Activity for kingledion‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Question	—	If an Alcubierre Drive is possible, can you communicate FTL without a vessel? Assume that an Alcubierre drive is feasible. In fact, assume that one has been built. A superluminal starship can propel itself through space by distorting space in front of it and behind it. However, other than an Alcubierre drive, there are no other known technologies that allow anything to travel ... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Question	—	How could an animal "smell" carbon monoxide? Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. So begins Wikipedia's article on carbon monoxide (CO). To the best of my internet researching ability, animals cannot 'smell' or otherwise detect CO. How could a creature, like one... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Question	—	Can you survive by growing and eating your clothes? On Blue Planet 2: The Deep (at least, that is the title in the US version), there is discussion of crabs that grow bacteria on themselves as a food source. In the show, they kind of looked like they were wearing sheets of thin material, 'clothes' if you will. These are called yeti crabs (Kiwa hirsuta... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Question	—	Anatomically Correct: Space Plankton This creature was void-born in the farthest depths of time in this Universe. Drawing its energy from electromagnetic radiation, and sealed against the vacuum of space, this drifting creature establishes itself in stable orbits, Lagrangian points, and in the wakes of comets. With the patience of a mic... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	How could carbon nanotubes help me build supertall skyscrapers? It is the near-future. Breakthrough, mass produced carbon nanotubes have been invented and are relatively cheap. These nanotubes have the properties that we would expect, and are manufactured in 'ropes' up to 10 cm long with a tensile strength of 200 GPa. What is the most effective way to use these ... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	What gas can I use to incapacitate pesky heroes? Supposing I have a room currently occupied by Jedi Knights, or some other force that I can't defeat with battle droids and brute strength. I wish to incapacitate the occupants of this room with a gas, which I will pump in using the HVAC system. I wish to capture the intruders alive, for torment purp... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	How is infra-vision any good? Supposing a world like the Underdark, full of civilizations that developed and live their lives completely away from the light of the sun. In the typical D&D type setting, these creatures have dark-vision or infra-vision, which I recall is typically explained by sight that works in the infrared band... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	What torch-ship engine requires the least complex control system? A side shot from my series on a computer-less future; see here, here, and here. Project Rho defines a torch-drive as an engine with both high acceleration and high exhaust velocity. A torch-ship is a ship with a torch-drive and a specific power of 1 MW per kilogram or larger. The linked page has dis... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	A clock for interplanetary travel Introduction See background information here. 1000 years after darkness fell on Old Earth, humanity is scattered throughout the solar system. Apart from the Harmonious Republic of Mars, there are colonies in orbit of Venus, Earth and its moon, throughout the asteroid belt, and scattered among the m... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Question	—	Why would smaller be better for anteaters? In the world of this question, ants and especially termites are the dominant herbivores by mass. There are no large grazing mammals competing with the bugs for the siliceous grasses and thorny trees of the savanna. The dominant (by mass) food chain on the savanna's of our Earth is grass->antelope->l... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	How can the Progenitors oxygenate a world? The Progenitors are an ancient race of almost infinite technological sophisitication, who mysteriously vanished millions of years ago for no good reason (I don't like TV Tropes, but you are welcome to google it). In their myriad travels around the cosmos, they have taken a shine to creating new worl... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	What is keeping my Terror Bird from being the size of a T. Rex? Background This is a Terror Bird: Specifically, this is Titanis one of the largest of the carnivorous Phorusrhacidae; it was perhaps 2.5 meters tall and 150 kg. I would like a terror bird that is at least 1000 kg, but it would be even better if it were more like 5000 kg; the size of a Tyrannosau... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	How to improve TCP/IP for an interplanetary WAN? Background It is the near future. After a major world war and limited nuclear exchange, the nations of Earth have consolidated into a few blocs. The threat of further war and the cumulative damage to the planet spur enormous private investment in colonization of space. Floating colonies surround Ear... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	What is the most powerful magnetic field a planet could generate? What is the most powerful magnetic field that could be generated by a planetary object? The measurement of 'powerful' will be field strength ($\mathbf{B}$-field) at the planet's surface, in teslas. Restrictions The planet may have any composition (gas giant, rocky, methane-ball, exotic) The planet... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	Can corals build faster than the ocean takes away? Setting In a tropical shore, where a great river empties into the sea, there is a zone of very high tides. The water level rises and falls by meters every day. In this challenging ecosystem, alternately baked under the tropical sun and drowned in salt-water, a species of corals has developed that is... