In the 2011 “The Thing”, the alien can only replicate organic material. In the movie, at one point they use fillings as an example of a way to tell if someone is still human, as alien takeover would have resulted in rejecting the fillings.
Therefore, would alien possession result in the rejection of things like tattoos or piercings? What about IUDs and other implanted birth control? ELI5.
In: Biology
Yes, that’s exactly how it would work based on the information given in the movie. It isnt intelegent enough to see the need for inorganic material in its disguises.
Though I could see it recreating tattoos just by making those parts of its skin a diferent color, it is a shape shifter after all, and those are outwardly visible markings on its victims, it would be similar to copying freckles or blemishes.
It cant make piercings but if its smart enough it could just take them off the body and attatch them, similar to how it would put on its victims clothes.
As far as tooth fillings go, they can be neglected, due to the fact that they are not inherently visible, and getting close enough to check for them would result in the human being killed and eaten in most situations.
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