Activity for Random‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Question	—	What are the most realistic ways to introduce a persistant cosmetic difference into human evolution? I'd like my world to have humanoid protagonists, while still reinforcing that they are ultimately not human, but have simply evolved in a similar way due to convergent evolution. To provide a constant small reminder of that, I'd like to introduce one or more subtle cosmetic differences to these human... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Question	—	How do I realistically portray continental drift on my map? I'm still fiddling with my map, and I got to thinking about continental drift. My world has two large large continents and a couple of other notable landmasses between the size of Iceland and Australia. I consciously drew the map so that the landforms fit together as if they had once been part of the... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	How do I design the solar transit of a hot Jupiter? BACKGROUND The world I'm designing currently has a gas giant of the type known as a hot Jupiter orbiting close to the sun and causing solar flares. I would like the inhabitants of my Earth-like world to regularly witness this planet transiting their sun, making it a center of religious life, and per... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	Would the early invention of the microscope naturally lead to better metallurgy or steel? QUESTION It's been established that one could invent microscopes early with a magnification of up to 1500x. It occurred to me, though I really know nothing about this, that putting metals under a microscope could lead to a better understanding of their structure, and therefore better metallurgy. It... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	What evolutionary pressures could turn a group of divergent hominids into matriarchal giants? QUESTION Other questions have covered what the physical structure of a humanoid giant might look like. Assuming that anatomically modern humans (or something close) were dispersed into several distinct population groups over an adequate time span, what evolutionary path might cause one of these grou... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	How do I form a location like the Ethiopian highlands? I'm continuing to work on my map, and one thing that's giving me difficulty is figuring out the geology of a region that I wanted to be similar to the Ethiopian highlands and African rift valley. This area is marked dry highlands on the map below. (It's otherwise a little outdated now, but gives a so... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	Can extremely powerful geomagnetic storms be made plausible on an otherwise Earth-like world? I've been playing with ways to make my world interesting, and also further justify the limited use of ferrous metals. One idea I had was that my world might undergo regular and intense geomagnetic storms, probably caused by solar flares, on a scale equaling and exceeding the most powerful recorded on... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	Could I get some guidance on this map in progress? BACKGROUND So I was working on a map, when I suddenly realized that despite the many helpful tutorials on this site I have very little idea what I'm doing. I thought it might be a good idea to put on the breaks and ask for a reality check before I build myself into a corner. Hopefully this will prov... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	Could a microbe plausibly generate lift gas for manned balloon flight? QUESTION I was thinking about ways of justifying practical balloon flight for a pre-industrial civilization, when I remembered that some microorganisms produce methane, and better yet, hydrogen. This made me wonder, is it plausible to posit a hydrogen creating microbe that could produce enough lif... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	The land grows evil and corrupted ... but why? BACKGROUND A corruption has seized hold of the land, turning great swathes of it into a poisonous waste that humans may only enter at their peril. Perhaps all who enter the waste grow sick or go mad, perhaps terrible beasts lie in wait, all that can be known is that evil has taken root in the earth.... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	Can this world invent gas cylinders early? QUESTION I'd like a nation in the world I'm working on to be able to transport natural gas and hydrogen, for fuel and possibly ballooning. Natural gas pipelines and cylinders were first invented in ancient China, but while impressive, these were rather leaky. I'd like it if the inhabitants of this w... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	Could a solar flare create terrestrial areas of background radiation? Inspired by this question from yesterday. Solar flares can give off a large amount of radiation, but on Earth this is typically absorbed before it reaches anywhere but the poles, and even then only in very reduced quantities. I was wondering if, in the event of solar flare activity that was power... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	Can an earth-like world lack mineable iron? This question is pretty straightforward. I would like to build an earth-like world in which humans don't have access to iron, or at least can't mine any prior to full scale industrialization. They can scavenge very small quantities from meteor impacts to make "magic" steel weapons, but I want to forc... