Taiyi Zhenren's lotus root, Squidward's wrist, the demon tribe's bathhouse, the "hidden boss" in the scientific circle

This Spring Festival, when you were excited about Nezha's "My fate is in my own hands" in the cinema, have you ever thought that the operation of Taiyi Zhenren using lotus roots to create humans was actually praised by modern scientists? The octopus grilled its own tentacles and ate them, which actually hides the "black technology" of the biological world? Does the "bathhouse" of the deep-sea purgatory of the underwater monsters really exist in reality? Behind this popular Chinese cartoon, it turns out that there is so much hard-core scientific knowledge!

Taiyi Zhenren's lotus root——

Recently, the comment section of "Nezha 2" has become very lively because of a debate - "Why must lotus root be used? Can't yam, potato, or spicy strips be used?" "They are both starch, so why doesn't Taiyi Zhenren use tapioca flour or corn starch?"

The media understands traffic. First, CCTV Agriculture came out to explain the rationality of this matter - at that time, China did not grow cassava and corn, but lotus is a native "Chinese baby" that has grown on the land of China for countless years. Then the People's Daily and other media followed up, "coming out of the mud without being stained", "washing in the clear water without being evil", "broken lotus roots and silk threads", a wave of cultural output is very consistent with Nezha's temperament. The most effective way to "convince people with reason" is still various scientific interpretations. After all, the imagination of our ancestors combined with the microscope of scientists is the real "light of Chinese comics"!

Taiyi Zhenren reshapes Nezha with lotus root

Biologists say that lotus root is not an ordinary vegetable. Its internal structure is similar to the human vascular system. Lotus root silk is like the blood vessels of the human body, which can transport water and nutrients. What's more, the cell wall of lotus root thickens in a spiral shape, is extremely tough, and becomes longer and longer as it is stretched, just like a spring. This is a bit like the repair mechanism of human blood vessels after damage. Blood vessels also have the ability to repair themselves after damage. You see, when modern artificial blood vessel materials are still struggling in the laboratory, the ancients had already used natural lotus root silk to play with the "life channel".

Mathematicians also joined in the fun, explaining from a topological perspective that lotus roots and the human body are mathematically homeomorphic. In topology, the concept of homeomorphism refers to the fact that two shapes can be transformed into each other through continuous deformation. The human body has multiple "holes" running through it, such as the digestive tract and respiratory tract. The internal structure of the lotus root is also like a "hole". From this perspective, the lotus root and the human body are homeomorphic in topology, so the lotus root can be used to reshape Nezha. Isn't this the "scientific pass" that mathematicians have issued to "resurrect Nezha"!

With both "cultural output" and "scientific adaptation", it's no wonder that Nezha 2 has such a stable box office.

Squidward's wrist——

In "Nezha 2", the hilarious scene of the octopus general roasting his own tentacles left a deep impression on many viewers and also triggered questions from many people online: "Why is it an octopus and not a squid?" "Is this octopus a 'masochist'?" In fact, behind this scene lies the "black technology" of the biological world - a powerful regenerative ability!

Marine scientists stand up to popularize science - the octopus's ability to regenerate its tentacles is the "ceiling" of the biological world. When octopuses are in danger, they will decisively "cut off their arms", and then grow new tentacles within a few weeks or even months. This is not a simple "copy and paste", but a highly coordinated biological process. The regeneration of octopus tentacles depends on local stem cell banks. These stem cells are like "micro factories" that quickly gather at the damaged site and begin to "produce" new cells and tissues. The regenerated tentacles not only look and function almost the same as the original ones, but can also restore their original flexibility and grasping ability in a short time.

Grilled Octopus

In contrast, squids are not so "powerful". Their tentacles regenerate slowly by relying on dedifferentiated cells, and the regenerated tentacles are relatively weak. The regenerative ability of octopuses is a survival strategy they have developed over a long period of evolution, like a set of built-in "spare parts" that allow them to "retreat to advance" and quickly restore their combat effectiveness when facing predators.

Scientists have also discovered that the octopus's regenerative ability is not limited to its tentacles. Their nervous system is very developed and can precisely control every step of the regeneration process. This ability provides a valuable reference for regenerative medicine research. Perhaps in the near future, the octopus's regeneration "secrets" will bring new breakthroughs to human medical research, allowing damaged organs and tissues to regain vitality like the octopus' tentacles.

The demon tribe’s bathhouse——

Speaking of the "magma bathhouse" of the sea monsters, it is really an eye-opener. In "Nezha 2", the monsters are leisurely and contented in the deep sea purgatory with surging lava, as if they are enjoying a "magma bath". Although this picture is exaggerated, in reality, the existence of seabed magma is not fictional.

The scene where the demons were suppressed in the "undersea purgatory" with surging lava

Geologists came out to explain that there is not only magma activity on the seabed, but it is more active than we thought. There are nearly 25,000 volcanoes distributed on the seabed around the world. These volcanoes are concentrated in geologically active areas such as mid-ocean ridges, ocean islands and subduction zones. When a submarine volcano erupts, the magma temperature is as high as 900℃ to 1400℃, but it will not be extinguished by seawater. This is because magma does not rely on oxygen to maintain combustion, and the cooling capacity of seawater is far from being able to compete with it.

However, the magma under the sea does not flow directly into the land as in the movies. Although in some special cases, such as the 2021 eruption of the La Palma volcano in Spain, lava flows into the ocean, this phenomenon is relatively rare. Moreover, the eruption form of submarine volcanoes is also different from that of land volcanoes, and usually no violent red eruption columns or lava waterfalls are formed.

What is even more amazing is that life can survive tenaciously in such an extreme environment. In 1977, scientists discovered that there were blind shrimps, tube worms and thermophilic bacteria that could withstand high temperatures around the hydrothermal vents of the submarine volcano "black chimney" in the East Pacific Rise. These organisms do not rely on sunlight to survive, but use the hydrogen sulfide released by the vents as energy to establish a unique chemosynthetic ecosystem. This ecosystem is called the "oasis of life in hell" and has completely overturned human cognition of the limits of life.

Scientists also speculate that submarine volcanoes may be the origin of life. The earliest animal fossils on Earth can be traced back to about 890 million years ago, and primitive marine life was born 3 to 4 billion years ago. In ancient times, volcanic activity provided abundant heat and chemicals to the deep sea, creating an ideal environment for the birth of life. The demons trapped by the "Demon Locking Formation" in the movie may be seen as a symbol of the extreme ecology of the deep sea.

With the box office success of Nezha 2, many people are looking forward to Nezha 3 to create another success. What kind of scientific plots do you think Nezha 3 can have? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.