Questions tagged [biology]
For questions about living things. Does not exclude aliens, but additional information is usually necessary (consider using "xenobiology" instead).
855
questions
196
votes
18
answers
81k
views
How could dragons be explained without magic?
Dragons are a grand classic of fantasy. For this question, let's assume we're talking about the following stereotype:
hatches from an ostrich-sized egg and can grow to mountain size if nothing limits ...
- 12.3k
75
votes
4
answers
9k
views
Can you simply scale up animals?
There have been a number of questions focusing on mythical creatures where the logical approach to answering has been to scale up an existing animal. For example dragon's wings can be extrapolated ...
- 18.4k
38
votes
4
answers
11k
views
How to make a realistic 'giant'
Imagine a race of what we would call 'giants', each of them possibly around 8 to 10 feet (2.40-3.00 meters) tall. What differences would they need compared to us regular humans in order to function? I ...
- 5,958
19
votes
5
answers
8k
views
What would be the tallest possible height for humanlike creatures in earthlike conditions?
This is about "giants" inhabiting a fictional earth-like planet somewhere in the Universe (like those in the movie Prometheus, for example).
Assuming that all the conditions (temperature, gravity, ...
- 488
63
votes
15
answers
40k
views
Would the human body support living on planets with a greater gravity than Earth?
I once read a novel about a prison-planet which was chosen to make the prisoners suffer. One of the different "tortures" was a gravity three times higher than that on Earth.
Would the human body ...
- 2,187
25
votes
1
answer
5k
views
How to make a flying human
We are in a future where genetics has advanced to a point where arbitrary modifications can be done to living beings. Now a geneticist wants to make a flying human. That is, he wants to modify a human ...
- 31.2k
103
votes
14
answers
11k
views
Is there a scientific explanation as to why aliens should look similar to us?
In almost all science-fiction stories that include alien races, said aliens are similar to humans in many ways: bipedal (and often humanoid), communicate with sounds coming out of a mouth, orient in ...
- 12.3k
61
votes
3
answers
19k
views
Is there a maximum size an ocean bound creature could grow to?
Assuming the ocean is deep enough and not overcrowded is there any upper limits to the size a "sea monster" can grow?
On land creatures are limited by gravity, they have to be able to generate the ...
- 18.4k
23
votes
3
answers
10k
views
What is the maximum size of a flying creature?
Giant winged beasts such as the Roc and the western dragon feature strongly in mythology. Is there a maximum size on a biological winged flying creature? How would an atmosphere different from Earth'...
- 3,282
48
votes
7
answers
35k
views
If accelerated natural healing were to occur, what would happen to the human body?
The Details:
The human body is capable of impressive acts of self-repair, but such processes take a lot of time, and can take a toll on the body. Infection or other complications can also develop, and ...
- 1,638
24
votes
3
answers
4k
views
What colour is the foliage if the sky is violet?
This question on Physics.SE asks whether other colors are possible for the sky.
I would like my planet to be inhabitable by normal humans. It has 768 days and they are living in a temperate/...
- 1,347
37
votes
10
answers
3k
views
Plausibility of Floating Whales
Ignoring the plausibility of their evolution and sources of food, could a whale-like creature which internally consists largely of hydrogen bladders/gasbags realistically stay aloft?
If these ...
- 10.9k
27
votes
7
answers
7k
views
Could life form in outer space?
All life we know of to date (presumably) formed on a rocky planet (more precisely: earth). Fiction has been written about life in more exotic locations. Though as far as I know, these lifeforms were ...
- 5,555
13
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Creating a scientifically semi-valid super-soldier, part 1: Skeleton [closed]
Sometimes you just want to have a dragon, giant scorpion or a superhuman that has a bit more realism behind it than "it's strong, fast, can jump extreme distances despite it's weight and it's smart, ...
- 43.1k
65
votes
13
answers
18k
views
What kind of natural armor would stop bullets?
It should not resist 50 cal bullets, but an armor which could protect a creature from the US standard issue rifle, for example. Here are a couple of things the armor needs to do:
Protect the creature ...
- 3,082
43
votes
12
answers
6k
views
Multiple DNA, one creature
Suppose a species possessed different sets of DNA for different parts of its anatomy. I'm not suggesting one set for every function in the body; that would result in hundreds of thousands of unique ...
- 25k
41
votes
5
answers
12k
views
How would multi-race humanoid evolution happen?
