Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

General Q&A about worldbuilding and other speculative developments that can be extrapolated from science.

Filters (None)
50%
+0 −0
Detection systems and trigger mechanism in a pre-electronic world?

I am building a setting that is essentially steampunk,being exact it would be pneumatic punk. What electronics and electronic equivalent exists, are primitive and extremely expensive. Thus the majo...

5 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Trismegistus‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Trismegistus‭

50%
+0 −0
Would would occur if a person travelled from a wormhole in flat empty space, to one on Earth?

We are using a Morris-Throne Wormhole Metric. Let's presume the throat of this wormhole (in internal hyperspace) is short, let's say 1km. Now, as you are travelling through the entrance wormhole,...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by MrKred‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by MrKred‭

50%
+0 −0
What does a timeflow-doubled superhero see?

I was just bitten by a radioactive stopwatch, gaining the voluntary ability to experience time at twice the usual rate. While doing so, for every second of real time, two seconds occur within my bo...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Foo Bar‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Foo Bar‭

50%
+0 −0
How would Humans change, or evolve, to being Domed for many thousands of years?

A little snippet from my story idea, for some context- "The Earth Government Collapses, caused by the cutoff of resources from the Colonies. Large-Scale war soon erupts, with Nuclear Weapons being...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Hunt Castle‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Hunt Castle‭

50%
+0 −0
Could we build a roof over the Grand Canyon?

(or some other Lesser Canyon) I'm playing with story ideas for a videogame that takes place in the post-post-apocalyptic US. Everything is overrun with monsters and ocean horrors and whatnot, you'...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Appleguysnake‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Appleguysnake‭

40%
+0 −1
How does radiotherapy destroys proximal (subcutaneous) fat cells? [closed]

From my prior research I understand that there are several ways to remove or destroy proximal (subcutaneous) fat cells: Liposuction (primarily removal) Cryolipolysis (primarily destruction by f...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by deleted user  ·  edited 3y ago by deleted user

50%
+0 −0
Artificial oxygen oasis in an otherwise CO2 atmosphere

I wonder if it is possible to install artificial equipment that would exhaust oxygen into air in otherwise CO2 atmosphere so that locally people could breath in open air without any kind of tent or...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Anixx‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Anixx‭

50%
+0 −0
Landing on a new planet in Earth's near future, how long before they can reproduce the technology they came with?

So given an Earth in our near future, year 2100 or so, where some of our tech has improved to the point where we have robots and the usual sci-fi devices for interfacing with computers. A colony i...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by John‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by John‭

50%
+0 −0
How could the display technology of self-rewriting books work?

Oh yes, it's Artifact Time! with Best Dad and Ozen the Immovable! If you watched Hairy Plotter and the Gas Chamber of Secrets, you probably remember the scene where the Horcrux of Adolf Hitler is ...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Mephistopheles‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mephistopheles‭

50%
+0 −0
Would a sapient being sensitive to polarized light be able to see the angle of polarization in a photograph?

Many animals have the ability to see polarized light (or rather, are sensitive to the direction of polarization), most notably birds and bees but also a wide range of other animals including cephal...

7 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by user2352714‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by user2352714‭

50%
+0 −0
Weather with extreme seasons

Assuming the axial tilt of the Earth was increased to roughly 30°, and the orbital eccentricity roughly doubled(0.03 as opposed to 0.016) so that the average temperature stayed the same, but the s...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Jack Foisy‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Jack Foisy‭

50%
+0 −0
How long can a human body function at safe levels in slightly higher and lower gravity?

I have a number of alien species from different planets with gravity between 0.5g and 1.75g and I wanted to have groups of each of the species to exist together in a space habitat. As pointed out t...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by RandySavage‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by RandySavage‭

50%
+0 −0
Is knuckle walking possible in a cursorial animal?

In an alien world, due to changes in the ecosystem animals that were once mostly arboreal started having to spend more time in open plains, adapting to fill a new niche of grasslands/bush eaters an...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by ProjectApex‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by ProjectApex‭

50%
+0 −0
Could time travelers go back in time and help teach homonids how to build a civilization?

I'm writing a short story where a group of explorers found a mysterious cave in a remote jungle , Inside the cave they find strange paintings of spirals resembling portals , after exiting the myste...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Pierre ‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Pierre ‭

75%
+4 −0
Competently Mobile Photosynthetic Animal?

I have an idea for a land based mobile organism that moves and uses photosynthesis for its primary means of energy generation. Can a motile organism conceivably get enough energy from photosyntheti...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Cazadorro‭  ·  edited 4y ago by Cazadorro‭

50%
+0 −0
How would three small moons, rather than one large one, effect an earth-like planet?

