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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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Making the Marauder's Map: Can I make a map that changes?

Those familiar with the Harry Potter series may be familiar with the Marauder's Map, a map that allows the holder to see where people are at any given time. It displays a person as a set of footpri...

4 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by HDE 226868‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by HDE 226868‭

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The Ultimate Protein Bar - As a Fruit

Here is the setup: Elves, through magic, have the ability to cause regeneration of limbs/healing of wounds through natural cellular processes. Regenerating a limb, while now possible, obviously tak...

4 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by Thomas Myron‭

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Wet and dry seasons - what are they and how do they form?

While asking questions about building my fantasy world, I keep hearing about wet/dry seasons. Obviously, one has rain and the other doesn't, and I've gathered that they occur with regularity on an ...

2 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by Thomas Myron‭

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How could something like a Gargoyle evolve?

Namely, a creature that is immobile and stone(like) during the day and mobile at night. Something like the old cartoon, but they don't have to be sentient. They don't have to be actual stone, jus...

3 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by AndyD273‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by AndyD273‭

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How can I set a moon on fire?

So, for reasons which may or may not pop up in a later question of mine, I need to light a small Moon-like moon on fire. Well, sort of. See, I need a small object capable of emitting a lot of ligh...

6 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by HDE 226868‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by HDE 226868‭

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Can whiteout/snowstorm conditions be coupled with heavy fog?

In a story I am working on, I need a scene in which one of the main characters finds himself outside in precarious weather conditions, unable to see unaided much farther out than an armlength or so...

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

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What evolutionary factors can contribute to large sexual dimorphism in large mammals?

On Earth, the polar bear is among the most sexually dimorphic animals, with males being on average almost twice as heavy as females (Wikipedia claims average weights of 450 kg for males versus 260 ...

3 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Canina‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by Canina‭

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What are the advantages of four wings over two wings?

On a certain planet, there is a large population of falcon-like birds. They dominate the avian ecosystem. However, a population of nearly-identical birds soon finds its way in. The only difference ...

9 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by HDE 226868‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by HDE 226868‭

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How large could a planetary diamond be?

Back in the days when men were real men, women were real women, and small, furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centaury, an obscenely rich woman decided s...

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

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Radiation shielding for a space ship

Space is full of radiation. When doing long stays in space, no matter whether it's a generation ship on its journey to a new colony, a research ship exploring new worlds, a freighter delivering goo...

1 answer  ·  posted 9y ago by celtschk‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by celtschk‭

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Sharks with frickin' lasers!

Yes, this is about Dr. Evil's dream: Sharks with frickin' lasers. Except that the lasers would not be artificially attached, but be part of the animal itself (bio-lasing instead of simply biolumine...

3 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by celtschk‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by celtschk‭

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What would the sky look like to a being inside the event horizon of a black hole?

Suppose it was possible to travel to inside the event horizon of a black hole safely. Also suppose said black hole is large enough that the curvature of the horizon of the surface of the central ma...

5 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Canina‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by Canina‭

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Power plants "” literally

It is well known that some organisms can produce electricity. Therefore I think it would not be too much of a stretch to assume that also some plants might have evolved that ability (after all, it ...

7 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by celtschk‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by celtschk‭

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Jet Powered Animals

Looking at the recent questions on dragons and aviation bureaucracy has got me thinking about some animals I could include in my story. I want these animals to be jet powered. One of the answers o...

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

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Arctic Airships, Part 2 - Navigation

This is the second question in my Arctic Airships series of questions. The first one is Arctic Airships, Part 1 - Generating Electricity. The setting is outlined in Part 1, but I'll rehash the pre...

8 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by HDE 226868‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by HDE 226868‭

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Could higher land-based life exist on a planet with a pressure of about 1 MPa?

This is somewhat of a follow-up question to my ammonia-based world question. I've found out that the melting point of ammonia is at 25°C at a pressure of about 1 MPa (about 10 times the atmospheri...

5 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by celtschk‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by celtschk‭

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How would an interstellar spaceship's speedometer work if everything else is moving?

A speedometer is a gauge or device used for measuring instantaneous speed of moving vehicle roughly speaking, so for example the reading shown on the speedometer of a car parked at road side displa...

14 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by user6760‭  ·  last activity 1y ago by James McLellan‭

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If this earth were cube shaped would it be possible during Magellanic era using a float ship to figure out that the earth is cube shaped?

