Activity for Uncle Tresâ€
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question | — |
How can I make ants the dominant species on earth? I would argue that ants are one of the most dangerous, effective and successful creatures on earth. But as we know they are not the dominant form of life. They also vary through-out their many species; some have potent venom while others even have acid. Many species are ferocious beasts alone but the... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
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Why would a land creature have tentacle-like appendages Why would a creature that lives on the surface of a planet evolve limbs that can bend at many points (like a tentacle or elephant trunk) and still end in some sort of hand-like appendage? (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Anatomically Correct Jackalope The jackalope is a mythical animal of North American folklore described as a jackrabbit with an antelopes horns. It's a popular mythological creature in hill folk culture and it made me ask a question, why don't animals other than Ungulates commonly have antlers? Why would animals such as rodents, fi... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How can I explain mind control without using magic? Mind control is a favourite tool of science fiction writers, it allows us to make certain characters do things that they would normally never do without the hassle of explanation. But hard science fiction worldbuilders look for explanations for things even if it is not necessary; like the evolution o... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
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Medicine under water In an answer to this question Cyrus suggested that pre-technology merpeople might use shrimp or prawns in lue of maggots to eat away rotting flesh. Similar to how plants and (in some cases) animals were used to heal ancient people in our own world; Opium poppies (from which comes morphine), Honey (... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Effects of Rings: Tides In my earth-like world, there is one thing that separates it from Earth; this world has a single rocky ring, around 10.3 meters thick, 5(ish) miles wide. In our own world we know that without an orbiting body a world will lack tides. Our own moon creates tides despite being over 380 000 kilometres a... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Anatomically Correct Medusa Medusa is a legendary myth about a woman with snakes for hair that turns anything she looks at into stone. How can I achieve both of those features in an animal realistically? And how would these features evolve? A list of all of the Anatomically Correct questions can be found here Anatomically Co... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Realism of Sub-humanity over half-humanity A common feature in fantasy are half-human creatures such as centaurs, satyrs and merpeople. As much as the worldbuilding community wants these to be real, the evolution and anatomy don't match. The Problem Centaurs; can't graze without bending down, removing the horses' advantage of running awa... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How can I turn water into wine? In the bible, one of Jesus's earliest miracles was turning jugs of water into wine. Let's assume that I need some wine - and it doesn't have to be good wine - but I need some wine for my guest. I have an unlimited budget and a lot of motivation. How could I turn water into wine in less than an hour u... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Anatomically Correct Nanaue The Nanaue (there is no wiki link) is a Hawaiian creature of myth. It is a shark with arms and legs. It can live in both the ocean and on the land. So how do I create the monstrosity that is, the land shark? A list of all of the Anatomically Correct questions can be found here Anatomically Correc... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to put satellites in orbit on my ringed world? In my world there are rings, these rings are around 9.5 meters tall and a little around 5000 kilometres wide. Their closest point is a little over 12,000 kilometres away from the surface and under 17,000 kilometres at its farthest point. For all intents and purposes this world is the same as earth. S... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How does a world with rings expand into space In Artifexians newest video he discusses how you can have a habitable near earth world that still has rings. Fast forwarding to the end of the video, he points out that due to their pull on any leaving spacecraft that it would be extremely hard for a world with rings to develop into the world of spac... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How could a creature like this evolve? In the question; Hollow-boned Humanoids Nathaniels humanoids were a flying mammal species called soarfolk. But let's say that I want a sapient mammal to have hollow bones but not fly. These furred, sapient mammals are called Lokk, they evolved in the plains after leaving jungles. They are an average... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Real Life Zohar In the movie Noah, which puts a new spin on the old legend of Noah's Ark, In the movie Cain's descendants mine a ore called Zohar. For those of you that have yet to see the movie, first go watch it! But if you don't have time zohar is a bright gold colored object that, when kinetic energy is applied ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Making tools, with your mouth! One of the main problems with creatures that they have tentacles instead of manipulating paws or hands. This isn't a big problem for developing sapience, but it is a problem for entering the realm of tool making. So I asked myself How can I have a space faring species than has tentacles but still can... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Anatomically Correct Hecatoncheires The Hecatoncheires was the collective name given to three monsters; (Briareus, Cottus and Gyges) who were the children of Gaia and Uranus. They were not only known for their frightful enormity, but also for their ghastly arrangement of one hundred arms and fifty heads. Even Uranus was so taken back... