| Microbe Swarm | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Naming | |||
| Binomen | N/A | ||
| Morphology | |||
| Body type | Microbe | ||
| Intelligence | |||
| Sentience | Unknown | ||
| Sapience | Non-Sapient | ||
| Aggressivity | Extreme | ||
| Ecology | |||
| Place of origin | Perfection, Nevada | ||
| Habitat | Abandoned mines | ||
| Diet | Water | ||
| Locomotion | Airborne | ||
| Behind the Scenes | |||
| Universe | Tremors | ||
This Microbe Swarm is a hydrophilic bacterial colony accidentally created by exposure of a previous genetically-engineered microbe to Mixmaster: a compound that combines the DNA of different species together.
Biology[]
The Microbe Swarm behaves as a ghostly amorphous creature, moving within abandoned mines in Perfection, Nevada, while searching for potential sources of water, including living things. Its physical appearance is that of a luminous green mass of amorphous tentacles which can move through the air. When it finds water, it rapidly absorbs it, turning victims into desiccated corpses in a matter of seconds. It gets energy by breaking down water molecules, and the colony grows larger the more water it absorbs.
The Microbe Swarm originated as a genetically-engineered hydrophilic bacterium species, created as an efficient means to preserve food by removing all moisture from it. It was originally orange in coloration; made so by fluorescent genes to make it easily identifiable.
After the Proudfoot underground installations were abandoned, however, the original bacteria was exposed to leaked Mixmaster, which combined it with a different bacterial species to produce the Microbe Swarm. This second bacteria was a rare silicon-based species found only in deep undersea volcanic vents; and the incorporation of silicon structure made the microbes immune to the bactericide previously developed specifically to counter their growth. The mutation also made it change from orange to green, and caused it to develop much faster and become much more dangerous. The only known way to kill it is with extreme heat, such as using napalm. An alternate way to deal with it is to seal it in an air-tight container.
Appearances[]
- Tremors, s01e06, "Ghost Dance" (2003)