If this earth were cubed shape would it be possible for Magellan to prove that the earth is cube-shaped without going to space and looking at earth? It might seem strange to think that earth might...

13 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by mvr950‭  ·  last activity 2y ago by Pastychomper‭

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What is the most efficent way of killing prey much larger than yourself?

The title sums it up pretty well - I'm basically trying to envision the ultimate predator of much larger prey. A couple of requirements: The predator must weigh 44 kilograms or more (Megafauna) ...

14 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by SealBoi‭  ·  last activity 2y ago by KalleMP‭

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Exploration of a 50 mile high mountain

My friends and I are building a world with a 50 mile high volcano on it. The mountain is the result of some bored god deciding to play a joke on everyone. Or, some other god got angry and decided ...

6 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Green‭  ·  edited 3y ago by Canina‭

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How could dragons be explained without magic?

Dragons are a grand classic of fantasy. For this question, let's assume we're talking about the following stereotype: hatches from an ostrich-sized egg and can grow to mountain size if nothing l...

18 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Sheraff‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by celtschk‭

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Multi-purpose Fictional Chemical Element Needed

I am looking for some guidance in creating a chemical element. I want to know if it is scientifically plausible for a single fictional element to do all the things I need it to, even if at a stretc...

5 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Michael Faraday‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Canina‭

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How to survive and become self-sufficient in the nature?

Brad and his family are tired of society and the concept of money. They want to live a primitive lifestyle. They need a strong, comfortable and cheap refuge that will protect them from the elements...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Seraph Myrmidon‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Canina‭

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How do you find a mate when everyone looks amazing?

We have modern humans found in a near future, first world country on Earth. The primary technological advancements are in the form of extremely cheap and fast genome sequencing ($10USD/genome) and...

15 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Green‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by celtschk‭

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An alternative way to rotate or in this case rolltate

As far as we know Earth and every other planet in the solar system rotate around their axes. Whether it be Uranus which rotates on its side or Mercury which rotates perfectly straight, all planets ...

5 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Nanoshadow‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Matthew‭

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How to Convince Humans to Allow a Machine Take-Over

In a lot of stories there are fights between man and machine; rogue AI that has decided humans are inferior in some respect and chooses to wipe them out. What if the only chance for any remnant of...

8 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Varrick‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by celtschk‭

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Is a genetically modified human with a much higher height plausible?

I've created a genetically modified race of humans with an extreme height. I've taken into account the cube square law, and added some bones and muscles to help cope with that. I'm planning on maki...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Popplio Lover‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Razetime‭

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How to make an animal which can only breed for a certain number of generations?

What would be the best way in which to genetically modify (or create through some other method) an animal which breeds normally for a certain number (50?) of generations before becoming sterile? Ge...

13 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Richard Smith‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by James Jenkins‭

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Restricted Directions for an Alcubierre Drive?

It's my understanding that if an Alcubierre drive were to be constructed, it would be able to function as a time machine because there would be certain paths through you could take to get to a dest...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by FlyingLemmingSoup‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by lsusr‭

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Why would merfolk have hair?

A classic image of mermaids are their long flowing hair that swishes in the water. But in the scientifically realistic sense this makes none. The hair would be nothing more than a nuisance to the m...

21 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Uncle Tres‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by PinoBatch‭

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Are geographically typed planets realistic?

In many science fictions we see planets which are designated by a particular terrain type. For example, Dagobah is a swamp planet, Tatooine is a desert planet, and Kamino is an ocean world. Howeve...

5 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Liath‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by Canina‭

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How to explain a mermaid's tail morphing into legs and vice versa?

I know a tadpole can do this transformation, given enough time, so what about mermaids?

4 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by user6760‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by PinoBatch‭

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How to go from a free person to a slave

This question is a little nebulous unfortunately and perhaps a bit disturbing. The evil-empire in my WIP captures Mages and breaks them down into loyal and obedient servants. The Mages aren't as d...

11 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Trismegistus‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by PinoBatch‭

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How should I create my Merfolks to make them landbased?

I want a mermaid protagonist. If I am to make this story realistic, how should the Merfolk's body structures be made to make them adaptable for both water (swimming) and land (walking, running)? Is...

