A rose by any other name...?

[Marion]

I was watching the pilot episode again today - and taking notes (I know - I should get a life) and it occured to me to wonder where the name 'retrometabolism' comes from.
The Mysterons refer to their ability to recreate matter as 'the secret of reversing matter' - which is a bit of a mouthful, but accurate enough.
It seems to be Doctor Fawn who first uses the word 'retrometabolism' to describe what Scarlet's got...

So, I looked the compound parts of the word up...
Retro:
of or designating the style of an earlier time
metabolism:
In humans, metabolism is related to the intake and use of food; persons with a high metabolism can eat more without gaining weight. (and several other technical definitions... )

I wonder why Fawn chose that combination to describe Scarlet's indestructability?

[Sasha Metcalfe]

i have to admit it seems a rather nonsenseical term to me.

regeneration makes more sense, but i've found a lot of the "techno babble" in sci fi to be geared to sound neat rather than make sense.

if anyone can come up with a plausible explination, i'd like to hear it!

Sasha

[chrisbishop]

I think that "retro" would in this sense would rather mean, according to latin:

"to go backwards"

So this part of the word might ring true. What about "metabolism", then?

I checked the online dictionary for that: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/metabolism

"Metabolism": From Greek metabol, change, from metaballein, to change : meta-, meta- + ballein, to throw; [?!]

The chemical processes that occur in living organisms, resulting in growth, production of energy, and elimination of waste [Greek metaballein to change]

The chemical processes by which cells produce the substances and energy needed to sustain life. As part of metabolism, organic compounds are broken down to provide heat and energy in the process called catabolism. Simpler molecules are also used to build more complex compounds like proteins for growth and repair of tissues as part of anabolism. Many metabolic processes are brought about by the action of enzymes. The overall speed at which an organism carries out its metabolic processes is termed its metabolic rate (or, when the organism is at rest, its basal metabolic rate). Birds, for example, have a high metabolic rate, since they are warm-blooded, and their usual method of locomotion, flight, requires large amounts of energy. Accordingly, birds usually need large amounts of high-quality, energy-rich foods such as seeds or meat, which they must eat frequently...

I think I'll save that link... Seems like a useful one, whatever le subject