Activity for Joe‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Question	—	What evolutionary pressures would lead to being skilled at counting and basic arithmetic? Let's say we came across a new species of moderately intelligent birds. Like Alex the parrot, these birds are able to learn a few words and simple concepts. But once we teach these birds the words for different numbers, we are astounded by the fact that... ...these birds can already count (to at l... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	What part of the coast gets hit by the tsunami? I've drawn up a set of landmasses for my story, and now there's a tsunami headed for them. I know where the tsunami is coming from, and I could decide how big it is, or any other characteristics of it. What parts of the coastline will be devastated and what parts will escape unscathed? For example... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Question	—	How could a species survive on just luring in and eating humans? In a question about mermaids, it was proposed that they might have evolved to look like humans to lure them in and prey on them. How could a creature survive on a diet of nothing but lured-in humans? As I see it, there are two problems: finding humans who don't know any better, and finding enough h... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Question	—	Color-changing armored creature? Could a creature reasonably have both armor (in the sense of armadillos or pangolins) and be able to change color over the short term (less than a day)? I'm afraid I don't know enough about biology to come up with a reasonable answer. (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Question	—	How could iron artifacts last for centuries? Let's say a 1600s civilization is around, making lots of iron objects: guns, swords, farm implements, etc. One day those people vanish. What conditions would allow their iron implements to be usable, not merely recognizable, centuries later? (If it matters, say 200 to 600 years go by.) (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Question	—	What's a macroscopic chemical unit as a scale for alien communication? Let's say we're composing a message intended for radio transmission to intelligent alien life. We'd like to talk about sizes and distances, so we'll need a unit of length. We're already planning to use units based on radio waves and astronomy, but for redundancy, our scientists would like to use so... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Question	—	Why would a creature need to eat hair? In a story I'm working on, there are some creatures that eat hair, wool, fur, and anything similar. They're not mites or insects, but are (very roughly) the size of humans. Is there any realistic reason that a creature would need to eat hair? (more)	—	over 9 years ago