Why would my species expose their brains through a glass dome?
The species I have created looks eerily humanlike, practically indistinguishable from human except for a reptile-like tail and an exposed brain.
The top portion of the skull is replaced with a glass-like dome, which exposes the brain. The species I created lives on a planet filled with diseases and bacteria that primarily affect the brain, sometimes the physical structure of it but, other times, just the behavior. The glass dome is connected to the skin by a small metal-like ring that glows slightly in the dark.
My question is, is what purpose or advantage would my species have by exposing the brain in a glass dome?
For reference, this is what I mean by "glass dome", which in the image, the brain is exposed from under the glass dome.
Edit, the glass dome on my species heads aren't natural, and are surgically added to the head
This post was sourced from https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/170082. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
2 answers
It is precisely those diseases and bacteria that make the brain need to be visible and, potentially, accessible.
The bacteria and diseases attack the brain from the outside in, and they leave discoloration in their wake. Since they attack the outside protective layers first, this means that if one's brain is visible, the issues can be seen before any symptoms arise. As some of these diseases and bacterias can be extremely problematic but are easy to address if caught early, this has led to making the brain visible.
Further, some of the biologicals are used to the insides of bodies, and are succeptible to ultraviolet light. Having the glass dome allows for the largest produce of ultraviolet light - The sun - to kill these pests. The glow from the ring is also an ultraviolet emitter, and the wavelengths that kill the bacteria are just barely in the visible spectrum, leading to the glow in darkness. It also glows in daylight but it is much, much harder to see.
Going a step further, the early symptoms of some of the diseases might be easy to treat, but they permanently degrade the bone structure of the skull. The skilled and knowledgeable surgeons reinforce much of the skull and replace portions with the glass. This disease has been widespread, so huge numbers of your population have had these surgeries. Children, and those still growing, might not undergo this dome surgery immediately as it would have to be re-sized numerous times, but once they reach an age at which their body stops changing, they must get it since the bone is permanently weakened. They likely have had several surgeries to reinforce the skull in critical areas and prepare for the dome in the future.
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Rule Of Cool. Plus, only the rich aliens do this - your average everyday Joe Six-Pack alien can't afford the surgery. And it has to be done after the skull has grown to full adult size - or done multiple times - so a child alien who's got a skull window is definitely the product of rich, status-conscious alien parental units.
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