Questions tagged [life]
For questions about the characteristics of living beings in different settings. This tag is not for questions about the daily life of characters.
92
questions
10
votes
2answers
115 views
Algae using UV light from auroras for photosynthesis
I was reading some questions on Quora and I found this claim:
The polar regions have a very odd reason for them to have so much oxygen production. You see the Polar aurora run day and night in the ...
6
votes
5answers
147 views
Planetary neighbors
Let's say there is another planet in our solar system that harbours sentient life and this sentient life can build castles, buildings, and other such structures.
When would we notice that?
We can ...
4
votes
1answer
124 views
How much of our solar system can you change without breaking the science of life on earth? [closed]
I am making a near-future setting that takes place in an alternate solar system that's similar to ours (one planet with life, a moon, and other planets without life and their associated moons).
And ...
3
votes
3answers
124 views
Planet with two independent forms of life? [duplicate]
Suppose there is a planet fertilized with Earth-like life (characterized by proteins, nucleic acids, DNA, RNA) and a completely independent form of life, but also water and carbon based with different ...
3
votes
2answers
167 views
Born and raised on a world with longer days and years - would it impact life expectancy
If humans found a habitable world and access to it, what would the effects be of a longer day to those who were subsequently born and raised there?
Is there any evidence that a longer day cycle (of ...
6
votes
1answer
183 views
How could a foam habitat support animal life?
Knowing foam is formed by trapping pockets of gas in a liquid or solid, what could a foam able to support life on an earth-like planet be made of?
This foam ought to be stable enough and large enough ...
2
votes
6answers
194 views
Life on land, sea, and what else? [closed]
On earth there are two main media that support complex animal life. One is the sea, with creatures living both on the seabed and the water; Another is the land, with animals that live both on it and ...
9
votes
3answers
690 views
Appropriate liquid/solvent for life in my underground environment on Venus
Partly inspired by this question
My Venusians are happy in their cloud top city when a small group somehow (with lots of handwaving) crashes to the surface, falls underground, and ends up in a hidden ...
24
votes
13answers
4k views
How would fantasy dwarves exist, realistically? [duplicate]
I've never ever seen even a suggestion of an idea of how dwarves actually can live how they are most often depicted - underground without handwaving or magic (which is just a fancy word for "...
4
votes
1answer
132 views
Would life be possible on a planet that has an axis of rotation that always “pointed” directly at the sun? [duplicate]
Preface: I'll be calling call the orbit described in the question title a "solar-oriented orbit" for the sake of convenience, as "a planet that has an axis of rotation that always pointed directly at ...
3
votes
9answers
1k views
Realistic Necromancy? [closed]
In my fantasy world, necromancy exists and it is considered "evil". I try to base my world on science, so how would realistic necromancy work? Dead bodies decompose fast, and souls don't exist in my ...
3
votes
7answers
681 views
What items from the Roman-age tech-level could be used to deter all creatures from entering a small area?
Please assume the following:
There is a item on the ground and I want nothing but bare earth touching it.
I cannot move the item myself.
The item is impervious to fire.
I cannot afford to guard ...
11
votes
10answers
6k views
Is there enough fresh water in the world to eradicate the drinking water crisis?
Lets assume, by the means of some advanced scientific discovery, scientists find a way to teleport simple matter to any part of the world and use this process to teleport fresh water and/or small ...
1
vote
6answers
257 views
How can one manipulate elementary particles to make a person live forever?
Assuming that a person has the power to manipulate all elementary particles in any way (i.e. changing them from one elementary particle to another, nuclear transmutation, moving groups of them at a ...
2
votes
1answer
104 views
Life evolving on a artificial Floating Island on a ocean world [closed]
I'm having troubles with developing my ocean world. Same size as Earth, same atmosphere and gravity.
The idea is that on a planet with an endless ocean with no continental landmass.
The only form of ...
-2
votes
2answers
102 views
How would gravity affect a torus-shaped planet? [duplicate]
My planet is a Super Earth about twice the mass of Earth. I'm not asking how it formed, although that would be nice to know. I mostly just want to know how long it would stay a torus shape, and how it ...
