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The equation for the power emitted by a laser beam at a distance in a circle of radius $r$ at a distance $z$ where the beam diameter is $w(z)$ is $$P(r,z)=\frac{1}{2}\pi I_0w_0^2\left(1-e^{-2r^2/w^...
What you're looking for is parthenogenesis. Scientists from Japan have done it with mice, back in 2004 by changing one egg to behave like a sperm cell genetically. With enough genetic engineering ...
Note: This answer is not even close to being finished. I'm putting it out there as a sort of sanity-check, so I can get some input as to whether or not my idea is totally crazy or not. Links and mo...
$2.55\times10^{45}\text{ Joules}$. But it probably won't work. There are a few things we need to get straight here, namely, the differences between brown dwarfs and giant planets. Here are two of ...
Note: If anyone can double-check my numbers and result at the end of this answer, that would be much appreciated. This looks like a question that can be broken down as per your bullet points, so I...
Yes, it can happen. For this to be possible, you first have to put the planet far enough away that it can become totally icy. Then, after the temperature rises as the red dwarf transitions into a ...
I suppose I'll address the solar flares angle, since nobody appears to have tried that yet. My main objection here is that an external source will have a very hard time causing solar flares. Solar...
Is it possible? Absolutely. Pluto and Charon are tidally locked, and yet Pluto has four other moons1. Charon is relatively massive in comparison to Pluto - about one twelfth its mass. Indeed, the c...
Edit: When I first wrote this I didn't grok the "single element" statement fully. I'm not really changing my answer, just changing the execution. With the right planning and equipment, you could wi...
Painting the moon with lasers wouldn't work, as the light of the sun would overwhelm just about anything, the power needed would be prohibitive, it would only work for short amounts of time while t...
Problem? Well, I think you stated the problem pretty well already in your question. As the earth does its daily rotation and the moon does its monthly orbit the cable drags around, flickin...
No, because of Hamilton's equations and conservation laws. At some time $t$, the configuration of the universe is represented (classically) by a point in phase space. Phase space describes the pos...
Earth -> Mars trade is going to be "almost everything" for a while, with emphasis on things that can't be done on Mars. Over time as corporations begin to develop Mars, heavy equipment and thin...
Theoretically infinite, though the classification would get interesting. Consider the Moon. It orbits us, the Earth. That's a nesting of 0, right? Now consider the Earth. What's to say that the Ea...
I'm ~99% certain that the effects of a second celestial body on seismic activity on an Earth-like planet has been covered before (in that case, by a second Earth-like planet); if anyone can point m...
The Oort Cloud The far edge of the Oort Cloud is believed to be 100,000 AU from the Sun. In fact, Duncan et al. (1987) created simulations that showed the inner edge of the Cloud to be at ~3,000 A...
I'm incredibly embarrassed to be chasing the bounty here, but I can't resist the challenge. Besides, drones are cool. Okay, to start with this, we need to know just what developments have been mad...
Flywheels The method[3]: Generate electricity normally. Use the electricity to accelerate a flywheel to very high speeds. Capture the kinetic energy of the flywheel when needed. The benefits ...
1.Could any planetary orbit sustain life long-term without an imported energy source? I believe that black holes emit Hawking energy. Could that be of use to living creatures? The power emitte...
It's hard to conceive of a star that doesn't supply itself by nuclear fusion, except those that already exist. Some background Nuclear fusion is a process by which two nuclei of two atoms fuse to...
As a first approximation, we treat the rod as a one-dimensional rod of length $L$. On each end is a heat source (the mantles of each of the two "Earths". We can begin to model the system as followi...
Ordering of planets (mass and type) Can I start out by jokingly complaining that you picked a rather complex system? We've found a lot of exoplanets, but there are not many that reside in complex ...
I have posted a similar question where I asked how can two realities mix into one reality in which I received many helpful comments. I realise I should've expanded on the details I posted, so I wil...
I have a layman's (re: not very good) understanding of nuclear physics, and it's pretty cool to me, but I'm quite bad at math. I'm working on a sci-fi book (classic, I know) and just finished a dra...
The environment is set in (ideal) space with no air for the bullet to interact with. It should encounter nothing until it reaches its target. The bullet is assumed to be a perfect sphere with a di...
