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human-perception-and-scale
The narrative reflects on human perspective and the difficulty of grasping the immense size of the shaft and Martian landscape, emphasizing the alien nature of the environment.
1 chapter across 1 book
Red Mars (1992)Kim Stanley Robinson
Chapter 71
This chapter juxtaposes two scenes: a laboratory where scientists discuss advanced in vivo plasmid gene repair technology demonstrated by long-lived mice, and a tense incident at the bottom of a massive Martian shaft where a sabotage attempt nearly causes fatal harm to workers. The narrative explores the scale and danger of Martian industrial operations, the fragility of human endeavors on Mars, and the revolutionary potential of biotechnological advances.