Imagine you are happily cruising along space
in your very own mining ship when suddenly you pick up a faint distress signal from far
away. Checking your spaceship's digital atlas, you
discover that the signal is coming from a colony on a planet called “LV-426”- hmm,
where have you heard that name before? Landing on this distant moon you exit your
spaceship hoping to rescue some desperate colonists- only to come face to face with
the galaxy's most formidable predator. Hello and welcome to another special episode
of The Infographics Show- today we're putting you up against the most perfect organism in
the universe in, Could you defeat it? You vs a xenomorph. Xenomorphs, or Aliens, are a parasitic species
who's real origins are unclear. Some believe that Xenos were genetically engineered
by an ancient space-faring civilization known as the Engineers, or Mala'kak. The Mala'kak may have used Xenomorphs to terraform
planets by wiping out all large species and then starting fresh with their own genetically
engineered creations, or they may simply have been a biological weapon meant to 'disinfect'
experiments they think went wrong, or to use against their enemies. Others however believe that Xenomorphs evolved
in a dark, distant corner of the galaxy and were discovered by the Engineers and other
space-faring civilizations. Though their origin remains a mystery, we
have enough experience with xenomorphs to have learned a lot about them as a species. The Xenomorph life cycle begins with an egg
which contains a short-lived organism known as a Facehugger. Upon detecting the pheromones of an approaching
host, the egg will awaken the facehugger within, which immediately attacks the would-be host
and attempts to latch onto an orifice so it can deposit a parasitic larvae inside the
host- typically a host's mouth is the preferred larva-laying route into a host, but given
their adaptability to different hosts across the galaxy any orifice or even a sufficiently
large wound will do. Once inside, the larvae feeds off vital fluids,
making the host incredibly hungry and forcing it to eat more which in turn further feeds
the larvae. One sufficiently large, the larvae will then
exit the host as a chestburster, so named for their proclivity to burst directly through
a host's chest. Once free, the larvae seeks shelter somewhere
dark and isolated, where by some unknown biological process it is able to quickly mature into
an adult drone at an extraordinary rate. Xenomorphs are a eusocial species much like
ants, honey bees, and other social insects, with a clearly defined caste system. It's thought that all members of a xeno hive
are females, and at the very top of the hive is the only fertile female: the Queen. She is solely responsible for egg laying,
and every other member of the brood is her offspring. Drones, or warriors, are the workhorses of
the hive and are responsible for defending the hive as well as finding prey and new hosts
for the eggs. A third caste, the Praetorians, are only produced
when a hive has grown large enough to support them. These are the most formidable of Xenomorphs-
with the exception of the Queen herself- and act as bodyguards to the Queen. However as they mature, Praetorians exude
a scent that is different than the rest of the hive which prompts the hive's drones to
attack it and chase it away from the hive. Once fully mature the Praetorian will return
and be attacked once again, and either be killed off by the hive or be grudgingly accepted
by the Queen after suffering too many casualties amongst her drones. Interestingly despite this hostility, Praetorians
will defend the Queen to the death. It was originally thought that they were the
only males and perhaps this process of being chased away and forced to fight their way
back proved that they were the fittest and thus could fertilize a queen and produce a
stronger hive, but after a Praetorian was observed molting into a Queen after the loss
of a hive's current Queen, this theory has largely been discarded. Since then its generally accepted that much
like many insects and invertebrates here on Earth, Queens are completely self-fertilizing
and don't require a male partner. Taking on an entire hive of angry xenomorphs
is guaranteed death- but let's say that you were pitted up against just one of these vicious
creatures, how could you defeat it, and what are you up against exactly? The hide of a Xenomorph is made out of a chitin
that is believed to be coated with a layer of polarized silicon which makes it very resistant
to electricity and heat. This layer of chitin covers almost the entire
body, with the exception of the joints and the underside of the neck, and is also extremely
resistant to small arms fire. At anything but point-blank range, any caliber
smaller than a 5.56 mm round will simply bounce off. While resistant to heat, Xenomorphs show a
vulnerability to weapons such as flame throwers, and will generally shy away from open sources
of flame. Extreme cold such as liquid nitrogen is also
exceptionally effective against a Xenomorph, and its thought that rapid changes in temperature