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Anatomically Correct Golem A Golem is a creature of Jewish lore, they are living creature created by inanimate objects like clay, stone, hay or wood. They obey their master and will follow their orders. Creating a true golem is impossible both through man made creation and evolution. The question is, how close can I get to the... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Possibility of Musical Animals I was at a musical event a while back and as I saw the brass instruments a question popped my mind, could an animal come with an instrument built in? It seems far fetched but evolution has given us some odd creatures, If this creature could exist what would be its evolutionary be like, and If it coul... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Anatomically Correct Cyclops As a series of anatomically correct myths, here we have the Cyclops. One of the most similar creatures to man but with 'one' noticeable difference, one eye. It seems that land animals love their two theme; two eyes, two ears, two sets of limbs, etc. Having two eyes helps with depth perception and a b... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Thicker cerebrospinal fluid: Results? Cerebrospinal fluid is a thin layer of liquid that helps use avoid being knocked out (among other uses). Creatures with a thicker layer have more trouble being knocked out. I want my humanoids to naturally evolve a thicker layer of this fluid. How can I achieve this, and will there be other effects? ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Evolution of aggression Humans show aggression by baring their teeth, dogs show aggression by growling and cats, by hissing. All groups of animal show aggression in a way that makes it clear to attackers that they are agitated. How do these aggression signs evolve? Is it random or does it have to do with evolutionary factor... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Anatomically Correct Phoenix The Phoenix appears in Greek mythology and are most commonly seen as beautiful golden birds that burst into flame and are reborn from the ashes. Is there a realistic way that they could evolve? Using earth or near earth biology how close could I get to the classic Phoenix? Is there a reason that a Ph... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
What can I do to make blood black? In my world I find it simplest to have iron-based blood. The problem is that iron-based blood is red, and I want it to be black. Two things come to mind; one is making the blood denser, resulting in thicker, darker blood and fast bleeders. The other is making blood richer in iron, which leads to blac... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Other blood colors Many people know that our blood is red because it is iron based. Many people also know that blood is blue or green if it is copper based. I'm wondering what color blood would be if it was let's say aluminum or tin based? How could I achieve white or black blood? Colors I'm curious about Black ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How would society be different if humans possessed a heat cycle? Primate evolution has led to the loss of a heat cycle. This has allowed us to have children at any time of the year. But imagine a world where humans never gained that ability, perhaps even evolving more effective heat cycle depending on climate, temperature and environmental pressures. Human cultur... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to achieve holographic controls? In countless series of the world of science fiction we see something that we all accept as realistic but makes no sense. Holographic controls. We simply say that since it's the future that it makes sense. But the problem is that I see no way how this could work. If it was a classic hologram then our ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to realistically increase hair growth rate In the answer to this question, it is said that that is needed to be done to make the solution feasible is to increase the growth rate of human hair. But the problem is that I cannot think of any evolutionary explanation for hair growth to be that quick. What evolutionary history would support quicke... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Naturally making a gas giant moon habitable Let's say that in my planetary system there is a gas giant around the size and distance from the Sun as Jupiter. I need the planet to be similar enough to earth to be able to be inhabited natural by humanoids. There are a few problems that I see with this below are the questions. How do I keep th... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to justify having overly large irises? In many famous alien species you see that the iris is so large that it almost appears that it replaces the sclera. What evolutionary history would support the irises growing to that size. The only two requirements of the species are that they need to be humanoid and evolved in jungles. For the re... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Melanin and you Melanin is what causes the color to appear in the skin, hair and eyes. But in humans there seems to be a limit to this. For example human hair can be orange(gingers) but not green or blue. iris's can be blue but not yellow or black. What determines the color range of hair and iris's? How can I add (o... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Day and night cycles of a gas giant moon Let's say that a gas giant (around the same size and distance from the sun as Jupiter) has a moon that supports life. The moon is around the size of Mercury (if this is too large please let me know). Would the star be bright (or even large) enough to be considered the difference between day and night... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to evolve sapient bats On a planet the same as Earth, with no other sapient creatures, how could a Pteropus evolve sapience? (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How could I make the moon appear larger? In many series (Elder scrolls for example) they have a huge moon. It is rare though when they explain how it can be larger. There are only two choices both of which couldn't work; One is to bring the moon closer, but that can get risky, how close can it get for example never mind the tides. Two i... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Evolutionary pressure leading to dragons Here on the stack exchange we talk about dragons... a lot. We have discussed all the factors that would allow dragons to exist and yet, there is a question we have not asked. What evolutionary pressure would lead to realistic dragons? (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