Let's say you have a planet about the size of Earth. It has three moons, each roughly the mass of one-third of the Earth's moon. Would this cause tides of different magnitude than those on Earth? A...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Puck‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Puck‭

50%
+0 −0
Anatomically Correct Giant Seahorses

This is a submission for the Anatomically Correct Series Giant seahorses are often portrayed in fiction as being ridden by merfolk or other underwater people. I'm wondering if such a creature ...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Richard Lindahl‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Richard Lindahl‭

50%
+0 −0
Distance from Jupiter to minimize destructive tidal forces

There is a video from "What If" that tells about (precisely) "What if Earth was a moon of Jupiter":What if the Earth Was a Moon of Jupiter And, in a short story I am writing in an alternate realit...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Carlos Zamora‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Carlos Zamora‭

80%
+6 −0
How efficient can a Dyson sphere be?

The shell variant of a Dyson sphere consists of an artificially-made shell of material about 1 AU in radius encircling a star. The sphere captures most of the star's energy and stores it for future...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by HDE 226868‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by celtschk‭

50%
+0 −0
Could a dragon scale mail be made from shed skin?

So, Georgie, the paladin who's still unsure about going down the path of lawful stupid, decided not to kill the dragon. Now, this means they can finally use The Orb of Dragonkind for something afte...

0 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Mephistopheles‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mephistopheles‭

50%
+0 −0
Acid-spitting dragons

I did a lot of research and asking questions about dragons' breathing ability: if there was a dragon that spits pyrophoric liquids like a spitting cobra A tiny fire-breather can any animals (exam...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by user3556983‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by user3556983‭

50%
+0 −0
Help With Animal Survival Rates and Understanding Adaptations And Genetics

Skippable Introduction I asked a similar question 2 years ago and never got a real answer. I was told the question was too broad or "it can be whatever you want" "magic can do anything" so I thoug...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Game Master‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Game Master‭

50%
+0 −0
How much brain power per KG/volume?

When writing a futuristic story I always try to minimise the impact of computerization. Its rather uncomfortable writig a story when technology is advanced enough that humans arent in a position to...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Demigan‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Demigan‭

50%
+0 −0
anatomy or musculature to achieve full rotate jaw?

you know a jaw or mouth where the jaw full of teeth fully rotate like a drill or gear to shred their food or prey, usually show often in worm type of monster (my question is not necessary to be wor...

7 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Li Jun‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Li Jun‭

50%
+0 −0
Possibly of achieving prolonged immortality

Death, most if not all of us fear it. However, it may be possible to postpone death for a while, and hopefully entirely. One major way of postponing death for awhile is through the biological route...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by RotNDecay‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by RotNDecay‭

50%
+0 −0
Could Long, Dense Walls of "Megamangroves" Deflect The Deadliest of Storms?

This is the world's tallest tree--the coast redwood. It can grow as high up as 115.5 meters. Any taller, and the transportation of water in its vascular tissues would not climb all the way. Bu...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by JohnWDailey‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by JohnWDailey‭

81%
+7 −0
Magnet strong enough to rip the iron out of your body feasible?

Is it possible, given a strong enough magnet, to rip out iron based molecules out of the blood stream/body of a person/animal? Would such an event be the thing that kills someone or are there other...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Cazadorro‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by DonielF‭

50%
+0 −0
A good discerning visual feature for female lizardfolk

So, when it comes to humanoid races, this has been a problem for me for quite some time. Sure, mammals (werewolves, gnolls, minotaurs, centaurs) are a no-brainer. I even decided to give tengu somet...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Mephistopheles‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mephistopheles‭

50%
+0 −0
Changing humans to their mirror image versions to become immune to infectious diseases

If we could replace DNA, RNA and the ribosomes in our cells by their mirror image versions, then everything would work in the same way, except that the chirality of all molecules would have been in...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Count Iblis‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Count Iblis‭

50%
+0 −0
Could co-orbital planets also be double planets?

Double or binary planets are a really cool science fiction idea. A second Earth hanging ominously in the sky. Co-orbital or trojan planets are also interesting in that you have them on more or less...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Axion‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Axion‭

50%
+0 −0
What is the most effective location for spinnerets in a vertebrate?

In the large pillar forests of planet x, a group of vertebrates, in order to hunt down the fast climbing creatures that inhabit their habitat, rather than developing speed as well, went on another ...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by ProjectApex‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by ProjectApex‭

50%
+0 −0
How to build a wormhole for FTL communication? [more Engineering than Physics question]

I came to SE WB while I was researching about space radiators for my sci-fi. I don't remember where exactly I found an answer to my question (Maybe? Idr) but I stunned with this site. You all looks...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Rodolfo Penteado‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Rodolfo Penteado‭

50%
+0 −0
Space station scenario feasibility

I have settings with orbital colonies around the earth. First off my idea is, if it is not profitable we would not fund it en masse. Therefore I came up with the idea that in the future we discover...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Prahara‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Prahara‭

50%
+0 −0
Could aliens from beyond the singularity of a rotating black hole survive and colonise regions of a normal universe?

