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    $\begingroup$ My only problem with this setup is this: H$_2$S is very poisonous. If your enviornment has sufficient free hydrogen sulfide to be the primary 'food' of chemotrophs, then it seems like there will be enough free hydrogen sulfide in the atmosphere to kill any humans. This would seem to violate your 'no extensive genetic engineering' mandate. $\endgroup$
    – kingledion
    Commented Dec 24, 2017 at 4:56
  • $\begingroup$ That was one of my worries, I was thinking that there was some way to adapt skin and eyes to be less or un-affected by H2S and adding some kind of filter to the respiratory system (or non-extensive life support filter)? Such changes don't constitute changing the basic function of either system (Eg. skin protects, respiratory system breathes), though I'm of course not sure what kind of changes those would be - hence the question.In the case that there is no way, I might try slightly lifting some parts of the genetic engineering constraint? $\endgroup$
    – PrimarySecondary
    Commented Dec 24, 2017 at 5:11
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    $\begingroup$ My answer here may interest you: worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/96261/… $\endgroup$
    – Dubukay
    Commented Dec 24, 2017 at 8:02
  • $\begingroup$ That's one deep rabbit hole, looks like there's no simple chemosynthetic reaction that directly produces oxygen... I suppose I could always shift over to thermosynthesis as you outlined in your post. Thermosynthesis wouldn't necessarily need heat-difference, right? It would just need a specific temperature (Say 20C) and then it would start doing its thing wouldn't it? I think this type of thing would work, especially on a tidally heated world like how I mentioned. $\endgroup$
    – PrimarySecondary
    Commented Dec 24, 2017 at 10:36
  • $\begingroup$ @PrimarySecondary There wouldn't necessarily need to be a difference locally (i.e., across the extent of the organism), but you need one somewhere--otherwise, no work (useful energy) can be extracted. And if the gradient is elsewhere, part of the conversion process will be binding atoms into molecules that are more stable at the elsewhere-temperature than they are at the organism's operating temperature, followed by physical transport of those molecules to the organism... which is exactly what chemosynthesis is. So if you want thermosynthesis to mean anything, you do need a gradient. $\endgroup$
    – Logan R. Kearsley
    Commented Dec 24, 2017 at 13:21