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Q&A

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

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Could spasmoneme muscles be useful for a living creature?

I got an interesting answer to one of my questions and I would like to know some additional info. A myoneme (or spasmoneme) is a contractile structure found in some eukaryotic single-celled o...

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

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Why are my Lovecraftian puppetmasters afraid of fire and light?

We played with technology too powerful for humans to wield and opened a gateway to a parallel universe, on a dark world with a dying sun. The dominant lifeforms on this world are semi-sentient flyi...

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

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How would evolution be influenced by the remnants of humanities servant robots?

So let me explain the frame/world first, I actually think all of it is relevant as some details would probably have quite the impact on the outcome. I was hesitant to post the question as it's quit...

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

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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

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Could Vikings make something close to modern reverse draw crossbow?

I'm writing a story about a modern age HEMA medievalist who time travels to the Viking age. Is it possible to make a crossbow with similar performance to modern age crossbows without using modern ...

7 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by kelari4377‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by kelari4377‭

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How can I increase brain processing capabilities without overloading it?

The human brain is a jackass. Your senses are capable of processing large amounts of information to the senses. However, the brain blocks most of this out of the consciousness in order to allow thi...

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

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Effect of high frequency of impact events on geography,climate, and environment

Earth sized planet in the goldilocks zone. Similar mineral composition and surface water. Photosynthetic life evolves and thrives on land and sea. Atmosphere and climate comparable to the beginnin...

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

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Feasibility of Hydrogen-Oxygen Atmosphere

My augmented society of humans have managed to engineer their power-hungry cyborg components to run on a hydrogen fusion reactor. Whilst they have so far managed to fuel it by drinking lots of wate...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Starsong67‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Starsong67‭

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How Different Would the Outcome of the Fall of the Dinosaur Empire Be if Chicxulub Hit at a Different Season?

After 150 million years, the most successful empire in the history of Planet Earth finally collapsed 66 million years ago. A five-mile-wide space bomb--there's still disagreement as to whether it ...

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

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Would these processes be probable on this planet?

Background This planet, located somewhere in the Andromeda galaxy, orbits a M5V star about 0.682764 AU away from its star. The planet is volcanically active due to the gravitational field of the ...

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

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Civlization with no domestication

Let's have your typical fantasy world, with many races. During searching what I could do to make humans a little special, someone give me idea of letting them to be only race that have ability to d...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Guy with jewels' names‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Guy with jewels' names‭

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Why would the offspring of a clone not suffer from a degenerative illness?

I, Rey Skywalker, am officially the greatest Jedi in existence. I successfully took down the remnants of the empire single-handedly, defeated my arch-enemy Kylo Ren, and killed Sheev Palpatine, t...

6 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Incognito‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Incognito‭

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How Would Victorian-Era Firearms Fare Against Dinosaurs?

In a world that takes place during the Victorian era (1837-1901), how effective would period-accurate firearms be against something similar to a dinosaur? As a brief aside, I will accept weaponry f...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Ely Miller‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Ely Miller‭

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In an Ice Age Extinction, Which Latitude Would Be Hit Harder--Tropical or Temperate?

Back home, five million years ago, the warm, wet climate of the Miocene sloped downwards into the cooler, drier Pliocene before descending even further into the more so Pleistocene. The slope was ...

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

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Control of atmospheric conditions

Background: We discover an artifact in the present day somewhere remote. This artifact is in the form of a small (approximately phone sized) sphere, and when researched, it is discovered to have th...

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

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What might be an effective mode of transportation for Giants?

In my story Giants, humans, and a bunch of other fantasy races live along side each other and i'm curious as to what might be an effective mode of transportation for 10 foot tall Giants with Ancien...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by icewar1908‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by icewar1908‭

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Could marsupials convergently evolve sapience?

Marsupials in the majority of the world are overshadowed by their placental cousins, with the notable exception being Australia. There they have convergently evolved many similarities to their plac...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by icewar1908‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by icewar1908‭

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Could a marine plant have a salt-filtration system for when plants suck up the sea-water (providing a source of fresh water?)?

