Questions tagged [humans]
For questions about humans as we know them or slightly changed, their physiology, psychology, politics, society and goals.
956
questions
3
votes
6answers
274 views
Manners Maketh Man
Working on the art book for my post apocalyptic world building project I got used to accompanying the introduction of each character or topic with a quote to set the mood and to emphasize how little (...
6
votes
4answers
424 views
What would a lifetime of housework do to someone physically?
I'm thinking about making a dark (and I mean darker than Grimm dark) short adaptation of Cinderella. The gist of it is that, after a life of manual labor and emotional and verbal abuse at the hands ...
10
votes
6answers
3k views
Can you train primates to perform every day jobs that humans perform today?
I want to know how / if we could train monkeys to do a variety of human tasks. Is it possible to teach monkeys human trades and set them free throughout major cities to do jobs and interact with ...
0
votes
4answers
186 views
Can I call music from the mid 1900’s to real life present day ‘classical’ without getting sued? [closed]
In addition to not getting sued, I also want my work to come off as standing on its own. I wouldn’t even worry about it if not for the fact that one of the battleships in the legion is captained by a ...
4
votes
5answers
189 views
How can human biology be built to allow consistent usage of 100% of the body's muscles without wear and tear?
The island of Themascryia is a nation of amazons, an all-female race that spend their lives training for battle. They are currently under siege by foreign invaders. This army comes from a powerful ...
-6
votes
3answers
150 views
How would I kill every one on earth with only $1000 [closed]
Well, this is a wacky one. I only have $1000 dollars how would I get rid of everyone on the planet.
(this is all hypothetical)
3
votes
1answer
160 views
Effects of a watermelon going from grape sized to full sized in your stomach?
Basically my character is a wizard assassin who shrinks a watermelon down into the size of a grape. He slips it in with his target's bowl of grapes. After the watermelon gets to the stomach our ...
4
votes
2answers
124 views
Humans plus Hemocyanin
How would human appearance be different from what it is now if our circulatory system used Hemocyanin for oxygen transport instead of Hemoglobin?
Limitations, restrictions, additional details, etc. :
...
2
votes
3answers
313 views
If ancient soldiers could firebend, would battle lines cease to exist? [closed]
Consider Ancient Rome. If some proportion of soldiers in Caesar's military had the ability to shoot small jets of fire out of their hands for a maximum duration of 1 second, and perhaps a total limit ...
8
votes
2answers
106 views
Long term fever in humans
Scenario :
Due to the effects of a magical overload, there are people in my world who lose their magic. Those that don't go outright insane are left with damaged nervous systems and a high body ...
4
votes
1answer
94 views
Would a society of totally colourblind fare better than a society of people without a sense of smell? [closed]
There's two isolated islands, each big enough to support a population of millions and with all the natural resources they need to advance to the industrial era. But there is one hereditary flaw in 100%...
5
votes
6answers
240 views
To what extent can a language deviate as it evolves separately from its parent language in 50+ years?
In a setting where hundreds of scientists and engineers from around the world embark on an international mission to colonize a distant Earth-like planet (the ethics thereof are out of the scope of ...
2
votes
2answers
134 views
What is a good name from mythology for a group of humans who cannot feel pain or emotion? [closed]
I've got a situation where I need a name for a group of humans who cannot feel any pain or emotion (Kinda like CIPA, but without emotion as well). These have been stripped off them by a supernatural ...
2
votes
1answer
307 views
What would the health effects of a giant, proportionally-scaled human be?
I was reading a few answers to this question about anatomically correct giants, and it got me wondering.
In order for giant humans to evolve, many things would need to be changed.
As summarized from ...
17
votes
12answers
3k views
What would sway all humans to stop having kids cheerfully, painlessly, voluntarily? [closed]
Assume the world to be at least as good as it is now in 2019. Rule out involuntary or any human extinction caused by pain and suffering.
Why would all humans cheerily, knowingly stop reproducing?
...
3
votes
4answers
165 views
How can I desensitize my audience to participate in a bloodsport? [closed]
I, Rex Machismo, am the host of a bloodsport called deathbattle. In this show, contestants go through a number of trials in different environments to fight for their survival. These contestants would ...
