Must the cells in a Structol colony be in physical contact with each other to communicate (either directly or through an ad-hoc network), or do they posses some for of 'wireless' communication? Also, are the individual cells sufficiently diffuse that they can remain airborne for extended periods of time in an average life-sustaining atmosphere on a planet with average gravity? How do they locomote? I.e. do they move like simple, organic single-celled organizms such as amoeba or a flagellates, or do they possess more complex abilities such as AG or chemical propulsion? Must they be suspended within a substrate of some sort? One important point I'm wondering about is if these things retain their ability to function if rendered aerosol.
Finally, an answer. Thank-you, Alhazred.
Must the cells in a Structol colony be in physical contact with each other to communicate (either directly or through an ad-hoc network), or do they posses some for of 'wireless' communication?
They posses a form of wireless communication but they work more efficiently as their colonies become denser which answers your aerosol question also: they can function as a gas but their efficiency drops dramatically unless the strain of micro-machine used is specially made for it's task (which isn't in the article and may be a future addition).
Also, are the individual cells sufficiently diffuse that they can remain airborne for extended periods of time in an average life-sustaining atmosphere on a planet with average gravity?
Their structure with the two introduced strains does not support an airborne status. You're far more likely to find colonies hunched over a clump of mineral rock or at the bottom of a lake than you are in the air unless the colony sets out to become airborne, which isn't an inherent function.
How do they locomote? I.e. do they move like simple, organic single-celled organizms such as amoeba or a flagellates, or do they possess more complex abilities such as AG or chemical propulsion?
Until the number of connections established exceeds a specific value, they're stationary, at which point they copy macroscopic forms like amoeba and the like, giving rise to the ability to ride air-currents and eventually, form fairly complex objects comparable to what we'd see as a dust-mite or even larger, as they continue to re-enforce themselves: growing denser and physically harder but more pliable and less ridged.
Must they be suspended within a substrate of some sort?
No. They typically perform this task themselves, forming an epidermis once colony density hits a fairly comfortable number.
Understand: they're much much smaller than macroscopic organisms and far far smaller than single-cells despite exhibiting many similar properties.
They're very very spartan and rely a lot on being able to function as a colony to really be useful as a tool. A single unit of structol is only capable of eating, excreting, reproducing and fortifying itself against attack from similar sized organisms or hostile structol colonies.
Anything else you want to ask before I make changes to the wiki entry?