In a world I want to make, sailors would travel at sea for many years, perhaps up to ten, on sail boats. Obviously, they'd normally be stricken by scurvy and such, but I was thinking of some kind o...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Topsy-Scurvy‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Topsy-Scurvy‭

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creatures that uses sounds/vibrations as a defense mechanism

is it possible for certain creatures that can use infrasound or even vibrations as a defense mechanism, like: - causing them to get a severe headache or even weaken them - temporarily stunning its ...

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

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Could power be generated using the temperature difference in venus's atmosphere?

On Venus the surface is around 467 degrees Celsius. At the top of the atmosphere it is much cooler, and at around 60 km above the surface the temperature is around 40 to 50 degrees Celsius. This is...

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

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High Mountains in High Gravity

What would cause/allow a planet with very high gravity to have tall, sharp mountains? Mountain height is generally capped off by gravity, erosion, and the mountains composition. On a higher gravit...

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

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How can a species predictably guide its own evolution?

When elves decide to conceive, a male must add his genetic material at different intervals over several years to the female. Genetic material could come from a single male or various ones with no c...

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

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In what conditions could whales fly?

I am wondering if it is possible for whales to fly. I'm considering two different cases. How could we alter earth conditions (thickness, gravity) so that whales could actively fly (without changi...

6 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Metallurgy in the Carboniferous- Just how much hotter are fires?

The present day atmosphere is roughly 21% oxygen. Historically high-levels might have been as much as 35%, over 66% higher. This made the carboniferous a period of giant bugs and constant devastati...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Doug Morgan‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Doug Morgan‭

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How can natural chimerism be advantageous to a species?

Genetic chimerism is a condition in which a single organism is composed of cells with more than one distinct genotype. In animals, this means an individual derived from two or more zygotes, which c...

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

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Can 2019-nCoV be altered to be carried by the wind?

After surveying customers about their new product, 2019-nCoV™, E.V.I.L. Inc. realized that many of them would pay for an upgrade which allows for the virus to be carried by the wind itself in order...

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

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What environment would Orcs be best adapted for?

In my story Orcs, humans, and a bunch of other fantasy races live along side each other and i'm curious as to what sort of environment (on earth) would best suit them? so basic characteristics of m...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by icewar1908‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by icewar1908‭

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Could my fungus exist naturally?

My fungus starts out as an extremely small spore, this small spore will bury and implant itself near the spinal cord and cerebellum, and will then secrete an enzyme that hijacks and later puts it i...

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

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Can magnetic fauna and flora on magnetic world knows gravity?

Imagine an Earth sized planet consists of only ferrous metals, the creatures living on the planet move around like a maglev train basically they interact with the world and among each other electro...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by user6760‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by user6760‭

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What evolutionary pressures would lead to Trolls?

In a world I'm designing, a group of Homo Habilis or even Australopithecus Afarensis migrated into a northern Scotland environment becoming Trolls. These are not D&D trolls, but something else....

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by icewar1908‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by icewar1908‭

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I want my gryphons and birdfolk to have facial expressions. How?

So, Both birdfolk and gryphons have a head structure, similar to that of birds of prey, i.e: forward facing eyes. Sure, the color of the plumage and the beak-type can vary, but one problem is still...

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

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Facial expressions for dragons?

Though this applies to lizardfolk and most creatures with a snout as well, I'm having trouble giving more facial expressions to dragons. Sure, they can wink, bare their fangs and laugh out loud and...

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

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Physiological changes necessary to scale an insect's size up while maintaining a catapult jumping mechanism and jump/body ratio?

I understand that one does not simply scale up the smallest of creatures to the size of megafauna without violating basic physiological constraints like the square/cube law, among others; so what w...

