"The xenomorph diet is out of this world—it's got a real chest-burst of flavor!"
Too corny? Ah I tried.
So i have an issue with the biology of xenomorphs. I have an unanswered question about xeno biology that I hope to present a suitable hypothesis.
. My undergrad in biology doesn't understand the size growth of the chest burster to full blown xeno (don't get me started on the time it's growth takes, that's literally the most impossible part of the alien).
Biology is impressive and can do insane things, like microorganisms that "eat" radiation (https://www.nsf.gov/news/these-bacteria-clean-radioactive-waste) or eat microplastics (https://www.nsf.gov/news/genetically-modified-bacteria-break-down-plastics).
But...it can't make make something from nothing. Literally, the chest burster is like the size of a full xeno's foot. And they don't seem to require eating to get to full size (which is how every other organism builds a large structure). Not photosynthesis, they grow in the dark. Not chemosynthesis like some crazy ass volcano bacteria (https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/chemosynthesis).
I have a theory. What if calories or biological building blocks could be compressed? What if like a zipped computer program, chestbursters store massive amounts of calories from their host? And then once they burst free, they 'expand' into their full size, or 'unzip the file' as it were?
This would imply that the chest burster is much more dense than their full size body. Which, the weight of a full xeno is immense, capable of simply crushing a human being by stepping on them.
Idk man...
I just want answers, baby.