If we were to pull the following races out of a D&D players handbook and remove them from the setting/history of Faerun and look at them from a biological/non-magic perspective (no other planes of ...
- 32.8k
30
votes
8
answers
7k
views
How to Breathe Both on Land and Under the SEA
The popular image of a mermaid is a half-fish, half-human creature breathing fine above and below the surface. The only real-life analogy to this are the amphibians - frogs, toads and salamanders.
...
- 14.4k
27
votes
6
answers
10k
views
Maximum size of an exoskeletal creature
On a world I am building, I have a species of creatures that evolved from crustaceans. The problem is that while they have an exoskeleton, they also live on a world with the same gravity as Earth. I ...
- 55.8k
3
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Could my Wyverns exist?
A long time ago, Yi Qi diverged into three main groups: Cockatrices, Drakes, and Wyverns. Some characteristics of Wyverns include:
They are tetrapods/quadrupeds
They are covered with feathers
The ...
- 6,515
1
vote
3
answers
594
views
Making a Predator For Chompers
Yep, I'm back with another predator question! Before I even posting Creating a Predator For Plops, I knew I'd have to post similar questions for Chompers, Snappers, and Anklebiters (the last will come ...
- 13.3k
51
votes
12
answers
5k
views
Natural Projectile Weapons
I'm not aware of any animals which have evolved projectile weapons that they fire. There are a number that spit venom but none that even throw rocks, let alone using projectiles.
On the other hand ...
- 76.7k
44
votes
14
answers
10k
views
Anatomically correct Arachne
In the fantasy culture it's not uncommon to find Giant spiders with the upper body of a human.
There are many variants as the spider body having only 4 legs and the upper human body have 2 additional ...
- 3,872
43
votes
11
answers
9k
views
How do I explain a unicorn discharging powerful electricity at a distance?
I am thinking of copying the design of an electric eel to create the horn, however as air is not a good conductor of electricity it cannot discharge any electrical shock unless there is a physical ...
- 46.3k
29
votes
3
answers
4k
views
How tall can a tree grow?
In my fantasy world I want fantastically large trees, particularly in the height category. The tallest trees on earth grow just over 100 meters tall. Why can't they get taller? What circumstances ...
- 13.6k
24
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Could plants develop intelligence?
I know the idea seems a bit far fetched but it's something I believe is common is science fiction and fantasy stories. I remember the talking trees of Zelda: Ocarina of time and of course, Tolkien's ...
- 16.7k
20
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Minimum brain size for consciousness?
In the limit, how small can a brain get and still host an identifiably human-like consciousness?
Obviously, they can be smaller than an adult human's, since children (with smaller brain volumes) and ...
- 59.7k
16
votes
8
answers
4k
views
Anatomically reasonable respiratory system for human-derived merfolk
This question considers the respiratory apparatus of an aquatic (or amphibious) species descended from engineered humans.
The history of the species provides a relevant constraint. While the science ...
user42460
15
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Creating a scientifically semi-valid super-soldier, part 2: nervous system
Part 1 here:
Creating a scientifically semi-valid super-soldier, part 1: Skeleton
This question is about a complete rebuild of the nervous system. The question as proposed here: Improving human ...
- 43.1k
15
votes
8
answers
2k
views
Creating a scientifically semi-valid super-soldier, part 3: Physical shock resistance
Part 1 here: Creating a scientifically semi-valid super-soldier, part 1: Skeleton
Part 2 here: Creating a scientifically semi-valid super-soldier, part 2: nervous system
In most movies, comics and ...
- 43.1k
7
votes
5
answers
643
views
How Can a Creature With Focus Come to Exist?
Background: Alendyias is a world that was formed inside the Fracture of Reality, one that is still forming as the Fracture in Reality grows and absorbs other worlds in its path. Absorbed worlds and ...
- 13.3k
54
votes
18
answers
13k
views
Is it possible for a species to have more than two sexes?
Every species I'm aware of on earth has two sexes (with the possible exception of species which change their sexes to allow self fertilization).
Is it possible for a species to evolve which could ...
- 18.4k
26
votes
8
answers
4k
views
Can an atmosphere englobe a planetary ring?
Would it be possible for the atmosphere of a planet to reach beyond its planetary ring so that earth-like biology could develop on some of the asteroids there?
This question is mainly about whether ...
