User blog comment:Zathronas/Speculative Author - RWBY Relativity/@comment-25396609-20160225025456/@comment-25396609-20160225042322

It's a bit dated, (haven't had time to go in and clean things up) but this is my original post speculating on the origin and functions of aura.

It is almost pure speculation, but i did my best to use what facts were available. I am a logically minded person, and I like to quantify things then they can potentially be explained.

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Aura is a fact of reality in Remnant, a tangible and well understood force that can be measured with technology.

For this to be true it must have a physical base from which to operate.

the soul is considered to be what makes a person unique, the essence of who they are, which scientifically put can be described in two ways; your DNA, or your neural net, your nervous system.

A neural map is the immeasurable number of connections between nerve cells in your body that control everything you are.

In the case that the soul and aura are somehow related to DNA (which has been implied in semblances being semi hereditary) it is set in stone from the moment you are born, in the event it is related to your neural net it is mostly the same throughout life but can evolve or change in minor ways.

The neural net as soul is most likely the electrical signals in the body, which can be detected as a weak electromagnetic field even in our world, a field often referred to as aura.

In Remnant this electromagnetic field is far more powerful and can be manifested by a person who is trained in its use, the unlocking may be akin to jump-starting a battery, it's got everything it needs. just gotta give it a little boost.

The DNA angle is far more complex than i want to bother with so i assume it is the neural net/biological EMF explanation.

The neural net of a person with aura likely repairs itself similar to the body healing more rapidly (also explainable by the electric field, cells are more energetic, work faster, etc. this explains the augmented human abilities of hunters quite nicely as well) meaning that, save for extreme brain trauma(specifically that strong enough to cause permanent or fatal damage), the semblance will remain the same, the parts of your neural net that grant the unique properties to your aura that are known as semblance will repair itself when damaged but can still form and alter connections in a way that allows it to evolve naturally over time and become more powerful