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Mind Coral is a red, organic substance found at Delta and Theta. Various dead or comatose bodies are frequently found engulfed in it, and it's visible on the bodies of Terry Akers and the Proxies. It goes nameless in the final release of SOMA.
Description[]
As implied by the name, Mind Coral resembles coral growths. As stated previously, it is not given a name in the final release of SOMA, and the name 'Mind Coral' was determined by looking at behind-the-scenes game files.
NOTICE: THE FOLLOWING IS UNCONFIRMED SPECULATION, TAKE IT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT.
Mind Coral is likely a derivative of Structure Gel that incorporates biological material (hence the red tint). It also appears to be able to somehow interface with the brain, as evidenced by Simon being temporarily trapped in a memory of his life in Toronto when he was briefly encased in it. How it is created is unknown, but it's likely created by Terry Akers and the Proxies, or by their victims over time.
Behind the Scenes[]
In an earlier version of the game, Mind Coral was set to play much more of a role in the story, and was one of the reasons why things went to heck at Theta. Game files also refer to 'hive coral' and 'hive mind' in reference to the mind coral, though it's unknown if it was meant to be an extension of the WAU or something separate.
Apparently, Simon would not just have found bodies stuck in the mind coral, but also bodies that had actually become part of it, with random body parts sticking out of entire corridors of living flesh, all dripping various bodily fluids.
There are also descriptions of Simon finding conscious victims encased within the mind coral, who become agitated when he shines his flashlight on them. There are also still animations in the game files of Proxies dropping down from the roofs of mind-coral filled rooms. At one point, Simon would even have had his progress blocked by a coral victim with a male head, but body parts from multiple different 'donors' of differing genders and ethnicities, the resulting creature apparently having a resemblance to Da Vinci's Vetruvian Man.