The Biology of Spore | Part I

I don't think there has ever been a video game like Spore. Released in the late 2000s, the game allows you to create and then guide a life form from a microorganism in a tide pool to an advanced creature in a galaxy-spanning civilization. Basically, being able to design and play as your own speculative creature really blew my mind when I was younger. I remember spending hours trying to make my creations as detailed as possible and creating fake scientific attributes about how they worked in the ecosystems around them. Of course, you can also use Spore to create strange monstrosities and throw the

biology

rulebook out the window.

After all, the final game certainly wasn't always a scientifically accurate depiction of evolution and often over-exaggerated the stages of life in cartoonish ways. I also know that a lot of content was cut during development, which disappointed some. However, for all its eccentricities, Spore is still an evolution simulator that is quite nostalgic for many, myself included. And the game explores several of the principles of evolution and

biology

, albeit in a simplified way. So for this archive entry, we'll create a creature and play the game ourselves to understand how this virtual race for survival relates to real scientific laws.

And as an added challenge, we'll try to keep our creature within the parameters of plausibility as much as possible in Spore. So, let's begin our billion-year journey through this simulated universe... The game begins in a swirling spiral galaxy. The opening screen really sells the potential of the journey you're about to embark on. From this distant perspective, everything seems possible. We have several shiny planets on which we can begin our odyssey of adaptation. This

part

icular world seems to fit well. Like Earth, it appears to have mostly green plants that match the wavelengths of light from its host star.

It's worth noting that in Spore, as in our own universe, alien planets can have completely different colored foliage depending on the wavelengths of their stars. We will call this world "Curious Planet" and start the simulation. The game begins with a sequence of an asteroid hurtling past the planet's host star and toward the planet itself. Passing through the atmosphere and falling into the sea, the asteroid carries hidden microorganisms with it. The concept of microorganisms surviving in space for long periods may seem like science fiction, but certain species of tardigrades or “water bears” can survive in the vacuum of outer space.

The idea that a similar microorganism could travel to another planet on an asteroid is a genuine scientific theory. And with the life form we will guide emerging from the rubble, the first stage of Spore has officially begun. While this section of the game is called the "Cell Stage", it appears to be a multicellular organism from the start. Our species begins its life on this planet drifting through the tide, feeding on bits of algae-like plant matter. On Earth, many tardigrades live their lives in a similar way, locating and feeding on clumps of rogue algae cells for sustenance.

As a heterotrophic life form, our microorganism cannot produce food inside its body and must consume plant matter regularly to continue functioning. The mouth of our herbivore appears to be that of a filter feeder and resembles that of rotifers on Earth. Rotifers are among the most successful microscopic filter feeders on Earth, vacuuming up plant matter using their rotating mouth

part

s. And if our microorganism wants to eat lunch, it will have to be the first in a rapidly expanding line. Because other emerging herbivores seek the same resources, and when resources are limited, competition begins. And so, within this tidal pool, the first race for survival on the Curious Planet is underway...

If our way of life is to survive, it needs to adapt. Entering the cell editor, we can see that so far we have been navigating the tide pool using a single flagellum: a long, whip-shaped structure that a wide range of microorganisms use for locomotion. In reality, some microorganisms have multiple flagella to propel themselves, a strategy that we will copy with our way of life. Our species also develops a pair of lateral spikes to defend itself against competition. Spines are an extremely basic adaptation, found at the microscopic level in life like heliozoans, whose bodies are surrounded by sharp projections that can pierce other microorganisms.

Now that our way of life looks quite promising, it's time for us to give this particular iteration a name. For now, we'll call them Curiosus Minimus. Over the course of our billion-year journey, we'll see them change quite a bit... Back in the tide pool, our extra flagella have helped us outpace other herbivores. Over the eons, our species has grown and can now feed on the ends of larger aquatic plant structures, again, just like certain tardigrades. But it is no longer just herbivores that find themselves on this primordial battlefield. At every turn, the newly emerging carnivores try to bite the Curiosus Minimus.

These early hunters resemble some of the oldest predators in Earth's fossil record from the Cambrian era. Nectocaris is a notable example of an early carnivore, and actually looks like a Spore creature in most reconstructions. With all sorts of hostile clients swarming the waters, Curiosus Minimus quills are an invaluable adaptation. Over millions of years, a new feature emerges in the form of navigational appendages that the game calls cilia. On Earth, the term "cilia" refers to hair-like structures found on the surface of various single-celled organisms. In Spore, the cilia are clearly something different, rather analogous to the tiny, primitive fin structures present in certain ichthyoplankton.

