How to realistically explain a creature that eats dreams and nightmares?
Inspired by Can we use science to explain a creature that feeds on emotion?
I was wondering if we can somehow use science to explain how a creature that devours dreams and nightmares might have came about.
Well it seems that dreams are images, ideas, emotions and sensations, nightmares are dreams that invoke a strong sense of negative emotions like fear and despair.
In order to ensure a constant food source, the creature would possibly also require a way to make people experienced nightmares and to dream about stuff. [It seems that 75% of dreams are nightmares anyway]
How would the creature go around achieving this?
How would such a creature have came about to exist?
This post was sourced from https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/51865. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Plants contain chlorophyll, which absorbs electromagnetic energy in the range 400-800nm, which happens to coincide with light tossed toward earth by the sun. Quite convenient. The plant uses this to synthesize glucose, which it later consumes for its energy and growth.
Dreamivores contain handwavium, which absorbs electromagnetic energy in the range 4 to 8 Hz, which happens to coincide with the theta waves produced by humans brains while dreaming. Quite convenient. The dreamivore uses this to synthesize some-or-other-ose, which it later consumes for its energy and growth.
This post was sourced from https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/a/51873. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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