2
votes
4answers
203 views
If North America and Latin America unified into one country, how would the highway system work?
Canada, the US, and Mexico all have pretty nice highways. However, that isn’t the case with most Latin America countries that don’t even have paved highways. Would the supercountry use all of its ...
3
votes
3answers
144 views
How can I combat the laziness of the final generation in human society?
In this world, a God known as Dea has warned the world's population of the impending rapture very early in earth's history. It has been well known from the begining of recorded history that the ...
8
votes
5answers
880 views
Would my post-apocalyptic US Government be able to work and function properly?
Let’s set some things up so that we’re all caught up:
In 2015, the apocalypse happened; rising sea levels compounded with the Black Flu (deadliest pandemic in human history killing billions around ...
0
votes
5answers
231 views
How to survive without harming any creature? [closed]
In my world, people are aware and conscientious. They live like farmers in rich and clean natural environments. There is plenty of crops to sustain any kind of family. Waters are clean, fields are ...
-3
votes
3answers
212 views
How can the absence of the soul provide for immortality?
I am Yosef Mengalus, a mage and Philanthropist with an interest in studying the metaphysical. The soul is the core of the human being, and the seat of what makes a person "them". Personality, emotions,...
9
votes
6answers
2k views
Cancer activated by certain thoughts
I'm building a world with humans being genetically engineered species, created by certain advanced Alien civilization ("gods", Creators etc ...) like in the Sumerian hypothesis, but with a twist: ...
2
votes
3answers
184 views
How can I alter the human reproductive cycle in order to compete on a hostile planet?
This is a follow up question to one that I made earlier. Basically, after God wiped out all life after the flood, earth has changed into a lush but dangerous environment. Every living thing, from ...
4
votes
3answers
116 views
Can mithridatism be used to create immunity/anti-toxin for others?
Say there is a plant-based toxin that causes what is essentially a state of deep sedation but has no other real effects. In this world there is one animal that is immune to this toxin (the plant is ...
1
vote
9answers
361 views
How can I speed up the evolutionary process in humans?
God had decided that humanity as a species is an overall disappointment. After wiping out all life with a flood, he decided to start from scratch. Humanity's new environment would be constantly ...
43
votes
15answers
11k views
Would a horse be sufficient buffer to prevent injury when falling from a great height?
I'm writing a sci-fi story with some fantasy elements, and I'm trying to keep even the most outrageous moments grounded in the laws of our universe. This is one of those moments.
The Situation
A man ...
4
votes
2answers
86 views
A community of loners - what makes them still want to be considered a part of the “community” [closed]
Imagine a time where mankind is everywhere in the galaxy, in fact we gotten so far past post scarcity economy that the concept of money is only talked about in reference to far history, every man\...
3
votes
1answer
88 views
How would you connect everybody in one home? [closed]
How would you build a house big enough for everybody in the world to live in including the homeless people, so we could all be more connected.
2
votes
4answers
226 views
Could a 15-year-old girl throw a device similiar to an iPhone on the ground and shatter it? [closed]
In my story this girl was spying and need to destroy a communicator once she sends a message telling what she learned. Apperantly the people she was spying on caught her. Would she have the strength ...
4
votes
7answers
256 views
How different a human-like species would have to be in order to need less food/energy?
How different would a human-like creature be in order to need only half the calorie consumption that we need?
Constraints:
The species must be capable of surviving in an Earth-like planet.
The ...
4
votes
1answer
93 views
Humans with longer-lived cells
Lots of human cells are constantly dying and being replaced. How different would a human-like creature be if most cells (excluding brain cells) had longer lifespans (5 times longer, or even more)?
As ...
5
votes
3answers
249 views
Can Humanity Expand to the Oceans?
Consider a large landmass such as Australia. Imagine if they hypothetically wanted to expand their borders, but they already used up all of their landmass, including the deserts.
Could humanity find ...
4
votes
1answer
191 views
Could Humans Evolve to be Digitigrade?
Assuming humans remained hunter-gatherers, would it be anatomically possible for us to evolve digitigrade legs? Or, is our anatomy too specialized and are we stuck the way we are?
I am not asking ...