4
votes
2answers
153 views
Could fruit (specifically oranges) evolve into intelligent life? [closed]
Is it possible for oranges to become intelligent life while still retaining some of their essential qualities such as skin that can neatly be peeled off and reproduction through seeds and growth off ...
6
votes
3answers
216 views
How would a world evolve with regular blizzards? [closed]
Imagine there are severe magical blizzards coming from the south pole at regular intervals.
Since they're magical, let's assume they can cross the equator and don't lose strength over time.
They are ...
2
votes
2answers
161 views
How long a human being could live with stem cells?
I once saw an experiment with mice, where they connected the bloodstream of a younger mouse to the bloodstream of an older mouse. And the older mouse became "younger", or at least healthier.
If I ...
7
votes
3answers
868 views
Life on a gas giant?
I know of the conceptualized "Sinkers", "Floaters" and "Hunters" that Carl Sagan and Edwin Salpeter of Cornell conceived of - as possible life forms that might inhabit a gas giant. At the time they ...
5
votes
1answer
410 views
Iron based life
Lately I have been thinking about possible forms of life on planets that would have radically different experiences than here on Earth. I was wondering if life based on transition metals was possible ...
17
votes
5answers
2k views
Would carbon-based lifeforms be able to eat silicon-based lifeforms?
In the South Galaxy, the overwhelming majority of life lives on planets, breathes air, and is carbon-based. All sentient life is carbon-based. However, in the vast reaches of space, there are some ...
6
votes
2answers
287 views
Planet Orbiting a Red Dwarf
I'm trying to create my planet orbiting a red dwarf, honestly I've thought other scenarios but it's like every answer opens new questions. I'll just say what I want my planet to be and I'd like your ...
2
votes
4answers
194 views
Can I make the carbon cycle shorter - by metamorphosis from plant to animal and vice-versa
EDITED to address the above suggestion. See below.
Most animals breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon-dioxide.
Most plants take in carbon-dioxide and release oxygen.
Waste products from animals ...
4
votes
2answers
100 views
Planet Blob - variable gravity
On the planet Blob there is an unusual phenomenon. It is known to emanate from the planet's core but 2018-level scientists have no understanding of it.
The phenomenon
Gravity isn't constant. It ...
9
votes
1answer
3k views
What amount of forrest-fire in square km or metric tons, would be necesary to bring oxygen levels below 19.5% that humans require to stay alive? [closed]
I read that oxygen makes up 21% of the Earth's atmosphere. I'm guessing it would take a lot of burning to decrease that level, but I am not sure how to calculate that.
The problem is: Roughly 400 ...
2
votes
6answers
4k views
If humans were biologically immortal, but had an average lifespan of 100 years, what would the distribution of ages be?
Let's say that humans were biologically immortal. Once they reach adulthood, they effectively stop aging. Due to disease though, the average lifespan is 100 years. (In practice, your access to ...
3
votes
1answer
115 views
Could this moon of a gas giant orbiting a neutron star support life?
Making the following assumptions:
1. The three moons of the Gas Giant are safe enough distances from and massive enough not to pull each other apart or send themselves careening into the void.
2. ...
1
vote
2answers
169 views
What would happen to us if animals, excluding human being, were mute? [closed]
Most of us live in big cities where we hear unnatural (mostly unpleasant) sounds, created by things we've made ourselves. We hear less natural sounds like birds' songs or other animals making sounds, ...
-2
votes
3answers
140 views
If a human's lungs stretched to the lower abdomen, what would it feel like? [closed]
I was considering a human-like race of aliens, where their lungs are huge. Their lungs would reach to the lower abdomen. Due to the science-magic of the setting, they can survive just fine with ...
2
votes
1answer
118 views
What would happen if all (higher) life magically became sentient and reached human-level intelligence? [closed]
Overnight, all higher life, multicellular life forms from trees and grass to dogs and elephants reached a level of intelligence similar to that of humans. For example, they can communicate effectively,...
2
votes
3answers
283 views
Is it possible for humanoid life to develop on a 1.4 G planet?
I'm writing a JRPG-inspired novel set on a planet with 1.7 Earth masses and 1.4 Gs, but is it possible for life to even develop on such a high-gravity planet in the first place? I tried scouring the ...
