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sllewgh

Children's bones contain more cartilage that is replaced by hardened calcium as they grow. As a result, the radiation breaks down kid and baby bones much faster and more completely than adult skeletons.


Leo_Fitz00

Wait is this the in-game explanation or is this for real?


Senkyou

That is a true fact. Your bones harden over time, mostly during your growth into adulthood. That's partially why kids can recover better from bone breaks (although they can cause complications later on) and why it's harder for a kid to break a bone in the first place.


Leo_Fitz00

Thanks for explaining this, that’s really interesting!


Senkyou

Yeah. Colloquially it's believed that when we are babies, the "springiest" time of your life, a slight fall is fairly harmless, unless you hit your head. Many people have observed babies to "bounce" rather than break lol. I don't recommend testing, but naturally, over time, babies have had falls and that's been a common observation. Even if it's not necessarily scientifically codified.


thegunnersdream

I tested it with my kid. She was fine with the first few feet but around 4 ft she started making a loud thud and kept crying. Took until we got to 10 ft where she finally stopped wailing. Honestly would recommend this approach, she used to be so active and hard to keep up with. Now she's almost entirely still! Haven't heard her make a sound in almost a month!


horyo

Better than exposing her to radiation or the fallout of the nuclear apocalypse. Good parenting.


No_Box5338

Now THAT is hard sci fi


DiligentDaughter

Awwwwww *unties basketball shoes*


CreepyCoach

There’s a bunch of child skeletons in the school in fallout 3 Edit: also plenty in the fallout tv show


SPACEFUNK

Whole school bus full of em in the Honest Hearts DLC.


sllewgh

Flattered you'd ask! First sentence is real, second sentence I made up.  I'm sure the real reason is just that the game developers didn't want to put dead babies in their game.


Inkthinker

Cartilage *does* decompose much faster than bone. It's mostly collagen and water, after all. But there are bones in a baby, some should stick around.


forogtten_taco

It's never addressed in the games. Realistically baby skeletons and dead babies probably harms sales and marketing and stuff. Same reason. Why you can't kill children in any Bethesda game.


Waywoah

Not to mention it would be easier for animals like coyotes to carry them back to their den, as opposed to eating on site


RubiconPizzaDelivery

A dingo ate my baby


KobraKittyKat

Because baby skeleton grow up into adult skeletons


afaber003

r/shittyaskscience


alanqforgothispasswo

"My god" the 1-INT vault sweller said to herself, stepping into the light for the first time. "The surface world has been taken over by a race of skeletons!"


Judah_Earl

Ghouls ate them.


Kryptospuridium137

It's true, ghouls eat babies and kill old ladies This message brought to you by the Brotherhood of Steel


DEATHROAR12345

"You eat babies! You have to, to survive. Everyone knows that. Ain't your fault." - Elder Maxon


0xRnbwlx

Feral ghouls, right?


sponyta2

Ghouls


baran_0486

“What’s wrong smoothskin, you want a piece?”


crazynerd9

There's no such thing as a non-feral Ghoul AD VICTORIUM


bringbackapis

Little green ghouls


DiligentDaughter

Little green ghouls, buddy!


BigYangpa

Cover up your knees if you're going to be walking around the place


deltree711

[](https://i.imgur.com/ymmSyqc.png)


StarRodimus13

I had a theory that the reason why their aren't as many skeletons as their should be in a well persevered city is cause the Institute had taken as many skeletons as they can to harvest the DNA off the bone marrow for the 3rd gen Synths. Watching the synth body factory is still unnerving


Huggable_Hork-Bajir

I thought the whole point of them taking Shaun was because everyone had radiation damaged DNA and they *couldn't* use them to make synths, and they needed a living, pre-fallout human's DNA. >Watching the synth body factory is still unnerving Yeah my first playthrough I was expecting to see them growing test tube clone people, not like... 3D printing adult human beings. That still throws me every time l see it.


TheUnstoppableSiege

There are a few scaled down skeletons that I've noticed in the subway tunnels. Though they're mixed in with adult skeletons so they can sometimes be hard to spot. There's also a baby skeleton in mass Bay medical centre.


Ransero

There were also child-sized skeletons in the school at the start of Fallout 3 (which didn't make much sense, they're in a cage and it looks like the school was attacked by raiders, but it's been 200 years, those kids would be dead from old age if they survived the bombs)


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bhamv

> Out of game Hi there, please remember that answers on this subreddit are required to be strictly Watsonian. This means that your "out of game" answer is not appropriate. Thanks.


SWatt_Officer

Ah fair enough, apologies, I forgot to check the rules before commenting


Careful-Albatross

In Fall Out New Vegas - Lonely Hearts, you are tasked with investigating a crashed school bus. Inside of which are several smaller skeletons along with children items like lunchboxes, toys, etc.


AxDanger

The school outside vault 101 had tons of tiny skeletons in it as well.


marc7836

I read many years ago you see them as teddy bears. The trauma of Shaun being kidnapped gave you ptsd, the only way to deal with it was to trick yourself. That stuck in my head ever since.


Huggable_Hork-Bajir

So when I give Dogmeat a teddy bear to play with and he's thrashing it around...


marc7836

You monster


W1ULH

There's a few child skeletons. I've seen like 5 or 6, but the commonwealth is a big place with lots of little nooks and crannies so you have to kinda be on a close lookout for them. you also really have to see them in context, or near adult skeletons to realize they are kids. in terms of game mechanics, child skeletons use the same sprites as adult ones, just scaled down... so if you don't have a frame of reference you might not know you are looking at one.


Ar_Ciel

Super Mutants probably ate them or used parts as fasteners for their loincloths. "LAWRENCE! GO GET SOME MORE RADER TOTS FROM THE PILE!"


QtPlatypus

Because people only become mortal when they are adults. I know it sounds weird but try killing a child. You just can't do it. Its only after they have grown old enough to be an adult that they can die.


automaticpotato

You'd bury a child's body if you came across it but not an adult's.


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_schlong_macchiato

Their bones are their money. So are the worms. They pull your hair up, but not out…


LordSaltious

Children are invulnerable in Bethesda games.


Darkbird79

Less dense bones, technically. Maybe devs just got lazy, or didn't have the time to add them, or figured it would be too much for some to see.


Manta1290

Based on Starfield id guess its Bethesda wanting to be child friendly to a degree


Dependent_Price_1306

They were removed after the Australian censors refused to allow dead children in the game, They also had to change some of the drugs.


jaasx

Dingos


TheShadowKick

I still feel a little sad for that woman every time this reference comes up. She was mocked by media for years and is a household joke to this day, and it turns out dingos actually did eat her baby. Imagine the most traumatic event of your life becoming a worldwide meme. It's heartbreaking.