Posts by cobaltduck
I contend that the Trojan, Greek, and Hilda groups associated with Jupiter in our own solar system constitute "fields" as opposed to "belts." The Hildas are perhaps more scattered, but they do not...
What a hurricane boils down to is a large difference in air pressure between two parts of the earth. Air from the high-pressure region attempts to move toward the low pressure region. Along the w...
Riding or Carrying a Pack - NO Suitability for this is somewhat a function of the shape of the spine. if you want a saddle or pack to hold on the animal, you want gravity to work for you and hold...
In order to get to the final state you mention, you are going to have to radically alter your initial state, which other answers hint at. Our planet's surface is mostly water, and your planet will...
The two ways historical kings, emperors, and such have gained the worship of their constituents is to either make the people love them or make the people fear them. Several other answers already d...
Cobaltduckworlda has had somewhat of a similar biological past as earth, but not exactly. As examples, sentience has happened multiple times, and not just in primate-like species. Beasts that did...
I think you may have been slightly mixing cause and effect. In your example insects, every egg the queen lays has equal potential to become a worker, drone, or future queen. It all depends on how...
Plants contain chlorophyll, which absorbs electromagnetic energy in the range 400-800nm, which happens to coincide with light tossed toward earth by the sun. Quite convenient. The plant uses this...
Your quadrabirds don't have to loose flight to have a walking fore-limb. Another answer already mentions that some groups of pterosaurs folded their wings when on the ground and used them for walk...
The meteor missed. The end-cretaceous mass extinction event didn't happen. Velociraptors and their friends lived on. They continued to evolve, to be large, and to eat whatever they wanted. We n...
There are some real-world examples we can point to that indicate the possibility of a realistic small humanoid. Since we don't need anything exotic like antlers, carapaces, or magic, this should b...
The fantasy creature I am imagining (planning a short story or two around) satisfies the following analogy: Human is to Chimpanzee as "This Thing" is to Badger. That is, the creature has a cl...
Triangulation does not require being able to determine distance. Here is an example on an earth-bound maritime navigational chart: The ship in this situation would need to know in advance that ...
To me, it is clear we need to start with a bird and evolve human-like features, as opposed to vice-versa. I will start with a bird whose name already implies where we are going- the harpy eagle (H...
What are some ways we (ancient, non-AI-merged) humans have sought to enhance our relationships with our pets? We've put them to work! There are: Search and Rescue Dogs Bomb-tech Dogs Law Enfo...
My answer is going to go well beyond what we can ever expect from reality, so I hope your definition of "rational SF" is fairly liberal. This is going to be a major undertaking in genetic engineer...
Nesting. Your creature has reached a key stage in its evolutionary development. It has advanced from digging a hole on the beach, laying its eggs, and trusting to fate. Its instincts now compel ...
This question has already been debated by exo-astronomers. The best answer they could come up with (using 1974 technology) was the Arecibo Message. The details might change, but the essential ide...
Other answers and comments mention axial tilt, and I agree that should be part of your thought process. You might also add something akin to the El Nino - La Nina cycles. On an irregular but roug...
The largest so-far known flying animal on this here earth was the quetzalcoatlus. At 10 meters, its wingspan falls far short of 1000 feet you mention. (image from wikimedia) However, the mecha...
Turns out this is happening- right now, on this planet, in reality. All you need is some smog. This photo from Beijing last year looks rather bronze-ish to orange-ish I think. (image source: In...
I will derive my solution by comparing to real-world precedents, and analyzing how these might be adapted by merfolk. (TL;DR: Rock domes.) Why do humans have houses? Shelter from the elements. ...
- ← Previous
- 1
- 2
- Next →