0
votes
1answer
121 views
Live Body Preservation…A way to live for many centuries? [closed]
I was thinking that if there was a machine which preserved live human body without aging would that be a way/solution to live for many centuries?
ex- A person at age 40 sleeps in that machine & ...
3
votes
8answers
657 views
Is there a way for the concept of life to be evil? [closed]
I have been formulating this idea where there are two, all-powerful beings that embody the concepts of life and death. For the purpose of this question, I will refer to them as L and D. L and D are ...
26
votes
14answers
10k views
How to kill trees?
In a world where magic energy and life-force are compatible if not equivalent forces, woodcutting can be a problem in regions with high magic potential.
If a woodcutter fells a tree and leaves it, it ...
-6
votes
4answers
228 views
Could a person extend their life by having a living blood supplied organ donor? [closed]
An old person and young blooded close match person or clone to get some youth back? With a constant flow of fresh blood the older person the donor is not just donating blood but adding virtually all ...
0
votes
1answer
90 views
How can death change the magic? [closed]
My world is full of magic, even if it is not distributed equally in all areas. Most of magic is in the Cloudy mountains and their close surroundings.
It is present in every living being (flowers, ...
-2
votes
2answers
115 views
What evidence is there for silicon based life forms [closed]
What evidence is there for silicon based life forms. In writing a hard science book is there much 'science' to support such a notion. Examples of other work would be good
5
votes
3answers
186 views
Could life develop above a planet's atmosphere?
Imagine a planet with extremely low density, and thus low gravity and an equivalently thin atmosphere, but a very active and strong magnetosphere that prevents solar radiation from destroying complex ...
7
votes
2answers
347 views
How long would it take until we realise that suddenly nobody can conceive a child regularly?
Some time ago I asked: "How long would it take until we realise that people stopped dying from natural causes?"
I today realized that similar but much more interesting (and more realistic...) ...
1
vote
2answers
216 views
Can you create a small atmosphere with giant walls?
Can you create an atmosphere on a celestial satellite by using giant walls? Perhaps assisted with some means of technology? In a story I am creating I want to create something different from the ...
1
vote
2answers
195 views
How would life on a planet without seasons evolve? [closed]
This also counts intelligent life as well, but I've been working on my universe more and have been considering planets without an axial tilt (thus not allowing seasons).
What kind of plants and ...
4
votes
4answers
300 views
How do you get a thick atmosphere with less than earth-like gravity?
Basically: I want a highly viscous atmosphere but I want people to be able to walk around. I was thinking earth's gravity * 0.6 or similar.
I was thinking that an atmosphere of Sulfur Hexafluoride ...
4
votes
2answers
697 views
Is a planet able to sustain life without a moon?
Is a planet able to sustain life without a moon? What are the major effects of a natural satellite on a planet and its fauna and flora ?
3
votes
1answer
195 views
Life on a water-ball planet
I'd like to explore some details on a so-called water-ball planet (i.e. a planet in the habitable zone of a sun, covered by a 100 km deep ocean). I am particularly interested where life could develop ...
5
votes
3answers
697 views
Are single-biomed planets (like in *Star Wars*) possible? [duplicate]
I know this may seem like an obvious no, but with the newest Star Wars movie just released, there is a mineral-rich planet called Crait which I have seen make a few debates about whether or not this ...
1
vote
3answers
345 views
Would it be possible to have three planets merge but still allow some life survive?
In my universe a race of humanoid beings caused 3 planets:
Earth
a larger rocky planet
and another earth sized rocky planet
to crash and collide into each other, but still allowed the humanoid ...
14
votes
4answers
791 views
If only the sun's light went out, how long would it take for all living things to die out?
If by some form of magic, the sun went out, but the earth was still warm a.k.a the Earth did not just freeze and kill us all, who would die first, and how long would it take for all terrestrial living ...
2
votes
3answers
228 views
What is intelligent life?
It has been speculated that one explanation to the Fermi Paradox is that humans have been observed by extra-terrestrial life and it was concluded that we are not 'intelligent life', so no contact was ...
11
votes
4answers
696 views
Could a decreased heartrate thanks to better hemoglobin lead to an increased lifespan?
When looking at mammals and their heart rates one can find a correlation between the lifespan of a mammal and their heart rate. Namely most mammals seem to get about 1 billion (the American one) of ...