What makes an animal suitable for domestication? What makes an animal suitable for domestication? I know it has something to do with the danger to productivity ratio. But this is not helpful for fantasy animals in the worlds we build. What factors or ratios can I use to help determine what fantasy animals are suitable for domestication? (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Ears as whiskers? In this question someone suggested that the classic 'elf' ear could evolve for the same use as whiskers. How (un)realistic is this idea. Lets assume that the humanoid species that evolved these ears evolved in jungles. Would long ears be a reasonable tool for whisker use? (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How could Kuutamian animals work? In Ribbontails Series Aman5 there are creatures called Kuutamian animals. These animals are sapient and can have any form. The creator uses the excuse that they have three DNA strands, but how realistic is this? If the three strands could not work, how else can I have each individual animal being dif... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is it possible to ride a carnivore species? Humans have been domesticating carnivores for over 10 000 years. And there are certainly carnivores big enough to ride. The former is the biggest feline ever to exist. They certainly can carry a human after all they are big enough. Let's assume that the danger of the mount being a carnivore in the fi... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Anatomically Correct Werewolves Could werewolves exist in a realistic world? All that is required for an accepted answer is the ability to change shape over night. Bonus points will be awarded if you can explain a bite spreading transformation and a full moon causing the transformation itself. Could an animal evolve this ability? ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Anatomically Correct Nuckelavee As a series of anatomically correct myths, here we have the Nuckelavee. Is there a realistic way that Nuckelavee could evolve? Using Earth or near-Earth biology, how close could I get to the classic Nuckelavee? Is there a reason that a Nuckelavee couldn't evolve? To me the two heads and split spine i... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
My Very Tall Humanoids In my world I am working on, the species is similar to humans in almost every way except for the following thing things: They a much more slender They have very light hair colors such as blond and white They are 7 feet tall on average Their toes are longer and better at gripping What evol... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Anatomically Correct Angels As part II of anatomically correct myths here we have the Angel. Angels appear in many cultures and are most commonly seen as simply winged humans. Is there a realistic way that angels could evolve? Using earth or near earth biology how close could I get to the classic Angel? Is there a reason that a... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Anatomically Correct Griffins As a series of anatomically correct myths, here we have the griffin. Is there a realistic way that griffins could evolve? Using Earth or near-Earth biology, how close could I get to the classic griffin? Is there a reason that a griffin couldn't evolve? A list of all of the Anatomically Correct ques... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Culturally Correct Ideal City Location On an Earth-like planet, with the technological and cultural level of ancient Rome: What kind of terrain would be statistically best suited for a powerful city to be located?. The most important aspects of this city are, in order: religion, economy and military. Below are some of the things I would... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
4 ears, Possible or Inconceivable? This question has no background information here. I just want to know if there are any evolutionary advantages for a species to have 4 ears?(The kind a mammal has). (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
could a moon be seen during the day Is there a way for the moon to be seen at every point during the daytime? In my world it is day all the time so they have a rough concept of months, years and days. To solve this they could have moons that can be seen during the day. Is it possible? (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Water percentage All the worlds I've seen built by me or others have surfaces that are mainly water. Is it possible for a habitable world to exist if the world is mainly land? I'm only talking about 55-65 percent land. Other than that, it is exactly like Earth for all the reasons you need to know. (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How would a two thumbed hand work If our hands had 2 thumbs and 3 fingers how would they work? I mainly concerned with the bones and how they would interfere and interact with each other. But the muscle work would be helpful as well. (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
What is the sack-to-ship ratio? In the world I'm building, the day lasts 9 of their years. This means that they are almost always on the move, living in blimp-like cities and houses. I've been designing these and I am having trouble with the exact ratio for the balloon size to the size of the cargo. What is the sack-to-ship ratio? ... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
How would sleep cycles work in a world with a years-long day? This is in my world of balloons and zeppelins, war and peace, day and night. Sleeping may be the least important thing but it is still important. On this world, the day and night cycle is 8.89 of their years and 21 of our years. So I ask, how would sentient creatures in my world sleep? Below are some... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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