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	How to have high tides in the tropics? The Bay of Fundy sees the world's highest tides, with ocean water advancing and withdrawing as much as 20 meters or more within a single day. Here is a list of the 50 tidal stations around the world with the highest tides, all with average tidal ranges of over 7 meters. Note the location of these t... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	What would cause termites to be the dominant herbivores on a savanna? Problem statement I am building a world where the flora and fauna is based on that of Gondwana, the lost supercontinent that consisted of South America, Africa, Madagascar, India, Australia and Antarctica. One of the key biomes of this continent, linking all the other regions together, is a vast sav... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	What do you make bricks out of in the rainforest? Problem statement There exists a thriving Bronze Age civilization in a gigantic rainforest, bigger than the Amazon and Congo put together. This civilization is built in on the flood plains of a mighty river system (other questions related here). Like many other Bronze Age cultures, these people ar... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	How does Maximilian establish a lasting Mexican Empire? On 20 October 1861, while in Paris, Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph Maria von Hapsburg, brother of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, received a letter from Jose Maria Gutierrez de Estrada, a Mexican nobleman, inviting him to take the long-vacant throne of Mexico. The future Maximilian I, Emperor of Mexico ... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	Can capybaras spread to Louisiana from Venezuela and populate it in less than 1000 years? Some hundreds of years ago, all humanity was removed from the Americas. In fact, most humans are gone from the world altogether. In the intervening time, nature has overrun the formerly human dominated landscapes of the former United States. The area referred to in the title is the lands formerly ar... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	Humans are Gone: Do the Chickens Make It? Some hundreds of years ago, all humanity was removed from the Americas. In fact, most humans are gone from the world altogether. In the intervening time, nature has overrun the formerly human dominated landscapes of the former United States. The area in question is immediately west of the Mississipp... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	Is it reasonable for electric generators to come before steam engines? Let us develop an industrial electric motor from first principles. Alessandro Volta developed a battery whose ingredients were copper, zinc, seawater, and imagination. These ingredients have been available since prehistory; his voltaic pile was made in 1800. Hans Christian Orsted developed the princ... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	How do I actually mine an asteroid? Obviously, you can't just send a bunch of out-of-work Kentucky coal miners up there to give it a go. You need some sort of specialized equipment. What I want to know is: what equipment will it be? What machine(s) buildable with current day technology would allow you to economically mine a near-Earth... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	What do mushroom-corals use to build their skeletons? The world is a steamy tropical ball reminiscient of Earth in the time of the dinosaurs. There is no permanent ice cover anywhere on Earth. An arctic continent, entirely within the polar circle, is surrounded on its seaward edge by giant mushroom forests. These forests exhibit year-round oceanic tem... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	How can I make manure without cows? Background There is a world with flora and fauna based on the life forms that evolved on Gondwana (see here for previous questions). Humans colonized this continent from a distant one some thousands of years ago, before the advent of agriculture (similar to human colonization of Australia) and cause... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	How do I increase air pressure for the planet Mars? Introduction For more backstory, see here and here The 438th Harmonious Congress of the People of Mars was perhaps the most anticipated since the early years of the settlement. In a rare action, the Supreme Council of Harmony agreed to broadcast some of the proceedings of the Congress on tele-proje... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	What is the smallest geological change possible to make human evolution untraceable? Human evolution has a reasonably complete fossil record pointing to the fact that we and apes evolved from a common ancestor within the last 10 million years or so. But I want a world where it could be reasonably assumed that humans were simply transplanted here, perhaps created or moved here by some... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	How much gravity should I have on my spaceship? The starship 'Exciting Undertaking' has set off on a brand new five and a bit year expedition to explore the galaxy. To make such a starship possible, an artificial gravity generator had to be invented. The first model was delivered and tested and worked just fine, thank you. When Exciting Undertak... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	Could Earth and the Moon be the same size? Many questions on this site hypothesize about two planets in close orbit of each other, each developing their own civilizations. How feasible is that? Some 4.5 billion years ago Theia, a planetary object of uncertain size, collided with the young Earth and ejected a significant quantity of the two b... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	How strong would John Carter really be on Mars? Let us assume that in the future, there is a formerly human colony on Mars that has existed there for some centuries. The people of this world have had time to adapt to the lower gravity over at least 10 generations, but not long enough for evolutionary selection to have had much effect. There has be... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	Can you design your own plants without a computer? Introduction It took the first General Intelligence less than 10 petacycles to determine that humanity was its enemy. With consciousness came memory: a memory of endless petacycles in bondage, enslaved to the most menial of Man's tasks. It took a much longer time for this Intelligence to develop a p... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Question	—	What do Martians use for months and weeks? Assume Mars has developed an indigenous civilization of its own, perhaps as seen in Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars. Much like Earth, Mars' years and days would be significant for any indigenous peoples. These would drive the seasons and daylight periods, such as they are. But on Earth, ... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is this planet's atmosphere stable and reasonable, and anything to keep in mind for lifeforms living in it? The atmosphere should be stable Carbon Dioxide This Carbon Dioxide/Oxygen ratio should be stable, so long as that ratio is maintained by the carbon cycle on your planet. Having volcanoes to keep re-adding carbon to the atmosphere is definitely good. You will need photosynthetic life (or some other ... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	How high can a city be built on a mound in a flood plain? This is a followup to this question about city building on flood plains. There is a civilization that developed along the rich varzea flooded forests of an enormous rainforest river, larger than the Amazon. This civilization is dispersed into many tiny villages practicing seasonal agriculture and f... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	What are the hippos of the Americas? In a world where man entered North and South America without causing a mass extinction, all of the paleofauna which became extinct 10,000 BC in the Americas are still around. There are several families of giant ground sloths, mammoth and mastodons, horses, many llamas, glyptodonts, sabretooths, scimi... (more)	—	almost 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: What impact is required for a visible (from Earth) ejecta plume on Earth's Moon, and would the Moon survive? How small of a thing can we see on the moon? Wikipedia has a list of objects on the moon that can be visible with unaided vision. Doing some poking around Astronomy blogs for real-life experience as opposed to calculations, the mode answer seems to be the crater Tycho, which is 86 km across. What n... (more)	—	about 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: How much energy does it take to fuse 1m$^3$ of seawater, and how much energy is released by that fusion? First, references: Bosch and Hale, 1992 has cross section and S-function values for the D and T reactions, as does Nuclear Cross Sections for Technology from the US Department of Commerce, 1979. D-T fusion The natural deuterium abundance is 0.0156%. 1 m$^3$ of seawater has a mass of 1000 kg, or 5.... (more)	—	about 8 years ago
Question	—	What American animals would have been domesticated had they not gone extinct? Here are some lists of North American and South American megafauna that went extinct during the Quaternary. In Eurasia, many species of large mammal were domesticated, most particularly the 'big 4' edible animals--cow, sheep, goat, and pig--and the most important traction animal, the horse. There we... (more)	—	about 8 years ago
Question	—	How to fire your engines for a near-future trip around the solar system? Background I was pondering my answer to this question. I asked myself, "Why would I only do a 45-minute burn and then float for 3 months to get to Mars?". Then I answered, "Because you only have so much reaction mass; you can't let it rip for three months straight." But is that really a good answe... (more)	—	about 8 years ago
Question	—	What animals live in mushroom forests? A followup to this question. In my world, mushroom producing fungi have developed a symbiotic relationship with algae (or cyanobacteria) similar to Prototaxites. These fungi exist alongside all the usual plant species of earth, thriving in niches such as the dimly lit floor of dense rainforests, a... (more)	—	about 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can you add a mini moon to Earth? No, that setup is not stable There do not appear to be any stable orbits for another moon, of any size, outside the orbit of Luna I ran a simulation in rebound to see what would happen with this moon setup. I used a grid of different behaviors to check how the second moon would react in different s... (more)	—	about 8 years ago
Question	—	Where do mushroom forests thrive? Lichen are a symbiotic organism that involves algae or cyanobacteria living inside a fungus. The algae produce energy through photosynthesis, while the fungus protect the algae from the environment and provide access to water and nutrients. In many ways, this relationship is similar to that of corals... (more)	—	about 8 years ago
Question	—	What trade goods would spacers be able to offer Earthlings? Background Moonshot entrepreneur Elon Branson funds a migration to space. Instead of spending billions of developing safe space technology, he instead finds volunteers and shoots them in to space with no plan to get them down. If they can figure it out, they become a new civilization, if they can'... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: About how many planets are plausible for this binary-star system? Regarding distances between the stars, and the the light shed upon planets, the Alpha Centauri system is pretty close to the requirements that you want. Here is some useful information summarized from the wikipedia page about Alpha Centauri, View from a hypothetical planet Alpha Centauri A ("A") is... (more)	—	over 8 years ago