technology uses direct neural blocks to cut off signals from any body part being operated on while the operation is performed in full view of the doctor and the patient being operated on. The Barast do not find this disturbing in the least, which one Gliksin theorizes is because, as they are still a civilization completely composed of active hunters, they have been exposed to such scenes since childhood. Additionally, given their strong sense of smell, barast surgeons do not wear face masks while performing surgery so they can use pick up any relevant olfactory factors to aid their work. One human undergoing surgery with them finds this unsettling as a possible hygiene risk. Religion The barasts have no religion and no concept of religion. This is not due to a simple disbelief or worldwide atheism. The barasts never had a religion and are not physically capable of believing in a god or gods or having religious experiences due to the structure of their brains. Prior to contact between the gliksins and the barasts, the barasts had no concept of a creator; an afterlife or souls never occurred to them. The barasts do not understand how the gliksins can possibly believe in the stories their religions tell, and are sometimes frustrated with the gliksins' insistence of the truth of their beliefs. Nevertheless, the barasts do accept religion as a part of who the gliksins are. The barasts also do not believe that the universe had a beginning and do not adhere to the Big Bang theory. Instead, they believe the universe has always existed, and can point to scientific evidence and verified theory to back up this belief. They believe that the gliksin theories concerning an origin of the universe exist because of the gliksin need to believe in a creator, and thus a beginning, which biases gliksin science so they misinterpreted the evidence. The story ends before any large-scale intermingling and rationalization of the two races' science can begin, so the ultimate outcome of detailed comparison between these viewpoints is unknown, though a magnetic pole reversal occurring on Earth causes a similar lack of religious/mystical belief to occur (following a surge) as human brains worldwide are affected (one result mentioned is peace in the Middle East as religious conflicts die out). References External links At Robert J. Sawyer's website: Hominids Humans Hybrids The Neanderthal Parallax at Worlds Without End