And with our new fins, navigating the tide pool has never been easier. Until now, we have subsisted exclusively on plants. But in order to document a wide variety of behaviors, I am going to guide our way of life down the path of the omnivore. In Spore, this is made possible by the development of a proboscis, or proboscis as it is sometimes pronounced. On Earth, several animals feed using a proboscis, both on the waves and in marsh-like environments, such as the Phyllodoce lineata, a species of worm that uses its strange mouth to feed on smaller organisms. With our new mouth, would-be attackers are now a potential source of nutrition.

Over the next few million years, our species thrives, developing a second pair of fins for navigation and earning the new name Curiosus Aquaticus. We are now a much larger form of life than when we began, more comparable to a small fish than a microorganism. And other life forms have followed suit, and life on Planet Curious has become much more sophisticated overall. Some organisms can even deliver a sudden electric shock if Curiosus Aquaticus gets too close. The mastery of electricity is familiar in our world, where electric eels use disc-shaped cells packed into specialized organs to generate their painful strikes.

While this is a promising strategy, Curiosus Aquaticus does well without it: our rear fins become larger and more well-defined. The era of tide pools is about to come to an end... A cartoon animation shows us that our species has developed a brain. On Earth, the first brains emerged from interconnected nerve networks, simple nervous systems that are still present in some types of jellyfish. With our developing brains and our enviable omnivorous niche, when it comes to mud swimming, Curiosus Aquaticus rules the pool. But a new stage of life is about to begin on dry land... Looking back at our history, we have already come a long journey: from a simple herbivore to a complex omnivore.

And now, the next stage in our evolutionary journey is to grow legs and get out of the water. The process of transitioning from land to ocean was complicated on Earth and we don't see much of it in Spore, although we can speculate on how it happens. Over millions of years, the fins of Curiosus Aquaticus likely grew larger and more muscular as ecological conditions encouraged them to spend more and more time at the water's edge. These early explorers were probably not the most graceful on earth and still lived their lives closely tied to water, like terrestrial mudskippers.

But over time, primitive legs emerged. And now, with a new color scheme, the strange life form we'll call Curiosus Irregularius is ready to leave the water behind and take its first steps as a true land-dweller. When we enter the creature stage of Spore, a loading screen informs us of the types of creatures we can encounter. And as always, it seems like a pretty unusual bunch. Curiosus Irregularius begins its life on land living in small, often hidden, communal nests. On Earth there are numerous types of species that build their nests directly on the ground. But it is an interesting sign of increasing intelligence that our creature has evolved to live in social units.

As a generalist omnivore, Curiosus Irregularius spends much of its time foraging and sneaking unseen through the grass. And they are not alone on dry land. Other species, perhaps distant relatives, also made the transition from land to water during this early period. The game gives us the option of hunting them or trying to impress them socially through displays such as singing and dancing. On Earth, all kinds of animals perform equally unusual displays, but usually only within their own species to facilitate courtship and mating. But while this type of communication between species is not likely, it is the system that the game provides us with, so we will make Curiosus Irregularius show its singing voice to any creature that wants to listen.

As the generations pass, Curiosus Irregularius will change quite a bit. Within the creature editor, Spore gives us the option to make practically any changes we want. As I said before, you can really push your creature to some pretty absurd limits. I remember spending hours when I was younger testing the limits of what Spore allowed you to do. While this is all fun, it's not exactly how evolution works, so we'll keep the changes gradual. In that sense, an ancestral feature that I have decided to preserve are the eyes on the stem. Eyes at the ends of the stems have their disadvantages, but also their advantages, such as a better field of vision.

And, frankly, they're just plain fun. In nature, stalk eye users include certain crabs and types of snails, so they are not an unheard of feature. In terms of mouth, this leech-like sucking mouth surrounded by primitive teeth appears to be the most likely to arise from a proboscis. Another useful adaptation that Spore offers is a type of projectile poison. I feel like the closest analogy to this in the natural world is the cobra's spitting chemical spray, so I placed the venom launcher in our creature's mouth. We can say that it derives from some type of salivary gland, since most of the poison in nature arises from there.

Another change that could occur over millions of years is a change in our creature's coloration. Colors and patterns play a fascinating role in all of Earth's ecosystems. Some are brightly colored as a signal to others of their species or as a warning to predators. Others have colors that match their surroundings to hide or stalk prey. Still others have colors and patterns that resemble other life forms to reduce their chances of being attacked. For our purposes, I have decided to stick with a green pattern that matches our surroundings. And looking at our creature in motion, I have to say that, although I tried hard to create a vaguely plausible species, they do look a little creepy.

I'm still pretty attached to them though. As the ages pass, our species becomes more adapted to the land and begins to live in larger social groups. Other species on Planet Curious are also changing and diversifying, some of which we impress with our social displays and others of which we must defend ourselves. After all, we are still omnivores and, with our gnashing teeth and poisonous spray, we pose a formidable threat. However, we are a food source for some larger, more specialized carnivores. If our species is really going to prosper, we may have to change our solitary hunting strategy...

