Fluidors

Fluidors are fictional beings described in speculative fiction and thought experiments as intelligent entities that exist in liquid form or as shapeshifting fluid-like lifeforms. They are not fixed solids and can reorganize their bodies to adapt to environments. Their purported biology emphasizes dynamic membranes, viscoelastic tissues, and interfaces between phases.

Physiology and form vary across sources, but Fluidors are typically depicted as lacking rigid skeletons. Their bodies consist of colloidal suspensions or polymer-rich fluids that can alter viscosity and surface tension to move or reshape themselves. Sensory perception is described as chemical detection, light sensitivity, and temperature gradients, enabling navigation through fluid environments.

Habitats include planetary oceans, subsurface aquifers, and other fluid-rich environments. Fluidors may exploit chemical gradients and hydrothermal flows to obtain energy, and they are often imagined as capable of coexisting with microorganisms that inhabit their internal or external matrices.

Intelligence among Fluidors ranges from rudimentary problem solving to sophisticated planning. Communication is typically portrayed through chemical signaling, color or optical patterning, and synchronized flow changes in aggregate forms. Some depictions emphasize collective behavior, where groups coordinate to respond to threats or opportunities.

In fiction and speculative thought, Fluidors raise questions about identity, autonomy, and contact between carbon-based and non-solid life. Depictions vary widely, with some emphasizing peaceful coexistence and others highlighting misunderstandings arising from different perceptual modalities.

In real-world discourse, Fluidors are used primarily as a theoretical construct to explore physics of liquids as potential substrates for life and the challenges of communicating with non-solid organisms. They appear in discussions of astrobiology, xenobiology, and science fiction worldbuilding.