The Science Behind ARK Survival Evolved

The Science Behind the Arthropleura
According to Helena, the Arthropleura's blood has a low pH that can melt many materials. In-game, an arthropleura can completely break armor with one acidic spit. Since most high tier armors are made of metal, the blood of an ARK arthropleura ranges from 1 to 2 since acids are low in the pH range and that range is when acids are able to melt metal.

The Science Behind Element
All of the observations that have a degree of science are based on theory as the method of how Element corrupts something in more detail, its abnormal properties, and how Tek tier technology applies its use are unknown.


 * Element’s main method of corruption appears to be growth on an organism, like a fungus, but it appears to emit, in liquid form, high levels of radiation that has forced creatures like the Nameless to adapt and evolve, but it also appears this radiation doesn’t ionize cells like Gamma rays but bends and re-shapes the genetic material of an organism if injected directly into the blood stream, hence the quite hideous malformation of Rockwell.
 * On the genetic level and the image from HLNA discovery #11, it is seen that when DNA is broken up by Element and somehow, the Element fits the DNA back together, but with Element replacing many chemicals found inside DNA. This makes it a substance that can somehow act out multiple chemical properties at once. Given that DNA causes mutations when it gets altered, Element seems to cause mutations but on a more lethal and bigger scale on the organism with the relentless changes to the organism's DNA.
 * On the charge node of Aberration, a projection of a molecule is shown. The molecule seems to have 5 tetrahedra connected to each other. Since element is made at the node, the projection may be its molecular structure.
 * Since Element is shown to be similar to any molecule that can make a tetrahedral, its corruptive nature could possibly replace and substitute the elements in the ground or in an organic creature. This may possibly explain why the corrupted creatures appear to be mostly made of element, and how element's abnormal properties in energy and durability makes them stronger than their uncorrupted variants.
 * When being looked with the naked eye, stable Element can form a hexagonal shape as it bonds with other stable Element molecules/ formula units.
 * Being able to make a tetrahedral, Element seems to be a nonpolar molecule when bonded with other Element.
 * The property of being nonpolar allows Element to freely enter the cells of a living organisms since cell membranes are mostly made of fat, which is also nonpolar/hydrophobic. This in turn begins corruption by manipulating DNA through oxidizing it but the other materials needed to make stable Element makes it polar, preventing it from freely entering the cell. This is further proven in the HLN-A Discovery #11 where Element is rearranging DNA back together with some additional Element.
 * As shown by the Federation-exo suit's description, Tek appears to be referring to the alloy of metal used in the armor. as apparent by the usual Tek tier item's ingredients list, it consist of element, the strange concoction that makes up ARK's natural harvestable crystals, and the angmallen of different metals that make up the "Metal" resource. Whatever these are, they have shown to be the strongest material in ARK's universe appearing to make up the pillars of the ARK's and the entire genesis ship.
 * Element seems to have a mysterious property that allows creatures and titans to grow to titanic sizes. The titanosaur of the Island is the largest land creature ever that has no contact with Element. Any creature bigger than the titanosaur has Element in their bodies. Rockwell, and the Titans are an example of this.
 * Element has one of the strongest, if not, the strongest metallic bonds and highest melting points of any chemical. High melting points indicate the chemical can absorb and release a lot of energy in the form of kilojoules. It can also survive blasts and anomalies at a subatomic level. Because of the abnormally high melting point and its properties, some creatures have adjusted to using Element in their environment:
 * The Snow Owl
 * On its talons, the element seems to absorb a lot of heat from its victim, explaining its cold talon touch. Element's ability to absorb heat seems to be greater than water, one of the best chemicals that insulates heat since a lot of joules are needed to increase the temperature of a water by a single degree in celsius.
 * It also seems to emit extremely cold Element particles to freeze its prey. Element absorbs all of the heat to make this happen.
 * The Managarmr
 * The Managarmr's bottom of its body is lined with element. With the sockets in its feet, combustion can happen on a concentrated scale at its feet, moving it forward while in the sky with the propulsion. Element is storing all the energy from the food it eats.
 * The Gacha
 * The Gacha's digestive system may be lined up with Element. It could possibly act as a high quality filter to sort out any random substance and lets the high quality resources be excreted.
 * The Velonasaur
 * The Element on a Velonasaur is focused on its gut, allowing the energy/heat to benefit itself and the Element that is a part of it.  The spines on its head and tail are embedded in a cavity and the Element seems to act like gunpowder because the root of the spine is glowing. This makes Element more explosive than gunpowder.
 * The Gasbags
 * Being affected by Element, it seems the substance can withstand immense pressure, allowing the gasbag to absorb more air than any other creature. The Element could possibly withstand great levels of pressure that to enable the gasbags to float for a time.
 * In amount of Element found in the maps positively correlates with the temperature of where it is mined can affect Element's ability to spread, although Element can adapt and grow in any environment.
 * In Extinction, temperatures are in the hundreds of degrees and Element is found in massive amounts all over the map as minable structures or aesthetics, showing how Element can spread through physical means.
 * In Genesis: Part 1, although the setting is a simulation, it simulated the conditions of Element in the Volcano and the Lunar biome, showing how Element can somehow spread through a virtual reality and affect something light years away.
 * In the volcano biome, Element crystals/shards are found near pools of lava, and can be mined with a drill for high amounts.
 * In the lunar biome, Element shards are found in nearly every harvestable node, though in minute amounts since the temperature is between extreme cold and heat.
 * In Genesis: Part 2, Element is found in Space if a frozen planet is shown, Carniflora in Rockwell's Garden, and the macro Villi in Rockwell's Innards, with the last two showing how Element can spread organically, and be able to manipulate an inorganic material into an organic material.
 * In the space biome, Element shards are found in high concentrations in the frozen planet, implying that a high concentration of Element can cause a planet to form an icecap across an entire planet.
 * The Element shards found in Rockwell's Garden and Innards are found in minute amounts due to temperature being moderate.

Science Behind the Magmasaur

 * The ability for the Magmasaur to contain and swim in lava is extraordinary, as not even the most heat-tolerant organisms known to exist, hyperthermophile Bacteria and Archaea, some of which can survive temperatures over 100 degrees Celsius, could even come close to surviving in lava; lava can range anywhere in temperature from natrocarbonatite lava made by the Oldoinyo Lengai volcano in Tanzania which can be as cold as 500 degrees Celsius, to the ridiculous 1,300 degrees Celsius lava found from satellite measurements on the moon Io that orbits Jupiter. All known organisms, which are carbon-based in their biochemistry, can not survive these extreme temperatures that the Magmasaur can, as the heat would destroy their basic macromolecules like DNA and proteins, being lethal. The only way that the Magmasaur could even exist is if it's not a carbon-based life form and therefore be completely alien to all known life.

The Science Behind Rockwell's Proliferation
In HLN-A's explorer notes or audios, she says the biome has places where metal starts becoming meat. She call this phenomenon techno-organic interfacing, or the process where solid matter is manipulated at the molecular level. With Element being the common metal between the ship and Rockwell, Rockwell is basically oxidizing, or making the metal rust off the ship while also replacing any metal except Element with his meaty innards.