Another era passes and we may evolve a larger mouth with pseudoteethmore defined. Like many of Spore's mouths, this one looks... a little strange. However, I think it's cool that these mouths' abilities seem to be loosely inspired by real-world animal behavior: the songbird-like mouth is better for things like singing, and the songbird-like mouth is better for things like singing. A crocodile presents one of the strongest bites. It's obviously a simplification, but it's a fun detail nonetheless. Sticking with our hideous leech mouth for now, we can also upgrade our poisonous saliva and claws, and add a display structure to our creatures' shoulders that will help us show off.

I imagine this feather-like structure evolved from some sort of rigid plate for the purpose of attracting a mate. And while this may seem far-fetched, some display structures on Earth that have evolved to attract mates are much more elaborate. With a new striped pattern on our creature's legs to help it blend into the tall grass, I think it's time we gave this iteration the new name Curiosus Striatus. And this new chapter looks exciting, as our species' social intelligence has progressed to the point where Curiosus Striatus can hunt in coordinated packs. With this critical advantage, our species can now frequently outcompete lineages that were once higher up the food web.

Sometimes the pack gets into more trouble than it can handle. At one point, a group of Curiosus Striatus is crushed under the foot of an Epic, a type of giant monster that I remember being one of the scariest parts of Spore when he was younger. At another point, we head out into the sea and are swallowed by a creature below – another part of Spore that I distinctly remember finding terrifying. But with each new generation, our omnivorous pack hunters become more intelligent... And as evolutionary processes continue to change, it is possible that Curiosus Striatus will become bipedal.

Bipedalism is a form of terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves using its two hind limbs. While we associate this type of walking with humans, all types of animals do it for various reasons. In dinosaurs such as theropods, for example, bipedalism is thought to have arisen to free their front limbs and allow them to grab fast-moving prey. We can imagine that primitive grasping fingers could arise in our species for the same reason. With a new mouth and more complex viewing structures, this is a big change to our way of life. And as is often the case in Spore, while our design may look quite stylized while standing still or moving, it looks... a little unusual.

Oh good. With a new name to celebrate its greedy fingers, Curiosus Digitatus is born. And with our new hands, fruit that was once out of reach is now quite accessible. Curiosus Digitatus' social interactions are also more complex and they move in larger herds across the vast open plains. With our coordinated movements and theropod-like anatomy, we have never been higher on the food web than now. Some Curiosus Digitatus even sometimes pick up sticks and hold them in their hands. Although at the moment this is just a product of curiosity, it is similar to the behavior of the first primates that gave rise to the first hominids.

With these grasping appendages that encourage their curiosity, Curiosus Digitatus are on the cusp of evolving higher intelligence. The curious Digitatus now live in larger nests. They can impress almost any species through their displays and hunt almost any species with their claws, fangs, and poisonous saliva. And with another cartoonish graphic conveying that our brains have once again increased in size, the final stage of our development is upon us. It's worth noting that while in Spore your creature evolves along a direct path to advanced intelligence, actual evolution is, of course, more meandering, with organisms adapting to physical changes in their environment and not They necessarily increase the size of their intelligence over time.

But having a more streamlined journey through evolution makes Spore more exciting. Speaking of which, entering the creature creator one last time, we can make the final updates. These include a four-part mouth, which is similar in some ways to the mouthparts of certain insects. Our fingers are also longer and more dexterous (with the critical beginning of a thumb-like opposable finger) and our display structures are more extravagant than ever. Finally, our posture has become more upright. This remarkable iteration has earned the name Curiosus Sapiens. Looking ahead, the various social units of Curiosus Sapiens will continue to thrive and achieve greater complexity.

These intelligent omnivores have come a long way from their tiny starting point, filter feeding. Looking back at our history, it has been a long and winding road to get to this point. The stages after cell and creature are all about technological development, so we won't cover them, at least in this video. Watching a creature evolve in Spore is still a pretty special experience. Despite the age of the game, I often see people posting new things they've created online. I know Spore almost had more features and more realism, and while it's a shame those elements were removed, the simulated galaxy we're left with is still pretty unique.

I think part of what keeps people coming back to this game is that the experience is largely what you make it. You can push the creature's creator to its absolute limits and create absurd monstrosities, or you can try to stay within the limits of plausible biology. Up to you. I'd love to see another high-profile game tackling something similar, as I think there's real potential for a modern, more science-based take on this concept. But for now, we can always fall back on the weird and wonderful possibilities of Spore. As always, thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this post, please support us by helping make these videos possible by liking, subscribing, and hitting the notification icon to stay up to date on all things Curious.

See you in the next video.