Enzyme 42

Enzyme 42 is an enzyme found in almost every life form on Planet 4546B but is only produced by the Sea Emperor Leviathan species as a digestive enzyme. It is the only known cure for the Kharaa Bacterium. The Precursors were investigating how to produce a cure using Enzyme 42. The Sea Emperor Leviathan trained the Peepers, to use the Alien Vents, carry small amounts of the enzyme, having collected it from the captive Sea Emperor Leviathan, distributing it throughout the planet.

The Sea Emperor Leviathan occasionally releases Enzyme 42 as a cloud whilst it swims around the aquarium, while the Babies release it as a solid ball of concentrated Enzyme 42. This may reflect the unstable nature of the captive's Enzyme. The solid ball of Enzyme 42 cannot be picked up, and the player may only put his hand in the ball to cure himself. If an infected creature touches the ball, it will no longer look infected. The solid ball is also not scannable, as may be that not much is known to the PDA, therefore there is no databank entry.

Story
The Sea Emperor Leviathan species produces the enzyme naturally, which resulted the Precursors capturing an adult and its five eggs and putting it in the Primary Containment Facility. However, due to the captive's age, the Enzyme 42 it produced was unstable and could only temporarily revert the infection. However, the Precursors then deduced that the unborn Sea Emperor Leviathans would likely be a better source, although they could not figure how to hatch the eggs themselves.

After Ryley Robinson hatches the infant Sea Emperor Leviathans, he interacts with a concentrated ball of Enzyme 42, and is thus cured. The Sea Emperor Leviathan Babies then migrate through the Alien Arch and become juveniles, where they spread the enzyme throughout Planet 4546B.

Data Bank Entries
Enzyme 42 Project Data= Bacterial Vaccine= Infected Specimen with Symptoms Inhibited=

Trivia

 * The name may be a reference to Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, where 42 is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. This could be due to the fact that Enzyme 42 is the cure to a fatal illness, the Kharaa Bacterium, thus making it the answer to life.
 * In Subnautica: Below Zero, it was revealed (although not explicitely confirmed) that the Sea Dragon Leviathan might have possibly also produced Enzyme 42. However, it is likely that any creature that tried to collect eggs from the Sea Dragon Leviathan died trying.

Enzyme 42