cause the Xenomorph's chitinous armor to rapidly contract and expand causing it great pain. A xenomorph is also able to match the outer
layers of its body with the ambient temperature, making it invisible to being tracked by thermal
imagers- this seems to suggest that Xenomorphs evolved as predators on a cold world with
little or no daylight, as this ability would have kept them hidden from heat-sensing prey. The lack of eye organs also seems to indicate
that this is a strong possibility, and its thought that xenomorphs track their prey by
scent and electroreception much like a hammerhead shark and many sting rays. A Xenomorph's acidic blood poses a significant
risk to any would-be attackers, as it is extremely corrosive and capable of easily dissolving
steel, aluminum, or even titanium. Its ability to also disintegrate normally
acid-resistant plastics indicates that the blood may not be an actual acid but rather
a fluid that works to break molecular bonds in an unknown way. So how do you kill something that can shrug
off bullets and will bleed acid blood on you even if you manage to wound it? Fire is the most obvious and immediate answer,
and for that there's no better tool than a high-powered flame thrower. Though most nations have discontinued their
use of flamethrowers due to being ineffective in modern combat and for the very bad press
they tend to create, Russia- who traditionally doesn't much care what the rest of the world
thinks- has recently re-evaluated their use. A 2016 US Army report notes that Russia has
found the weapons useful for urban and mountain warfare (despite being illegal by international
law to use in civilian population centers), bunker busting, and clearing light infantry. Russia's re-adoption of the flame thrower
has actually seen them add four dedicated regiments of flamethrower units in 2014. So it's time to make like a Russian firebat
and get your hands on some sweet, Xenomorph destroying flamethrowers. But, it's not as easy as all that, since Xenomorphs
have shown an incredible ability to adapt and problem solve through creative means. Sure, you might get a few blasts off with
Comrade Flamethrower, but with a maximum range of 60 feet, a Xenomorph will simply retreat
and rethink its plan of attack. Given their incredible stealth and ability
to squeeze into very tight places, a Xeno will likely simply back off and wait to literally
get the drop on you (animator: have xenomorph drop down from ceiling). Plus flamethrowers have one weakness that
quickly became obvious to most of the world's militaries: the backpacks of pressurized and
highly combustive gas make for really good, explosive targets. Remember a Xenomorph's acidic blood? Well, some of them can spit it from their
mouths at incredible ranges, and with its ability to dissolve most known materials,
those tanks on your back aren't going to survive for long. While they won't explode as the fuel still
requires heat to ignite, you're going to be left with in essence an empty squirt gun when
the Xenomorph comes to eat your face off. You might be tempted to fall back on firearms,
after all despite their bullet-resistant hides, large calibers have been proven to injure
a Xenomorph. But firearms require you to see your target
and to be accurate enough to actually hit it once you do see it, and with a Xenomorph's
ability to hide in the smallest nooks and crannies, and its incredible speed and agility,
you're taking your chances going with a firearm. We here at The Infographics Show have our
favorites amongst the great engineers, philosophers, and scientists, but when it comes time to
take on a genetically perfect super-predator from across the galaxy, there's really only
one name that comes to mind: Alfred Nobel, the father of modern explosives. Inventing TNT in 1867, Nobel gave man the
tools to literally move the earth, and set humanity down the path of bigger and better
explosions. That path would eventually lead to the holiest
of battlefield holies: the Mk-19 (narrator note: pronounced “mark”) automatic grenade
launcher. A tripod mounted weapon, the Mk-19 fires 40
mm grenades at a rate of up to 375 rounds per minute, and is used extensively by US
armed forces for anti-personnel and anti-vehicle operations. With a maximum distance of 2,212 meters, and
an effective point target range of 1,500 meters, there is nowhere to hide from the rain of
explosive death it unleashes. On impact a 40mm grenade has a 100% kill ratio
of up to 5 meters, with a 50% kill ratio at 10 meters, making it an unparalleled Xenomorph
killing tool- and with its high rate of fire if the first one doesn't do the job, the next
three or four definitely will. So how would you take on a deadly xenomorph? What weapon is truly best to use against the
most dangerous predator in the galaxy? Also, be sure to check out our other video
YOU vs Spiderman - Could You Defeat Him?. Thanks for watching, and as always, don’t
forget to like, share and subscribe. See you next time.
Nuke them from orbit, it’s the only way to be sure.
This was entertaining, but it probably wouldn't be a great idea to use a grenade launcher on a space ship.
I liked it but when they said how xenos were created they didn’t even mention David