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
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
Anatomically Correct Diclonius

The Diclonii are an evolutionary offshoot of modern homo sapiens from the Elfen Lied series. Most Diclonii can get distinguished from humans thanks to small bone and cartilage horns resembling cat ...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Arbiter Elegante‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Arbiter Elegante‭

50%
+0 −0
Biology behind a monster that is able to remain invisible

This is a post-apocalyptic setting I'm working on. The world has been overrun by invisible monsters from another parallel universe. They can be heard and smelled, and they can form claw prints on t...

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

50%
+0 −0
Magnetic sail on rotating ship

I'm thinking about a design like this generation ship, which obviously has spin gravity. Would the fact that the ship is rotating affect the use of a magnetic sail? The magnetic sail as a sort of...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Adam Reynolds‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Adam Reynolds‭

50%
+0 −0
How to prevent people from ever using the Founder Titan again without rendering it inoperable?

So, If you're familiar with the anime GATE (not to be confused with Stein's Gate) or A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, you probably know what's going on and why I have a boiling hatred t...

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

50%
+0 −0
Biological reason for organically formed crystals in or outside of body

So, it is relatively common to have various creatures grow crystals. This generally happens outside of the body (at least partially), but internal crystals aren't unknown either (see for example, e...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Mark Gardner‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Gardner‭

50%
+0 −0
Does the humanoid body plan necessitate sapience to be viable?

in most science-fiction stories that include alien races, said aliens have a roughly humanoid appearance (being an erect bipeds). now while it's likely that the vast majority of sapient life (being...

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

50%
+0 −0
Can we safe FTL from paradoxes by using a Multiverse?

As we know, bi-directional faster than light (FTL) travel can cause paradoxical situations. One possible way to resolve this would be a multiverse theory: Whenever a paradox could arise, the univer...

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

50%
+0 −0
Genetics and Population Dynamics of a 7-sex system

One of the respondents in this thread suggested a 7-sex system with the following features: An idea I came up with years ago was a variation on the male/female/carries-offspring idea. This spec...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Ettina Kitten‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Ettina Kitten‭

50%
+0 −0
With dunkle-like Jaws, how long could the neck be?

The Apex predator of the Sea of Grass biome from planet Andromeda is mostly bipedal, but capable of facultative quadrupedalism, it has long limbs, powerful claws on its hands and is roughly the siz...

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

50%
+0 −0
Could my "erect penguins" exist?

In the story I'm writing, a group of African penguins evolved to be fully upright (instead of having their knees bent like modern penguins). Now some basic characteristics of these "erect pengu...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by icewar1908‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by icewar1908‭

50%
+0 −0
What would happen if a black person used genetic modification to turn off the MC1R gene?

The MC1R gene turns pheomelanin into eumelanins but there are another kind of pehomelanin called pheochromes. So if a brunette or black person used a cosmetic gene therapy to turn off this gene how...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Sabrine Crystal Santos‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Sabrine Crystal Santos‭

50%
+0 −0
Could a species be able to be impregnated by anything?

Is there a way for a species to essentially become a living incubator of sorts? Not the other way around, as in Plausible ways for the alien species to be able to impregnate every and any species?,...

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

50%
+0 −0
is it possible for creature to have loose jaw like snake but also has enough bite strength to bit off big chunk like most predator or human do?

I want to create a glutton creature that can open its mouth wider than the prey item like snakes do, but also can bite through that big hard object and even chew it; this creature doesn't swallow p...

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

50%
+0 −0
What, visually, would a hole bored in the moon look like?

If you took a giant drill (~one hundred meter circumference) and bored down two kilometers into the moon, what would it look like (assuming the lighting was good)? Is there a gradient, or is it a u...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Joe Bernstein‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Joe Bernstein‭

60%
+1 −0
Can the color of an alien sky be calculated solely from atmospheric composition and the star's (or stars') spectral type(s)?

What exactly are the relevant numbers for such a calculation, and can it account for the color of the sky? By sky color, I mean the day to day hue that humans (or something else with very similar ...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by John O‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by John O‭

50%
+0 −0
A tiny fire-breather

My postulated creature will look something like this: or like this: Its description is as follows: it's a non-obligate carnivore its height is, on average, about two feet it lives in arid h...

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

50%
+0 −0
A sound reason for vampires to be weak to sunlight?

So, vampires here are created from humans with the help of a stone mask. Now, they're supposed to be weak for two things: Having their brains destroyed Prolonged exposure to sunlight The first ...

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

50%
+0 −0
If it could be shaped, would chitin from giant insects make decent body armor?

I found a previous question on using chitin from giant insects to make weapons and armor, but the answer left out something I had considered for the medieval fantasy setting I'm developing. The ans...

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

50%
+0 −0
Could a Species Survive Getting Nutrition Only by Smelling Things?

In Greek and Roman mythology, the Astomi, also known as the Gangines, are an ancient legendary race of people who had no need to eat or drink anything at all. They survived by smelling apples and f...

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

50%
+0 −0
How to prevent ship's AI from initiating self destruct sequence regardless of captain's permission?

