Guide to Xenobiology

Xenobiologist
Xenobiologists research alien lifeforms known as Metroids and sometimes Xenomorphs. Care and safety is the way to win. Laboratory wasn't designed for uncareful and incompetent personnel, who can't wait to release green friends. Remember, field generators should always be on, and a Fire Extigusher should be nearby, in case of hungry metroid attack. Usage of monkeys in nearby pen will allow you to safely extract and kill the jellyfish.

Familiarization
First thing you should do is look around your laboratory. Get used to it, love it, because probably it will be your grave, if you don't read this guide entirely. In the top right corner of laboratory there is a monkey pen - you feed Metroids with contents of the pen. Near the pen there is an operational table, circular saw, scalpel and a Bio-suit. Below monkey pen there are ports to connect gas canisters to, and a trash bin which leads directly to space. In the lower part of laboratory there is a stun baton, which is almost always hoarded, a wrench, button to control Metroid cage shutters, a trash bin for feeding and some fluffy japanese monkey cubes which expand into edible monkies when wet. But the most important part of laboratory is Metroid cage. It contains two shining stars - our Metroids!

Population control
You should always have one Metroid in cage. More than one - you won't be able to work efficiently, less than one - you won't be able to work at all.

Zero Metroids
You can't do anything anymore. Probably go choose another science branch and begin working there.

One Metroid
If it's a baby, grab two monkies from the pen, put them into trash bin near Metroid cage and flush them. If it's adult, one monkey will be enough. Wait for metroid to grow and split.

Two or more Metroids
Time to kill a few Metroids. But be careful - you must have one Metroid alive, for breeding. To kill one, get Fire Extigusher, turn safety off, walk into pen, drag a Metroid into small place, such as airlock system between laboratory and Metroid cage, and begin spraying. It's a good idea to get a temperature gun from Researchers, and your Metroid hunting won't be more dangerous than safari. If you're unlucky, and Metroid latched on you, tell crew that your cold corpse will be waiting in Xenobiology.

Harvest
Drag a dead Metroid to operational table, with intent Grab click on it, and click on operational table. Then, apply surgical tools in order as follows. Then you can throw Metroid corpse into space using disposals, store it in a closet nearby, or give it to those Assistants to play with.
 * 1) Scalpel
 * 2) Scalpel
 * Saw
 * Saw
 * Saw

Preparing
You need equipment to work with cores, so ask someone for it, borrow or steal.
 * Syringe - to get blood and transfer liquids in cores. Better get three. You can get these from Medbay or in Autolathe.
 * Water - reagent. Your best bet is to steal a large water tank from maintenance.
 * Sugar - reagent. Get from Chemists.
 * Empty Beaker - to hold liquids and pour out failed experiments. Better get two.
 * Hand Labeler - because you need to label cores somehow.

Science
Easiest way to determine cores is to test easiest reactions on it. Follow the guide below.



Reagent scanner is avaible only for chemists. You can check what's inside by drawing reagents from core using syringe, injecting it into an empty beaker and examining the beaker.

How cores work
There are six types of Metroid cores. Five are useful, and sixth - also known as zeroth - is useless. Just a chunk of meat. Better give it to researchers, it's useful for researching Biology. Other types react differently when injected with sugar, blood or acid. Inject the core with sugar or blood, and using other syringe pull out the stuff in it. Therefore, Metroid cores is not just one-time source of profit for Researchers, but it's also supply of liquid plasma, universal enzymes, viruses, cyanide and large ammount of fun for you and entire station. Also, cores are not permanent. They wear out after producing something more than 5 times, and will become useless chunk of meat. It's best to give these to Researchers, just like type 0.

Formulas
Here is list of stuff that can be made with Metroid cores. {| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="article-table" style="height: 500px; width: 500px; " ! scope="col"|

Type
! scope="col"|

Outcome
! scope="col"|

Effect
! scope="col"|

Formula
Condensed Capaicin Sugar, Blood
 * colspan="1" rowspan="3"|1
 * colspan="1" rowspan="3"|1
 * Raises body temperature. Can be made by grinding Chili Pepper.
 * Sugar
 * Frost Oil
 * Lowers body temperature. Can be made by grinding Ice Peppers.
 * Water
 * Glycerol
 * Can be used to make Nitroglycerine.
 * Blood
 * colspan="1" rowspan="3"|2
 * Explosion
 * A weak explosion. Not very dangerous.
 * Blood
 * Metroid Jam
 * Don't give this to Chef . Seriously. It's poison.
 * Water
 * Synthetic Flesh
 * Synthetic Meat, just don't tell where you got this!
 * Sugar
 * colspan="1" rowspan="3"|3
 * Universal Enzyme
 * Very useful thing, used by Chef.
 * Blood, Water
 * Plasma
 * Liquid plasma. Your co-workers will like this. You will like it too.
 * colspan="1" rowspan="3"|3
 * Universal Enzyme
 * Very useful thing, used by Chef.
 * Blood, Water
 * Plasma
 * Liquid plasma. Your co-workers will like this. You will like it too.
 * Liquid plasma. Your co-workers will like this. You will like it too.

1/2¹ 4 Acid, Mutagen, Plasma
 * Virus
 * Makes blood infected by virus. Additionally, some Cyanide. Ask chemists to separate blood from Cyanide.
 * Sugar, Acid
 * colspan="1" rowspan="3"|
 * colspan="1" rowspan="3"|
 * colspan="1" rowspan="3"|
 * Teleport
 * Teleports you to random tracking beacon on station.

2/2/1 Blood, Water
 * Crit
 * Summons a random critter to you. Not always it will try to kill you, but be careful.
 * Acid, Blood, Plasma, Mutagen
 * Bork
 * Summons random food around you. Delicious!
 * Sugar, Water
 * colspan="1" rowspan="3"|5
 * Chloral Hydrate
 * Strongest sedative on station.
 * colspan="1" rowspan="3"|5
 * Chloral Hydrate
 * Strongest sedative on station.

1/2 ¹ - 1/2 means "1 part, 2 parts". Sugar, Blood 1/2 means "One part Sugar, two parts Blood".
 * Retrovirus
 * Creates blood infected with Retrovirus.
 * Sugar
 * Foam
 * Alien Foam
 * Acid
 * }
 * Acid
 * }