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	How powerful a microscope could my pyromancers make? BACKGROUND In the antiquity of my world, a college of pyromancers attempted to create stronger magnifying lenses so that they could apply their ability to control heat to ever more finely detailed metallurgical work. Along the way, one of them invented a microscope, and observed cells and microorgan... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	How could a natural road form across a sea? BACKGROUND I'd like my earth-like world to have a naturally formed narrow strip of land that bridges a major sea. Now, before anyone rushes off to comment about island chains and land bridges, I'll add that I'm looking for unusually long, thin, and well, road-like formation. Here are the guideli... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	Is this coral lagoon geologically possible? BACKGOUND I'm working on a region for my world, and I have a very distinct idea of what I want the physical landscape to look like. Below is a description of what I'd like for the land, and an approximation of how it might have been formed. DESCRIPTION Location. The region is on the equator of a... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	How fast could a hominid evolve to run? This is question is related to the medieval world from my earlier question in which several types of intelligent hominids evolved in isolation, until they were rediscovered, conquered, and bred into a biological caste system by a dominant species. BACKGROUND To go with my farm-laborers I'd like a w... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	What qualities could a hominid evolve to make it a better farmer? BACKGROUND I'm working on a medieval world in which homo sapiens domesticated several other species of intelligent hominids during their prehistory, at first enslaving them to take advantage of specific desirable adaptions, and then breeding them to further specialize them for a social role. This co... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	Will this anti-gravity airship balloon give me a working vacuum airship? This is a self-contained follow-up to a different previous question. Based on the answers I got there I've taken a different approach to my original idea, and now want to try using antigravity on the inside of the balloon instead of the whole ship. Two new questions came up while I was thinking thro... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	Guano mines versus early artificial fertilizers? Ok, so this is an very odd little question. I've been working out the economy of an industrial age world; figuring the major industries, trade routes, etc. I have a tropical region I was considering putting a lot of guano mines in. In the real world, South American guano was prized as a valuable fe... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	How do I use late Victorian mad-science to tame lost world megafauna? The Scenario: My late Victorian Era mad scientist wants to domesticate the dinosaurs and mammalian megafauna of his "Lost World" island getaway, for use as companions, guardians, draft animals, and even mounts for his many henchmen. The problem is that he doesn't have thousands of years to do it. In ... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	What are the consequences of using limited anti-gravity for steampunk-style airships? The Scenario: Airships are awesome, but in the real world airship design is greatly constrained by the problem of lift. It seems like this, above all else, is what makes the elegant and compact ships of steampunk and fantasy unviable. Balloons need to be enormous to carry adequate mass. Steam engin... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	Mass disease prevention: The feasibility of airborne vaccines The Scenario: A technologically advanced mother culture wants to manage mass outbreaks of virulent disease in its technologically regressed colonies, who are inclined to resist most of what the mother culture does, good or bad, as a basic principle. The mother culture, for their own part, treats dise... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	How extreme can I make an altered solar cycle without destroying an inhabited world? This is a follow-up to an earlier question. My intent here is to work out the details, and explore the potential consequences, of one of the many excellent answers I received. Relevant questions have been asked before, but these have generally focused on solar flares and electronics, or were otherwis... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	Is it possible to have a sun with visible phases or cycles? Is there a scientifically plausible way for a habitable world to have a sun that undergoes a regular, dramatic, and easily observable change? One comparable in visual impact to an event like a solar eclipse or a full moon? Such a change might affect: Color. Light and heat output. Visible texture ... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	Can you replace a sun with a burning moon? In our solar system light and heat are, of course, provided by the sun. I was wondering if a comparable effect might be had by positing a burning moon instead? So rather than a true star, you'd have a much smaller but relatively close satellite with a surface that's just engulfed in flames. Please ... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Question	—	How do the properties of heat and fire work in Aristotelian (four elements) cosmology? Alright, my understanding of both modern physics and classical cosmology is a little shaky, so I hope this question is neither unclear nor foolish. Here goes: In Aristotelian cosmology all matter is made up of the same four elements, and more complex substances are some mixture of them. Each of the... (more)	—	about 7 years ago