3 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Pobrecita‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by PinoBatch‭

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Earth where all of Equidae went extinct via Ice Age... - Effects

Assuming that all Equidae went extinct at around the same time as the American Equidae on OTL (Original TimeLine) Earth, 8000 BCE, and in the same way, via Ice Age... What would have changed for ea...

3 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Malady‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by PinoBatch‭

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Does the sun being blocked affect electricity?

I feel like this is the most noobish question ever. Anyway, imagine an asteroid hits Earth and the atmosphere is now full of particles, successfully blocking the Sun from Earth. There are people st...

6 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by KaguraRap‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by PinoBatch‭

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3D Printer / Replicator : Raw Materials and Distribution Cables

So let's say you have a starship like in Star Trek and you want a Replicator, but don't have the ability to convert matter to an energy form to pass their electrical cables. Basically you have an a...

3 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Durakken‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by manassehkatz‭

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Oh crap, it's 2020ad, and the Earth is about to explode! Can we make it to the stars?

Okay, not literally Krypton style, but let's say some local astronomical event is going to render every rocky surface in our solar system totally uninhabitable. Details aren't terribly important, ...

9 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by SomeGuy‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by manassehkatz‭

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"Life post-Singularity", or "How to survive without Instagram"

The Story The year is 2027, singularity happened. A powerful AI (let's call it Eve) was created. In a matter of days, it escaped the control of its creators and hacked all the computers of the wor...

14 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Babika Babaka‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by wizzwizz4‭

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Can a organism control its metabolism and the heat it's generating?

How would it switch between if endothermic and ectothermic and in between and how would it be able to create different temperature in specific areas in the body?

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Random guy‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by wizzwizz4‭

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How fast would strange matter conversion go?

Background: So this Kurzgesagt video talks about quark stars, and how two of them colliding could send strangelets flying towards Earth or the Sun. Now it's been said that since, theoretically (as...

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

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Can velocity drift be used to calculate a radio wave source's distance from Earth?

If you're studying radio signals from Earth, is it possible to calculate whether a radio source is 'near' as in near Earth or 'very far away' as in somewhere far out in space from velocity, or velo...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by zeno‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by HDE 226868‭

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Cruelty Free Vampirism [closed]

Setting: "One Big Lie" Sci-fi RPG The lies in this setting are an extension of relativity with a couple of extra dimensions allowing for FTL/Backwards Time Travel, and Thaumons. Thaumons (Magic B...

6 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Douglas‭  ·  closed 4y ago by HDE 226868‭

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Does crossing a wormhole happen instantaneously, or with the course of time?

I have seen many science fiction movies that depict traveling in space through wormholes. The appearance though, and the time it takes to cross a wormhole, tends to vary: On one hand, we have the...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by ΓΙΑΝΝΗΣ ΜΙΧΑΗΛΙΔΗΣ‭  ·  edited 4y ago by ArtOfCode‭

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How could a bad random number generator explain baryon asymmetry?

How can a character explain baryon asymmetry (there is more matter than antimatter) by the universe being a simulation with a slightly imbalanced random number generator being employed at the point...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Konrad Höffner‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by HDE 226868‭

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Inverse orbital direction

Is it possible that a planet/moon will have inverse direction comparing to the rest orbiting material? For example Mars would go in counter direction comparing to other planets in solar system. I...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Zavael‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by HDE 226868‭

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What if the Planck constant was exactly zero?

I was thinking of a parallel universe in which the Planck constant has an exact value of zero. How would this effect the physics of that universe and how would it effect the development of that un...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Anders Gustafson‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by HDE 226868‭

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Could there be something like the Higgs field which gives particles their energy in a similar way to how the Higgs boson gives particles their mass?

First of all, in no way do I have advanced knowledge of particle physics, quantum mechanics, or any other necessary scientific concept for a full understanding of this question. Secondly, this is p...

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

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Why do flying saucers have to spin while flying?

Set during the Cold War period, the then-president rented five (5) flying saucers from the extraterrestrial aliens and a few training exercises were conducted in the air space above Roswell. My fat...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by user6760‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by HDE 226868‭

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What would the sky view be like of a final stage massive merged galaxy?

What will be the view of the sky and the distances between stars, living on a planet or in a habitat in a super galaxy that has merged with all its nearby galaxies in its cluster, at a time in the ...

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