FAQ: IS LONG TERM ASSIMILATION POSSIBLE?
The notion of a long-term or gestation-like assimilation (lasting more than an hour) where the things' cells slowly overtake the host's body cell-by-cell until the host is rendered unconscious while the host is either aware or unaware that they are infected by the thing prior to losing that consciousness has been suggested by many (e.g. Norris heart attack and coma may have been him losing his consciousness to the thing and Blair going berserk). The dog-thing appeared to transform and wrap its tentacles around just 2 of the 4 dogs in the kennel. If long-term assimilation was possible then why would the dog-thing not simply bite its tongue or other part of its mouth and proceed to bite all 4 dogs in order to maximize its "biomass" in the fas-*test*-('") and quie-*test*-('") manner? A good example of large biomass is the final thing Mac blows up with the camp. :idea:

Dear runnerpat, Also, if such initially small-scale infections were possible, the monster couldn't avoid making them, because all the dustmite-things all over its body would be infecting passersby. Cpl Ferro

the single cell theory has been dissaproved of by many... iirc even carpenter disowned it? It would be too easy and uninteresting story-wise.

I find the single cell infection theory possible but not with the old Jed licking doorknobs or kisses or shaking hands. Maybe it has to be thing-to-blood contact for that to work and seems much more feasible to me (evidenciary for its brutal attacks). It seems clear to me at least that the thing can make things like saliva or secondary bio matter when in its many forms. (like when it shot that dog in the kennel with its saliva cannon). As whether secondary cells have the ability to infect i would go out on a limb and say yes. giving strength to my beliefs in a possible slow infection theory.

I cast my vote as yes. It is possible, but I accept that it is implausible in many of the situations.

I agree with those that say small particles may do the trick, but they have to be deposited inside the host/victem. Also, I think it would take more than just a "single cell". But from what we see in the film, I believe the assimilation process consist of a Thing puncturing a victem with it's multiple tentacles in multiple locations on the victems body and releasing it's own cells that rapidly reproduce by breaking down/consuming/converting the cells of the host/victem. Like with Windows, PalmerThing obviously punctured Windows face and then we see that Windows is converting into a Thing. That's why Mac burns it while the other guys are screaming "IT's COMMING BACK". Notice, PalmerThing never actually "consumed" Windows. IOW, it never litteraly "ate" him and then farted out a WindowsThing. Instead it seems to infect Windows through blood on Thing cell contact.

I shiver because it also looked like those teeth pierced his brain, too. Eeeek.

I Believe Thing secondary bio-matter (Thing spit, tears, or milk...ect) are not Thing cells but just byproducts of the imitated organism. I also think that the Thing can choose to mix Thing-cells with this when needed to infect an organism if need be, but not as the rule. Although How it makes the bio-matter I'm not sure , it just does....for now. Almost every time the Thing Revaels itself secondary bio-matter is spewed over itself or in the genersal vicinity. Yes I do think an imitated lifeform imitates completely, so it may impregnate like species its imitating. Though The offspring would most likely be assimilated in the womb before birth as well as the Host carrying the hybrid offspring. The Thing as I know it is a collection of Trillions of Thing-cells that cooperate to survive and reproduce while perfectly imitating the targeted organism so as to hide. Thus Imitated sperm cells are still Things, just on a microscopic scale. The question I'm looking to answer -Is a Things assimilation of a organism for sustinence or merely for reproduction or both? Does it eat?

I Believe Thing secondary bio-matter (Thing spit, tears, or milk...ect) are not Thing cells but just byproducts of the imitated organism. Had a similar thought this morning - how would the Thing replicate hair/fur and nails/claws when this is composed of dead cells?

That's one of those things that "just does" and I haven't really seen people able to explain scientifically.

I understand your position FF, but I don't count blood as seconday bio-matter. The body the Thing imitates along with its blood is first line organic matter and definately has the ability to infect as you mentioned with poor"deer in the headlights" Windows. The Palmer attack seemed "just bloody" to me with minimal seconday slime. As an example of said secondaty bio-matter, In the kennel when it grows those 2 huge arms. The slimy paste dripping off of said freshly grown arms. Also when The Norris monster reveals itself, right above its Thing-head (not the 1 that scurries off) there are dropletts of the same slime on the airduct system. Its the slime/secondary-matter that doesnt seem to have any infectious properties. That being said, I agree with you that its difficult to say if this 2ndary-matter can infect without a scientific explanation. Just a gut feeling (no explanation behind it) but I dont think urine would act like blood (its secondary). Though very cool line of thought.

I vote yes. I think it could infect the food, drink etc..... Also the Windows kill was not a complete assimilation like Bennings he was bit then started coming back thing like.

I don't think it could infect food. Otherwise it would have, wouldn't it? Fuchs' suggestion that they only eat out of cans was just a precautionary measure. I also feel that the simulation that Blair runs on his computer, while also giving the audience an idea of how the Thing works, could have been modeled on what he saw under the microscope's lens or similar - thing cells attacking single dog cells outside of the body without any immune system to back them up. Inside a living, breathing dog, a couple of cells might find it harder to take over the whole animal, which is why the Thing-out / tentacle penetration method, which would dump thousands, millions of Thing cells in the unwilling victim, makes more sense to me.