A couple of questions about the Bwap section in Aliens of Charted Space 3

[Tom B]

I've a couple of questions about the description of Bwaps in AoCS 3.

First biochemistry.

The book says the following ...

Their biochemistry utilises right-handed amino acids (Humaniti uses left-handed amino acids) and left-handed carbohydrates, the same as Humaniti.

However, (please double-check this as I could be getting it wrong), I believe that most terrestrial life uses left-handed amino acids and right-handed carbohydrates. The carbohydrates is different to what is stated above.

Also, sex determination,

First it says it is governed by chromosomes (males being WW and females with ZW), which is set at the moment of fertilisation, however, it then states the environment can affect it. I'm not sure how that would work as the sex has already been set. Or do you then get males with ZW and females with WW?

 

[G'Naakbusters]

Hmmm, I note that the text doesn't specify that the chromosome selection happens at fertilization; obviously, we'd assume that, but...

Perhaps there's some means by which an conceived Bwap always has two W (they're all male initially) and some of them also get a Z from their mother that replaces one of the Ws; that is, the actual sex selection takes place later in the development process, much how some animals can change sex later in life? So some Bwaps change sex in the womb, from male to female. One of the factors determining how many get the "Z Shift" and replace one of their W chromosomes is, as we're told, the temperature?

It's a bit weird how it's written, yeah (a mix of komodo dragon and crocodile, when they use very different sex-selection methods) but I think it still works.

Bwaps shift sex post-conception and pre-birth if certain temperature triggers (among other factors) initiate the "Z moves up, one of the Ws drops to Discard Position" process?

 

[MonsterX]

Seems like the intent in the biochemistry description is to have Bwaps be able to gain nutrition from many of the same foods as humans. So I would consider it just a typo.

 

[Tom B]

Hmmm, I note that the text doesn't specify that the chromosome selection happens at fertilization; obviously, we'd assume that, but...

Perhaps there's some means by which an conceived Bwap always has two W (they're all male initially) and some of them also get a Z from their mother that replaces one of the Ws; that is, the actual sex selection takes place later in the development process, much how some animals can change sex later in life? So some Bwaps change sex in the womb, from male to female. One of the factors determining how many get the "Z Shift" and replace one of their W chromosomes is, as we're told, the temperature?

It's a bit weird how it's written, yeah (a mix of komodo dragon and crocodile, when they use very different sex-selection methods) but I think it still works.

Bwaps shift sex post-conception and pre-birth if certain temperature triggers (among other factors) initiate the "Z moves up, one of the Ws drops to Discard Position" process?

I did think about that, but it did seem overly complicated.