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

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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

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Lizardfolk and the problem of balance and anatomically sound tails

So, lizardfolk are humanoid (and, so, upright) creatures with reptilian features and are also part-time endotherms. They're well-adapted to living in water and on trees to a degree. One adaptation ...

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

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Is it possible to have a skeleton with selective hardness?

There has been materials science research on materials that can harden and soften at need. In nature, we have the example of the sea cucumber, which can go from a squishy compressible state to a r...

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

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Would near-lightspeed spaceships have an aerodynamic shape?

At speeds near the speed of light, interstellar particles and gas may affect the movement of the ship, and microscopic particles may even badly damage the ship. Would not it make sense to make the ...

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

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Consequences of hitting a Pluto-like planet with a highly luminiferous meteorite?

While the intended end state is that this planet can support space-faring lifeforms, the solution under question needs a sanity check. I cannot commit to many numbers with how speculative this all ...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by CAE Jones‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by CAE Jones‭

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If Earth had a sideways axial tilt (like Uranus), would Earth still have tornadoes?

Imagine Earth was hit hard by some force so devastating that Earth now has an axial tilt of 90.0 degrees, a far cry from the usual 23.5 degree. The same force somehow eliminates the Moon. In my sto...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by user6760‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by user6760‭

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Are Geologically Dead Planets Habitable?

One of the planets I'm thinking of for my book series has all of its landmass in the northernmost half of the northern hemisphere (it is thus mostly a water world) and is completely geologically de...

9 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by The Weasel Sagas‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by The Weasel Sagas‭

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Could a large enough fleet generate tsunamis while moving from a place to another?

Imagine similar earth conditions of oceans and currents, and a renaissance type kind of ships of various sizes (ranging from sloops to ships-of-the-line), could a fleet consisting in 1500 (aprox.) ...

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

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A dragon, a gryphon and a tengu are flying toghether. How can they actually communicate?

One problem, I think writers often overlook, is the problem of flying creatures communicating with each other. I call this the "I can't hear you over the sound of the f@cking headwind!" For my wor...

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

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Semi-FTL quantum communications

I'm trying to come up with idea's that have some plausibility of sending information FTL. So we can entangle particles together. When you measure them you influence them. If you measure one up the...

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

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How do I stop Megalodon from going extinct?

A long time ago, the 60 foot long Megalodon roamed the oceans. Fast forward to 2.6 million years ago and they went extinct. In the story I'm writing Megalodon hasn't gone extinct surviving at least...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by icewar1908‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by icewar1908‭

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Could Octopuses convergently evolve sapience?

Now octopuses are quite smart already capable of camouflage and puzzle solving. given this I was wondering whether Octopuses could Convergently evolve sapience (human level intelligence) and wha...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by icewar1908‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by icewar1908‭

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Is it realistic that mountain cultures use a different calendar than the low landers?

My fantasy setting is on a wet and humid world of innumerable islands; many of which are quite mountainous. With conditions ranging from Mediterranean to Tropical. The culture here experience onl...

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

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Would human civilization develop at a slower pace if Earth was 5.8x larger?

EDIT: Calculations were incorrect, the earth in my comic is not 5.8x larger, it is 2.4x larger. Its surface area is 5.8x larger but the diameter is 2.4x larger. Anyway I'm working on a comic tha...

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

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How can space cop arrest the suspicious spacecraft moving at sub-luminal velocity?

Set in a distant future, reports of alien and drug traffickings have been on the rise and there was mounting pressure for Mr User6760, president of intergalactic interpol to resign. The traffickers...

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

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Epidemic friendly time traveller

My time traveller from the distant future is about to get stranded back in time, but realises that by travelling back a short time, maybe 100000 years, he is going to leave a trail of destruction b...

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

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Can You Evolve a Second Pair of Pectoral Muscles Without The Need for Flight?

Somewhere on DeviantArt, there is an insightful tutorial by someone named "Uzlo" on how to create anatomically believable angels. Among the instructed details is the possibility of developing a se...

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