrovnikov simply did not notice the problematic byproducts that were generated by the recombination until it was too late.

This information also, I believe makes it clear what happened during the lethal situation that we encountered. A known side effect of anal intercourse is some abrading of the intestinal lining due to the friction involved, and penile microabrasions are also common, providing access to the bloodstream. These friction abrasions are, in fact, a major transmission vector for sexually-transmitted infections. In this particular case, it is believed that the abrasions in the intestinal lining ruptured the barrier between the sequestration cells and the intestinal wall, while also opening up the cells to the bloodstream of the Cano. As a result, the neurotoxin directly entered the circulatory system of both victims, progressing quickly to the brain and central nervous system, where it caused a fairly rapid death with symptomatic similarities to cyclosarin exposure. While it is possible that condom use might have prevented the death of the lab assistant, the fatal result for the Cano would still have occurred. Therefore, I stand by my recommendation that all receptive anal intercourse with Canos should be clearly forbidden, and the reasons laid out to all subjects to inform them of the dangers. Luckily, all of the pairings seem to have found various methods of sexual expression aside form anal intercourse, and generally seem to be satisfied with it. (Admittedly, while I can think of no reason why anal penetration of humans by Canos should cause any comparable harm, in my opinion it is better to simply discourage the sex act entirely, so that couples do not decide to reciprocate the act with potentially lethal results).

Before I wrap up this entry, there is one other note on a finding that may have something to do with these results. Previously, we had noted that most CS subjects tend to consume far less that humans of comparable sizes. This was partially due to the fact that CS apparently have a considerably slower metabolism, as their thick coat of fur allows them to maintain their body temperature more easily than humans, and therefore have to expend considerably less energy to maintain it. However, the bacteria that we discovered may add some additional explanation. While it is admittedly unusual to see bacterial digestion of that sort as far back in the digestive system as we found it, it appears that some of the breakdown products from the digestion are ATP-like substances that could theoretically be absorbed back into the body and used for cellular energy. It is true that far more research will be needed to confirm that hypothesis, but it is another intriguing piece of the puzzle in the complex biochemical workings of this new and intriguing species.