From The Annals of Exobiology:

The Wife Garden or Observations of Sexual Dimorphism of Kepler System Life – A Warning to Future Explorers

Authors notes:

Observational exobiology is a relatively new field as recent advancements in spacecraft propulsion have only just made visiting and exploring extrasolar planets and observing life there possible.  Theoretical exobiology has existed as far back as the 19th century when science-fiction authors like Jules Verne sought to create plausible extraterrestrial societies for their stories.  It became more recognized as a field of science instead of fantasy in the 20th century with the first manned missions to the Moon and rover missions to Mars.  Still, exobiology was limited to theory and attempting to extrapolate observed biology on Earth to extrasolar conditions.  While this has proven to be a good bedrock for the field of exobiology, and over-reliance on assumptions based on Terran biology can lead to proverbial blindspots, sometimes with disastrous results.  It is important that scientists who attempt to study extrasolar species do so with the broadly of open minds.

May this journal article serve as both a memorial for those lost on the Ardan mission and a warning to future explorers to beware of their biases.

Introduction:

The system of planets orbiting Kepler-62 has proven to be a treasure trove of extrasolar life, with three “Goldilocks zone” planets, all supporting diverse biomes.  Kepler-62g has a Plutonian orbit out of the plane of the other Kepler-62 planets, prevented earlier discovery by long-range telemetry.  The orbit, however, is within the habitable region of the K-class star resulting in a fairly interesting evolution of the species that live there.  Kepler-62g is home to the only Kepler-62 system species with humanoid intelligence.

The name of the species in its native language is still unknown, as communication has been to this point impossible.  Since scientific naming conventions for extrasolar species is still a topic of much controversy, for the purposes of this paper they will be known as Homo Kepler Gamma, or Gammas for short.

Observations of Homo Kepler Gamma:

Early assessments of the Gammas put the level of their civilization at late neolithic.  However, as aforementioned, attempting to understand extrasolar species on human terms often leads to blind spots.

The civilization assessment made by the first exobiologists to study the Gammas was based on observations of Gammas appearing to be engaged in rudimentary agricultural practices with simple tools.

Gammas were observed to tend to small plots of land containing several large pod-like plants.  Gammas were meticulous in the tending of their plots, regularly watering the plots, applying what appeared to be a hand made fertilizer, and weeding the plots of any other undesired vegetation.

The assumption by the initial contacting scientists was that the Gammas were subsistence farmers.  This inaccurate evaluation of observed Gamman behavior ultimately doomed the mission.

Disasterous First Contact:

The history of first contact among diverse groups of humans has been fraught with disaster.  War, conquest, and slavery were the norm when two tribes or cultures that had been separated by great distances met for the first time, and this is among members of the same species.  With this in mind, protocols were established to guide researchers in making peaceful first contact.  Given the rarity of intelligent extrasolar species, these protocols were largely theoretical and based upon human anthropology.  The protocols were grossly wrong and woefully inadequate.

Initial contact seemed promising.  The Gammas appeared cautious but curious of the researchers.  The researchers intended to use a common reference point to establish peaceful communications.  All of the Gammas had appeared to engage in farming activities and so the researchers attempted to engage in farming behaviors with the Gammas.

At the moment that the first researcher made physical contact with one of the pod plants, the Gammas became violent.  The entire first contact team was killed and subsequent attempts at establishing peaceful contacts have been rebuffed with equal vehemence.

Gamman Biology and Reproduction:

Sexual dimorphism is common on Earth.

Merriam-Webster’s 22nd Century Dicotnery defines Sexual Dimorphism as a condition of having the two sexes markedly dissimilar in appearance.  A classic example is bright plumage found on male birds of a species such as peacocks but not on the females such as the peahen.  In some cases, such as the anglerfish, the male and female of the species can be so great that the two do not appear to be members of the same species.

The sexual dimorphism of the Gammas is so extreme that the male and female of the species do not appear to be in the same taxonomic kingdom.

The Gamma male is hexapedal, approximately 3.0 to 2.5 meters in length, with the four rear legs for propulsion and two forward arms, the Gamma male could very roughly be described as being similar to a giant praying mantis.  However, the arms terminate in six equal-length, multi-jointed digits, like a six-fingered hand with radial symmetry.

The Gamma female is a pod-like plant approximately 1.5 to 2.0 meters high, with a fibrous outer husk.  The evolution of this degree of sexual dimorphism appears to be advantageous in the long climate cycles of Kepler-62g due to the highly elliptical orbit.  The Gamma female is able to maintain a very long gestation period with a low metabolic rate generating required energy through photosynthesis.  When the climate is optimal for the Gamm offspring, the  Gamma female will then undergo dehiscence – or perhaps give birth (again we fond ourselves at the mercy of Terran biological understanding) – to a larval Gamma.

In their larval form, the Gammas show no sexual dimorphism.  During sexual maturation, the Gamma larva enters pupae and emerges in its final form.

Despite her plant-like appearance, the Gamma female is sentient.  The ritualistic practice of tending to the female by the male, which was at first thought to be a form of subsistence farming, was a complicated courtship and mating ritual.  Not unlike terrestrial species, the courtship ritual of the male are a show of his ability to be a provider and protector to the female and future offspring.  When a Gamma female accepts the courtship of a Gamma male, he will transplant her to his private plot where they will mate for life.  This is the Gamma male’s wife garden.

Biological and Cultural Misunderstandings:

The aforementioned understanding of Gamma sexuality and reproduction came was not available to the crew of the Ardan.  Had this been known, the mission disaster could have been averted.

When the researcher attempted to engage in farming behaviors as a sign of good faith, he inadvertently broke a Gamman cultural taboo.

One does not tend another male’s wife garden.

This was tantamount to attempting to cuckold the male Gamma while groping his wife.

Given that, the reaction by the Gammas to the crew of the Ardan is understandable, and why subsequent interactions have been antagonistic, to say the least.

Final Thoughts and Conclusions:

One should not judge the crew of the Ardan too harshly.  The diversity of life in the galaxy is greater than we had ever imagined.  As we discover new species we understand how our terrestrial understanding of life and its taxonomic categories is wholly insufficient to fathom, let alone classify, what we have discovered among the stars.

Such innocent yet horrible mistakes will happen again.  As scientists, it is our hope that we learn from them and do not repeat the same ones.

In memoriam of the crew of the Ardan, per aspera ad astra.