Would it be possible for aliens that originated and evolved in a planetary system beyond the ring singularity of a rotating black hole to send individuals out into a normal universe to colonise it?...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Ichthys King‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Ichthys King‭

50%
+0 −0
Exclusively underground creature experiencing sun-light for the first-time

I have this creatures which were hiding underground for millennia. They are, from the beginning of their history, exclusively nocturnal. They emerged back on surface after moon disappeared (irrel...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Prahara‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Prahara‭

50%
+0 −0
toilet for mermaid?

I want to know what kind of toilet design for mermaid is, considering they live surrounded by water and they poop through the anus (or whatever the organs name is) that located in the front rather ...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Li Jun‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Li Jun‭

50%
+0 −0
Is it feasible to have an oxidizing planetary atmosphere without the presence of an organic photosynthesis of some kind on the planet?

With the emergence of cyanobacteria on earth 3.5 billion years ago, the shift from a reducing to an oxidizing atmosphere began. "The atmospheric O$_\textrm{2}$ levels (in PAL; i.e., normalized to ...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by RosesBouquet‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by RosesBouquet‭

50%
+0 −0
In a world with time travel, would it be possible to be your own mother's mother?

Given that you can travel back in time and have a baby there, or alternatively, send your baby back in time, would it be possible that this baby one day becomes your own mother (gives birth to you)...

8 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by sebrockm‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by sebrockm‭

50%
+0 −0
Climate Map Climate

My friend and I are working on this world called Roia. It shares many terrestrial properties with the real life earth: composition, axial tilt, distance from the star, presence of water, etc. You c...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by NukeyFox‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by NukeyFox‭

50%
+0 −0
Are Orbital Rings feasible to construct in another star system?

In this universe, Earth had a couple orbital rings during the construction of the colony ships that were sent to Alpha Centauri. Humanity has achieved fusion power and efficient space flight (1g ac...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by user72655‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by user72655‭

50%
+0 −0
Is it possible to retrofit white blood cells with neural network technology to fight infection?

I have been toying the idea of fusing our white blood cells which search and destroy malicious foreign bodies with artificial intelligence to fight various disease causing pathogens, my worry is th...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by user6760‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by user6760‭

50%
+0 −0
Binary Star System Build - Alpha Centauri

I'm not sure if this site or Astronomy would be better, but I figured I would try here instead. I am attempting to create a [semi]plausible star system in Alpha Centauri for a series. The system w...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by user72655‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by user72655‭

50%
+0 −0
Possible explanation of amphibious abilities

Okay so i have this world that is inhabited by an alien race that outwardly is basically undistinguishable from an ordinary earth-human. Due to the specifics of this planet they live on they can br...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Blue Devil‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Blue Devil‭

80%
+6 −0
Composite armor based on diamonds, could it work?

Under normal circumstances, monolithic diamond is pretty terrible at resisting impact, due to it being weak in certain planes, also known as cleavage planes. To solve this, why don't we just make ...

1 answer  ·  posted 3y ago by Mr. Mistoffelees‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

50%
+0 −0
Technological "dungeon" designed to last for millennia

You are Alien McGee. For some reason ( don't ask why ) you need to hide an artifact in our solar system for roughly 20,000 years before coming back and taking it. Said artifact is a magical vase ...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Bogdan 705‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Bogdan 705‭

50%
+0 −0
When earth is filled to the brim with plant-life, can it cause a hyperoxic environment?

Say humans found a way to exponentially increase the capability of plants to grow. Is it possible for it to cause an environment that can cause oxygen toxicity in humans?

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by chaeltom‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by chaeltom‭

50%
+0 −0
Why do gargoyles have wings when they can't fly?

Gargoyles are bipedal, slow-moving animals that lurk on rooftops and eat pigeons. The rumors of gargoyles being magical construct are false; in truth they're just animals that have adapted to urban...

11 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Archtea‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Archtea‭

50%
+0 −0
How and Why Would a Species Evolve This Hand Structure

I have a mental image of a humanoid species with hands possessing three fingers and two thumbs, on opposite sides of the hand: *note: it could be animalistic or reptilian, it doesn't need to be ...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Capillary Cumorah ‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Capillary Cumorah ‭

50%
+0 −0
How long and where could an antimatter object survive in space?

Are there any areas of space where an antimatter object, the size of a small house could survive without coming into contact with any or extremely minimal amounts of matter? I had assumed in all a...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by RandySavage‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by RandySavage‭

50%
+0 −0
What material could be used to replicate body fat in an advanced android/ humanoid robot?

I think that robots in the future will have to have a system similar to adipose tissue that would have similar functions of those of people and animals. I believe that if an android is supposed to ...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Sabrine Crystal Santos‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Sabrine Crystal Santos‭