- 12.3k
23
votes
6
answers
3k
views
Living Planet Possible?
Although a question about how large a living thing could be has been asked and answered, would a being such as Mogo from DC's Green Lantern series be possible?
Mogo is the size of Earth roughly
can ...
- 878
23
votes
9
answers
5k
views
How fast could a directed breeding program turn another Earth species intelligent?
There is no genetic engineering allowed, just selected breeding and offspring selection. There is no genome sequencing, imagine medieval technology plus mendelian principles. The laws of heredity are ...
- 59.7k
18
votes
6
answers
4k
views
What would a Collective Consciousness look like?
The idea of a collective consciousness (Or Anthill) is pretty simple: instead of cells you have small sentient animal that make up a larger creature. This is different from a hive mind in that the ...
- 55.8k
18
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What evolutionary pressures would lead to Orcs?
In my story Orcs, humans, and a bunch of other fantasy races live along side each other and i'm curious as to what evolutionary pressures would to a group of divergent hominids to evolve into Orcs?
...
- 6,515
17
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Creating a scientifically semi-valid super-soldier, part 6: Radiation protection
Previous parts here:
Creating a scientifically semi-valid super-soldier, part 1: Skeleton
Creating a scientifically semi-valid super-soldier, part 2: nervous system
Creating a scientifically semi-...
- 43.1k
17
votes
5
answers
2k
views
How might kinetosynthesizing "plants" look?
Suppose that there is a moon, orbiting a gas giant, and that gas giant is a rogue planet - it moves freely through the universe, unbound by the gravity of a star. This means that one, the moon will ...
- 14.8k
11
votes
3
answers
984
views
Space Whales, how to survive?
We have escaped the galactic government, and now our greatest endeavour yet, life in space. How will these gargantuan space entities eat and survive in space?
The whale or other in question is the ...
- 1,997
36
votes
5
answers
38k
views
Is it possible to genetically modify a being after birth?
In many stories we hear about people whose genetic structure is modified after they're born (Spider-man, The Fantastic 4 and practically any other superhero you care to mention). However current ...
- 18.4k
35
votes
4
answers
83k
views
How big would a pair of wings need to be to allow an adult human to fly in a given environment?
Lets indulge in a bit of Mad Science, here.
Assuming the world described here: Making the Enterprise Fly
(60% of earth's gravity, 50% denser atmosphere) what is the wingspan needed to allow an ...
- 5,996
32
votes
6
answers
8k
views
Does living without access to sunlight for extended periods have known physical or psychological effects on humans?
Humans (even programmers :-) ) are used to having some access to natural light, but in a colony in space, on the dark side of a tidally-locked planet, or underground (for example) this won't happen. ...
- 19.5k
30
votes
15
answers
5k
views
Can evolution be prevented?
Imagine a world where a creationist situation holds: God (or an alien master species, if you prefer) created all the species you see in the world today, and there will never be any others.
Are there ...
- 3,628
21
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Life on a planet with multiple gas layers
Could a terrestrial planet have a stable set of layers of atmospheres, and could different lifeforms evolve within those different layers?
This question is inspired by the diversity found on Earth. ...
- 213
17
votes
8
answers
11k
views
Anatomically Correct Pegasus
This is part of the Anatomically Correct Series. I've been wondering how an anatomically correct pegasus could evolve.
Pegasus characteristics
They are pretty obvious, but just in case:
Horse size ...
- 901
15
votes
4
answers
2k
views
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 ...
- 84.9k
13
votes
5
answers
1k
views
What evolutionary pressures would lead to Goblins?
A long time ago homo floresiensis split off into two main groups Goblins and Halflings. Now Goblins are an odd little bunch (here's a rough mock up of what a goblin might look like) and I was ...
- 6,515
10
votes
9
answers
3k
views
Creating a scientifically semi-valid super-soldier, part 4: respiratory system
Previous parts here:
Creating a scientificly semi-valid super-soldier, part 1: Skeleton
Creating a scientificly semi-valid super-soldier, part 2: nervous system
Creating a scientificly semi-valid ...
- 43.1k
8
votes
8
answers
5k
views
How to make chocolate safe for Keidran? (Basically Dog-people)
Backstory (skip if desired)
Let's take our cute and self-conscious protagonist, Jayden! (For the people that read and responded to the post about the genetics behind keidran and the colonization of ...
- 1,877