Set in a distant future, every interstellar spaceship runs on antimatter propulsion which can achieve fractional speed of light travel. There is a doctrine stating that all spaceships with mass exc...

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

50%
+0 −0
Alternatives to amino acids

Amino acids, the building blocks of proteins and, therefore, one of the key components of life as we know it. There are many amino acids in nature, but they all stem from the same basic structur...

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

50%
+0 −0
Planning intra-city public air transport

I want to have air transport as the dominant means of public transportation in my fictional city. But how would such a system operate to handle many commuters with maximum efficiency? Specifically ...

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

50%
+0 −0
How could dragons use their forepaws as hands?

So, I want my dragon to be able to do stuff like open doors and whatnot. Using the wings is kind of awkward and takes up considerable space, and because of the coronavirus, the mouth is also a no-n...

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

50%
+0 −0
What Adaptation would Humans in a Volcanic Underworld Develop?

The TBD are a fantasy humanity offshoot that is fully adapted to life a few kilometers beneath the surface, settling in cracked earth near vents and hot spots. Air quality ranges from stale to tox...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by James McLellan‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by James McLellan‭

50%
+0 −0
How do you explain a "brooder" sex evolutionarily?

I've seen several people independently come up with the idea of three or more sexes where one sex is responsible for brooding the young (pregnancy, pouch, feeding, something along those lines) but ...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Ettina Kitten‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Ettina Kitten‭

50%
+0 −0
What's a possible justification for Giants not taking over the world?

An extension to another question about Why would humans be the dominant species? In my story Giants, humans, and a bunch of other fantasy races live along side each other and i'm curious as to why...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by icewar1908‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by icewar1908‭

50%
+0 −0
What abnormalities can result from long term cryogenic preservation?

Overlord Larmark is a scientist from the 21st century who is interested in world domination, and needs powerful generals to lead his armies. He looks to the ancient world, as only that time period ...

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

50%
+0 −0
How could an ability to project fire from your body occur plausibly?

Imagine the ability to shoot long streams of hot fire like a USM2 flamethrower from the palms of your hands. or shooting them out of your feet so you can push yourself off of the floor. An answer w...

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

50%
+0 −0
How CAN a Wyvern be a Scansoriopterygid Dinosaur?

It's become a popular speculative evolution trope for the likeliest candidate of the mythological "wyvern" to be a Cenozoic family--if not superfamily--of scansoriopterygid dinosaur. Now the first...

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

50%
+0 −0
Dragons and fall damage

You know, dragons like myself are no strangers to falling. It's a natural part of flight and I used to do it a lot when I was a tiny and very adorable wyrmling. The problem is it hurt, and sure it...

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

50%
+0 −0
How to discretely sustain a plasma life-form?

I have some plasma life forms that have evolved within the photosphere of a star and also capable of existing on a neutron star and the ergoshpere or accretion disk of a blackhole. This lifeform c...

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

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
Mechanics and structure for an artificial giant creature?

I originally wanted to create giant land biological life-forms but the square cube law is limiting me to sauropod body sized creatures so another element of my story is artificially enhanced biolog...

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

50%
+0 −0
Can Earth be isolated from a settled Solar System?

I was considering Kessler syndrome, however this is not a long-enough duration and I'm unaware of a way to prolong it for the course of several millennia. I don't want Earth to be destroyed, just...

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

50%
+0 −0
Without modern electronics, how could you determine your longitude, latitude, and altitude while lost deep underground?

Brief setting notes: it's a "basically earth" type situation, a spinning ball of rock in space with the same size and gravity and atmosphere and magnetic fields and everything else. The main diff...

12 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by possiblySerious‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by possiblySerious‭

50%
+0 −0
Temple fell down sinkhole in mining area, toxic gases

My temple was built near a kaolin surface mine, which is itself topping an old deep mine (where they used to mine radioactive metals, rare earths and possibly other miscellaneous, if need be). This...

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

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
Without powered greenhouses or trade, what's the coldest possible climate for a sustainable nation?

In a setting where an empire establishes an island colony far to the north, what is the coldest climate such a colony could sustainably survive were that empire to collapse and stop sending supply ...

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

50%
+0 −0
2 elbowed forelimbs: advantageous or detrimental?

On plain Pilar forest biome of planet X, you have mostly 3 types of vertebrates: those who burrow under the ground those who run through the widely separated trees those who live above ground le...

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

50%
+0 −0
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

50%
+0 −0
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

50%
+0 −0
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

50%
+0 −0
Plausible reasons for a whole planet to have a temperate oceanic climate?

In my book series, I'm worldbuilding a planet whose culture is based on Celtic mythology and history, and in order to be consistent with real life I feel like the whole planet's environment needs t...

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

50%
+0 −0
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

50%
+0 −0
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

60%
+1 −0
Procedurally generating a galaxy's worth of names

Background I am investigating the practical utility and limitations of a procedural-generation-based naming scheme for stars and other notable or significant interstellar structures (e.g. nebulae,...

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

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
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

50%
+0 −0
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