Protheans

## Biology

Protheans are a bipedal insectoid race capable of flight. Their hands each have two fingers and an opposable thumb, and their feet each have two widely-spaced toes. Their bodies are largely covered by thick, layered chitin for extra protection, while the surrounding skin ranges from blue to green in colour and is mottled with muted yellow spots. Due to the presence of haemoglobin, prothean blood is red in colour. Despite being an insectoid race, protheans possess an internal skeleton rather than an external one, although it is lightweight to allow for flight.

Protheans possess two pairs of glassy, iridescent wings, one pair smaller than the other, which are attached to their infraspinatus flight muscles. While in flight, a prothean can propel themselves in six directions: upward, downward, forward, backward, left and right. They are also capable of hovering in place for extended periods of time and can consciously control the speed at which they move through the air. Protheans can reach a top speed of approximately 65kph while flying and are capable of pulling several Gs while turning through tight corners.

Prothean eyesight is second to none. They possess four large eyes with dual-pupils, capable of perceiving higher frequencies of electromagnetic radiation, including ultraviolet light. This renders optical camouflage technology useless against protheans; they can detect the distortion of light around an object or person concealed by such technology, allowing them to see through the cloaking effect. Having four eyes grants protheans quadocular vision, a trait which they share with the barbarians. This gives them both a superior visual field and perception of depth and 3-dimensional structure when compared with humans.

A unique attribute of prothean physiology is their ability to exchange genetic memory through physical touch. As predators, primitive protheans naturally evolved to be able to read every detail of their native environment to better hunt their prey and ensure their own survival. This ability continued to evolve with each successive generation, becoming increasingly sophisticated over the millennia. By touching a person or an object, a prothean can recall its experiences in perfect clarity, as if the memories were their own. They, in turn, can share their own memories with said person or object in the process. In addition to the sharing of memories, this ability allows protheans to impart knowledge directly into the minds of others. Complex ideas and new skills can be absorbed in seconds through mere touch - learning to speak an alien language or memorising the schematics needed to build a weapon happens instantaneously. No other sapient species in the known galaxy share this genetic trait with them, making their species truly unique.

From the few specimens of Prothean genetic material that have been found, modern scientists have learned that protheans have a "quad-strand" DNA structure, otherwise known as a guanine-quadruplex. These square-like strands of DNA replicate much more quickly than the double-helix formations found in other species, granting protheans a natural resistance to low levels of ionising radiation which would otherwise damage their DNA. This fast replication of their genetic code allows protheans to heal much faster by stimulating the rapid production of new cells. In cases of severe injury, a prothean is even capable of regenerating damaged organs and lost limbs.