Indeed! there seems to be a lot of serious scientific shit in Alien Covenant, and that my friend is pure...
Let me introduce you to Lycoperdon Perlatum, a mushroom which is only edible while the meat is white (which is when it is young), But when the fungus is old it can no longer be eaten, its flesh turns brown and when pressed it releases spores as part of its life cycle.
And when I think of the dead Engineers at the plaza, I can't help but think of the spider-eating zombie fungus, such as Engyodontium Aranearum or Torrubiela Pulvinata.
That ghostly spider carcass are millions of spores that the fungus produces on the arachnid corpse. Those spores travel by wind, water, or are carried by other arthopods. When they come into physical contact with potential new prey, the spores become activated. This implies that they germinate and penetrate inside the arachnid, if they manage to overcome the immune system of the spider they begin to produce enzymes and toxins, literally "they eat it inside". Once the spider dies, the fungus emerges from the corpse, produces new spores and thus continues its cycle.
That said...
What if the black goo worked that way when the pathogen killed the Engineers?
Edit: I still dig the Wooden Planet idea. Also, wooden space Devices is not fantasy. Ok, maybe not at the level of an inhabited space station, but it could even have its benefits.
Quote from: via BBCWooden satellites would burn up without releasing harmful substances into the atmosphere or raining debris on the ground when they plunge back to Earth.
https://twitter.com/BBCNews/status/1343811796201844737
