Activity for Mephistophelesâ€
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question | — |
Uplifted animals have parts of their "brain" in various locations of their body. Where? Looking at the case of Mike, I realized decentralizing the brain might not be infeasible. The idea is if Horus, the brown falcon, doesn't have enough room in his skull, then why not move various functions to relatively well-protected areas of the body, and also expand the brainstem downwards while we... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How could an uplifted falcon's brain work? In JJBA: Stardust Crusaders, there was a two-parter with a falcon stand-user, called Pet Shop, as the antagonist. The character kinda intrigued me, so I decided to steal it while Araki wasn't watching. I made some changes... which led to a problem: As of now, Horus is a genetically "uplifted" falco... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Dragon forelimb placement Most dragons (before Skyrim and GoT) had six limbs in total, four legs and a pair of wings. The question is how would a dragon's forelimbs be placed? It's obvious they have good terrestrial capabilities, without having long noodle legs. But then there's the flight muscle, it needs lots of space and ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How can I increase wingbeat frequency for large flying creatures? Flapping flight bumps into a size limit after a while because of wingbeat frequency. My knowledge on birds is rather limited, so here's how I interpreted that: A longer wing is a longer lever -> Longer lever is harder to move back and forth and also take more time -> Muscle power output can sc... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
The Elementary Evil vs You /Animatronics 2: Judgement Day/ We need a weakness! So, Anon has had enough of the DM abusing his poor creations (the chromatic dragons). Wanting a better fate for them, he wraps the DM in unbreakable chains, forged in the heart of a neutron star, and throws him into the Duna. He has also prepared a special surprise for the adventurers, as "replaceme... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Could a living creature produce graphene? The thing about organics is that they can very precisely build themselves up, from a molecular level. They can take various, otherwise useless stuff like goethite and chitin and, through the power of engineering, turn it into one of the strongest biogenic materials to date. So, graphene is this wund... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How could my hard telekinesis work? So, in my setting, telekinesis is divided into two sub-fields: Soft telekinesis allows for precise manipulation of objects but doesn't pack a punch. Newton's third law is negligible for this type. Hard telekinesis is a quick burst of force that can accelerate an object in a certain direction, but a... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Regulating my replica soldiers with a controlled form of ASPD (I'm not sure if psychopathy belongs to it)? When you have around 500 soldiers with state-of-the-art equipment and superhuman reflexes, you might also want to invest in a reliable way of controlling them without hampering their ability to think for themselves. Replicas possess a semblance of personality, to make negotiation and working with re... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How can my powered armor quickly replace its ceramic plates? Though ceramic plates are harder than a math exam, and can practically obliterate projectiles, they are one-hit wonders. Self-repairing has been demonstrated for a composite of silicon carbide and aluminum oxide. I guess I should also add that the composite regained full-strength, but needed a minute... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Giving dragons more flight muscle Okay, we know the type-IIb FG muscle fibers are the strongest stuff we can use. So, the only thing we can do is attach more, but how? Dragons are 180 cm tall at the shoulders with a total neck+head length of 180 cm, a body 180 cm, and a tail 280 cm. Many of the body's bones are fused together, resul... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Creating Video Game Armor So, I find almost every video game funny. I mean, in the big picture, how many theoretical physicists did you see toppling interdimensional empires, punching elder gods in the scrotum, and killing over 9000 people? This partially is thanks to a strange item I call the "Video Game Armor" VGA, for sho... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
| Question | — |
Would these structural reinforcements improve dragon wings? So, I have devoted an unhealthy amount of my time to the dragon question, and a final solution will have to wait... for several thousand years at least. My original plan was to make them at around 180 cm tall at the shoulders, and 6.4 meters long, 2.8 meters of which is the tail. They soar for most... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
| Question | — |
Dragon flight muscles So, Mark Witton had a lengthy article on why paleontologists think the Quetzalcoatlus northropi could fly. One interesting thing about it is that Witton and Habib think the Quetzalcoatlus had a 90-second window of anaerobic wing flapping to gain altitude, then transitioned to soaring, with glide rat... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
| Question | — |
How could dragons run? You already know the drill: Dragons stand 195 centimeters at the withers, normally 2,95 meters at the top of the head when standing still They can't fly They weigh: 1179 kilograms You're not allowed to use magic Square-cube law T-rexes were fast walkers, but we want to do better Limpet teeth So l... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
| Question | — |
How could flightless dragons survive in a world with advanced firearms? Warning: large pic ahead, scroll down for the text BenWootten Dragons: Dragons are kinda small, by D&D standards, anyways. They measure 195 centimeters at, what I assume to be, the withers, and normally 295 centimeters at the top of the head when standing. They lack powered flight and aren't de... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
