Activity for Lostinfrance‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Question	—	Windscreen wipers for atmosphere suits? Science fiction often depicts humans visiting alien planets which have unbreathable atmospheres. No problem; they are shown wearing atmosphere suits including a helmet with a transparent visor/faceplate or a transparent globe over the entire head. My question is, what happens when it rains? Most of t... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Question	—	Aliens picking up human radio and TV: how might it really happen? In the Carl Sagan novel Contact and the 1997 film of the book, aliens from Vega have picked up TV pictures of Hitler opening the 1936 Olympics, which is depicted as the first TV signal powerful enough to reach the stars. The idea of aliens picking up our TV signals and learning human customs and lang... (more)	—	over 9 years ago
Question	—	FTL travel is impossible. How is interstellar trade possible? Assume a universe depressingly like ours, in which special relativity holds. No hyperspace, no warp drive, no wormholes, and even the limited get-out clauses offered by real world physics either don't exist at all or are not practical. [Added later in response to comment by Fhnuzoag: no ansibles eith... (more)	—	over 9 years ago
Question	—	What needs to be different in order for a parthenogenetically reproducing species to evolve sentience? I am specifically interested in a form of reproductive cycle something like that of aphids on earth, where several generations of female-only parthenogenesis go by, followed by a generation being born consisting of both males and females capable of sexual reproduction. That is, the type of complex re... (more)	—	over 9 years ago