0
votes
1answer
76 views
What difficulties might a 6ft shapeshifter have in impersonating someone 12in shorter?
In one of my settings, I have a character who is given the ability to shapeshift. Her default appearance after obtaining this ability is much the same as it was before. The important part, for the ...
4
votes
14answers
4k views
Is there a reliable way to hide/convey a message in vocal expressions (speech, song,…)
Assume Bob. Bob wants to convey the following, simple message (an example) to Cassandra:
Walk 5 feet forward, turn around 90 degrees clockwise, walk another 4 feet and dig 3 feet into the ground.
...
45
votes
15answers
14k views
Where on Earth is it easiest to survive in the wilderness?
In which wilderness area on modern-day Earth would it be easiest for a lone human to survive year-round? What resources are available there and what tools and skills would be necessary? What is the ...
6
votes
1answer
246 views
Can we scale down humans to the size of a mouse?
Can we make a human brain and body the size of a mouse’s while still retaining the same level, if not more intelligence?
Like how tech has evolved to be smaller but more efficient or how cars are ...
11
votes
6answers
417 views
How many humans can I release into society without getting noticed?
Our civilisation is capable of creating any life form we're finding on alien planets. We "sample" several subjects by abducting them and we study them. But for some advanced species, for example - ...
0
votes
1answer
160 views
Dodging bullets [duplicate]
We all know dodging bullets is impossible but how bout a person with super vision or just decent vision, seeing exactly when the person pulling the trigger predicts where the bullets gonna go and ...
2
votes
1answer
84 views
Graphs for understanding population dynamics - where to find?
I'm trying to figure out a world in my story (eg. whether dialects of a language would be mutually intelligible, how often would designer babies be born compared to 'usual' babies, usual family ...
4
votes
1answer
214 views
How long would it take for all evidence of humanity to be erased from Earth? [duplicate]
Suppose that due to nuclear warfare or some deadly disease, the entire human population of earth died off in the near future. All humans gone, but most of life survived, including domesticated animals....
3
votes
1answer
136 views
How Developed Would Baby Mwindo Be?
In real life, humans get pregnant for only nine months. Once born, the baby has a long way to go before it can stand, walk and talk.
But don't tell that to Mwindo!
The African saga of the hero ...
4
votes
6answers
438 views
What sort of psychological changes could be made to a genetically engineered human
I'm in the rough outlining stages of this story, and found myself a bit stuck trying to turn this particular corner.
Firstly, here are the basics of this world:
In the future, it's a common ...
46
votes
30answers
7k views
What is my malfunctioning AI harvesting from humans?
The scenario described below is for a role-playing game. The setting is Earth-like but with a healthy dose of sci-fi. Even though the setting is sci-fi I would prefer answers be largely based in real ...
8
votes
7answers
416 views
Where to Put Self-Reliant, Rugged Individualists?
In fiction that tries to provide a wide diversity of cultural stances on the collectivism-individualism stances, there is often a trope that self-reliant, no-nonsense, rugged individualists (as a ...
5
votes
2answers
226 views
Humanity with the Ears of a Fox--What Differs as a Result?
In this question, we're looking at a humanity that has adapted one of the most conspicuous ways of keeping cool--larger ears. Desert animals usually have larger ears to have more room for blood ...
25
votes
9answers
4k views
How to check what is edible on an alien world? [duplicate]
You've landed on another planet. There are some forms of plants and animals on this world but how do you know what is safe to eat?
Obviously we went through this on earth, finding the right berries ...
8
votes
4answers
323 views
How would a 4th trimester affect human development?
Newborn humans are born in a very undeveloped stage compared to other mammals. This is because if they stayed any longer in the mother, their head would become too big to fit through the birth canal. ...
3
votes
5answers
213 views
How can royal families preserve the nobility of their bloodlines if children can be mass produced?
A powerful empire rules this world, which is divided into several sections. Each section is ruled and governed by various noble families, under the rule of the royal family led by the king and queen. ...
1
vote
2answers
323 views
How can you eliminate dreaming without affecting REM sleep?
The Dreamlands are a vast, alternate dimension that can only be entered via dreams. They are divided up into several sections, all of which are inhabited by monsters who serve the idiot elder god ...