| Question | — |
What would limit the magnitude of force a utility fog (aerosol swarm of tiny bots) can generate? So, utility fogs have been around for quite a while in my world, mainly to patch up whatever holes I had in my magic system: If the Fireball really is just an M67 nade, then what propels it 122 meters forward? How can my characters summon festive hats out of nothing? Who killed Laura Palmer? Util... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to prevent the baddies from using my stolen firearms? So, in this generic fantasy setting, where magic is technology, I have trouble regarding adventurers. To avoid rolling up a new character every time, adventurers are rebuilt shortly after death at the nearest "checkpoint". There are several problems with this design choice, however: Checkpoints on... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
| Question | — |
Biological padding? Designing living creatures is hard, so I came up with a generalized idea to speed up the process in the future: Biological padding is a spongy structure made of spider silk and filled with either methane or ammonia. It's lightweight, offers protection against blunt force trauma and seemingly circumv... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
| Question | — |
Why would human operators have to be close to the drones? So, in this world, the future's wars are fought by drones and recruit teenagers with attitude, who control and repair drones in a temporary base near the front, and are frequently targets of surprise attacks. But why? What could prevent long distance teleoperation so that my child soldiers are forced... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
| Question | — |
Humans as repair drones The only real advantage humans have over robots is their stamina and fine motor skills. This would make them a cheap and excellent repair drone, but there are certain problems. What biological modifications should I make to humans to enable them to act as efficient on-field repair crew? They're eff... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
| Question | — |
Roller skating powered armor? One common problem with powered armors is their limited endurance. This could be remedied with electric roller skates as an efficient and faster way of locomotion, capable of maintaining its speed even in slav squat. Designing such skates, however, is a pain in the... Anyways, a roller skate like ... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
| Question | — |
Would a "reactive force field" be possible? In IRL, reactive armor is a type of armor, that is created to defend the tank from non-explosives kinetic perpetrators penetrators, by blowing away the projectile with the detonation of a high explosive. My idea is to ionize a small portion of air in front of the bullet, then smeck it into the proje... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Would naturally grown kevlar be possible If you can lower your mass without changing the surface area, you become 99% resistant to fall damage (like small spiders). So, why not? In order to do this, I wish to replace bones with kevlar, however, I'm not entirely sure, if an organic being is capable of creating this artificial material. Wou... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Fusion by collision? So, I'm still working on the plasma weaponry, the shape is a: Spheromak: The spheromak is a type of plasma configuration which enables the plasma to contain itself with its own magnetic field, even when external fields aren't present. Plasma's shape with this configuration resembles that of a smoke ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to protect toroidal plasma against air-resistance? I have a plasma rifle, but it's not just any plasma, rifle. This weapon uses accelerates a toroid plasmato incredibly high speeds I can shot the cup down from anyone's head. (and probably smash their ribcage apart if I miss): Speed is 8km/s ( approx. the re-entry speed of columbia). I use nitrogen... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Can I engineer a lighter bone structure? The concept is simple: I want to create a horse species, that are like the Superman of horses and can easily pull of acts, we've seen them done in movies. One of the many steps in this is to create lighter bones for them with the same strength as their original version. Would it be possible to ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Would creatures, evolved to tolerate the consequences of mouth breathing, be able to gain more oxygen? In this world, there are certain genetically engineered creatures, that are able to tolerate the side effects of mouth breathing (like sore throat) without increasing the normal air resistance in the mouth and throat. Considering that they can breathe through their mouth with no negative effects, wo... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Would an avian-style jetpack be advantageous? In this world, jetpacks among the "pack" part, also have wings, where the thrusters are suited, so you don't have to buy fireproof pants. These wings are retractable when not in use, but aside from that, they aren't moving too much during flight (if they do, that's for direction changing). The jet... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Feasibility of ranged MRI devices As some of you have pointed out, the only universal problem of stun guns is their "dosage", as some people may survive getting hit by a lightning bolt... seven times, others get themselves killed by simple tasers. So a futuristic society, in wich full cybernetic bodies (call them "shells" if you want... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Creating the Alga of algae I have to feed my dinosaurs, the plants in the land are mostly destroyed, but the ocean is almost "untouched", so of course, I'm gonna feed my feathery friends with a lot of algae, specially made by me through my ways of gene splicing. As a responsible scientist I've committed every single sin of sc... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Vacuming out the dust from prehistoric Earth's atmosphere I have dinosaurs, I have an asteroid I want to save the dinosaurs from the asteroid, but I'm not allowed to use the giant laser again, after that incident in Alderaan. So I have only one chance left... The Giant Housemaid mech. I want to make things sure, so I need a vacuum cleaner that is big and ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Light armor from carbon allotropes I want to make a powered light armor for my sci-fi setting. The candidate material is carbon, as it's lightweight and has a whole rainbow of different allotropes with different properties. I want to make an armor that: Has a literal exoskeleton, that also functions as your regular sci-fi exoskele... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
The speed and mass of this asteroid Background: In the world of Krynn (Dragonlance) there was this worldwide catastrophe, the Cataclysm. What happened: Gods became angery to a single person, so they threw an asteroid at him, obliterating half the known world in the process. The World pre and post Cataclysm KABOOOM! (that purple... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Knight in shiny armor vs the laser Situation: A knight wants to kill me. I have a night to prepare. It will be a duel. Me: I'm a time traveler (and I ended up in the worst possible timelines of the multiverse) I have a laser with a 14 kW power output concentrated into a 1 cm diameter circle. I also have its power source in the f... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Creating resonation with lasers We know lasers right? Damn accurate, pew pew.... Meh. What I never saw, is using lasers to create pressure waves, to resonate something into its destruction. But Boeing even patented the plan of a counter-measure that creates small exploding plasma bubbles, that protect against things like shockwaves... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Cooling the superconductors in my personal utility fog So I put JDlugosz's answer, the MJOLNIR Mark VI and the utility fog into a blender to get 100% pure AT-Field (copy). How does this work? Small nanites make up the shields intercepting part. They connected to each other, with flexible "arms" that can break in a controlled manner, in case of over... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
What's strongest non-nuclear explosive I can make with nanotechnology? Can I use nanotechnology to make the strongest possible non-nuclear explosive (when compared to the equal amounts of other explosives) or are we already at the peak-level of what can be achieved with chemicals? (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to synchronize squad tactics against robots with music? Back in my story, organic beings and AIs fight together against a frightening enemy, one that threatens everyone's freedom and chance to overcome their flaws and achieve a peaceful world. However, in the case of the war, they have a little bit better units than their enemies, but the enemy can easily... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
powersource with managably sized wormholes Let's assume that I managed to create a wormhole, only problem is,that I have to observe it with microscopes (it's so small), but I can keep it open. Also, I have a dyson sphere. I want the power from that dyson sphere to get to me, almost instantenously. I have highly advanced nanobots, that can ma... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Teleporting energy What would be the most limiting factor for a handheld plasma weapon or a wormhole or an alcubierre drive if they could exist? the answer is simple: Energy This is what limits most energy weapons, you can't carry around energy-dense things on the battlefield, cause the denser they are in energy the ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Robots with (specifically red) blood So I want robot enemies in my series, but I also want gore without killing living creatures (related to this, because the opponent is the same, the gr8 computer) So basically the robots I talking about mimic human biology to some degree, more specifically they use a muscle-like tissue, that's strong... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Sci-fi Science: Physics of Impossibru: "Force fields" Welcome to this fun little series, that will explore all the classic sci-fi tropes and attempts to turn them into reality with the ALMIGHTY POWER OF SCIENCE! Today's topic is: The Force Field What do we know? Force fields are a common trope in sci-fi, from Star Trek to Star Wars, just around ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Can this FTL communication, based on quantum entanglement, work? Editorial Note This is a canonocal question meant to cover all possible specific questions that fit the schema, as well as the fully general "Can quantum entanglement be used for FTL communications?" If a question fits the schema, close it as a duplicate of this one. Generic Question So I came up... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Quick Question: Ionocraft with nanotechnology? So basically there is this ionocraft thingy and it would be used frequently by one of my stories, mainly by a lightweight character (6.3 kg). Now the question: If I were to use nanotechnology to create an ionocraft, that has a ridiculously big surface area packed into a ridiculously tiny device (hum... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Instant army with nanites This question's main focus is the building aspect of the nanites. Rulez: No pseudo-science. No handwavium. The backstory is not (that) important. Lame puns ahead, proceed with caution. Properties of nanites, in general: Nanites can be considered organic from many perspectives, and are m... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
A bit more effective force field ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// AeT-Shield The shield uses nanobots, that can form layers. The two most important layer types are, a permanent magnet layer, and the o... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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