Questions tagged [science-based]
For questions that require plausible (better than suspension-of-disbelief) answers based on Real World science that are not necessarily constrained to the known limits of Real World science. Contrast with the hard-science, science-fiction and internal-consistency tags. This tag may not be used alone. This tag may not be used with the science-fiction, hard-science, or internal-consistency tags.
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Uses for a gastric bypass
The world of Pandemonium is a world in another universe where humans may exist, that is gravitationally connected to Earth in our universe. Over the course of history since the big bang, these ...
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Why is "magic" possible in the Elidrian side of reality but not on Earth? [closed]
TL:DR:
"Why is "magic" possible in the Elidrian side of reality but on our terrestrial side of the universe? "
I'm creating a game and attempting to breathe life into a story that
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user104995
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What would aliens glean from our consumer grade computers? [closed]
David just bought a $1500 grand computer, he put the parts together himself. He was about to play some games on it and aliens just yoinked it to study. Without even looking at David or the biology of ...
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What potentially breathable gas behaves the most like a liquid?
So I've already found that Neon seems to be the highest viscosity gas, at least that I can find. However, I don't feel like simply adding a lot of Neon to the atmosphere of my fictional planet of ...
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What is the minimum complexity of summoned "food" that a person could live long-term on?
This question is inspired by an another question which asked how long a mage could survive on pure water, NaCl salt, and sucrose, which they could summon.
In taking this a step farther, what is the ...
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Is there an evolutionary advantage for 12.5% of my mammalian species Homo genus to have blue-green colorblindness?
In my world, there is a species of human called Homo hematophagus (blood eating human).
Traditionally, these vampires are a cannibalistic race: In war they often drank the blood from their rivals' ...
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What's the search area for a meteorite that lands in the ocean and sinks to the ocean floor?
A meteorite survives entry and lands in the ocean. For various reasons, people would like to recover the core of this meteorite.
Observers of the landing are able to narrow down the location of its ...
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How long could a person survive on nothing but water, salt, and sugar?
Magic System
One of my worlds has a magic system that allows people to produce any element, as well as a small number of molecules. When something is produced using magic, it spawns into existence in ...
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What would happen to a person if their DNA was swapped for someone elses?
If Star Trek transporters actually existed...
Bob and Dave transport down to Earth from their ship. But something goes wrong and their DNA is swapped over! Not their cells as such, just the DNA ...
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Practicality of engine-mediated magic
In another universe in which humans may exist but did not evolve, the laws of physics allow phenomena that we in this universe would call magical, where matter and energy may be moved, transformed and ...
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Is There Any Reason for a High Fantasy civilization to use Stable Higher-Generation Matter
So, in the process of developing a magic system, I have come up with an ability and I don't know why any mage would want to use it. Basically, some mages can control radioactive decay, and what that ...
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Are these transform boundaries practical?
I asked a question about my tectonic plate map over a month ago and with the feedback from that I have completely reworked the plates. I have read through answers to other similar questions and have ...
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What properties would a sediment found in seawater in very trace amounts need to be useful in Nuclear Fusion?
In my world, there’s a highly energetic sediment called Teaterium that is found in seawater in extremely trace amounts (~7,500 molecules per ~200 milliliters of water). That said, despite its ...
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Feasibility Of An RTEG-Powered Unmanned AFV With 1970s Technology?
The title says most of it. We would be assuming a pretty much unlimited R&D budget, and the vehicle to be remote-controlled or automated.
EDIT/CLARIFICATION: Could an RTEG power an APC-sized ...
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Could earth like planet support a second moon, if it was approximately 1/4 of real moon size?
I would like for my world to have two moons. I think it would look simply stunning at night. Also, I came up with a pretty cool idea for a "God Eye" cult. When the smaller moon would have ...
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Are there any alternative genetic systems which could allow for the development of emergent complexity?
DISCLAIMER: I am an (intensely interested) layman, not a scientist. Please take my summation of the following concepts accordingly.
I'm currently trying to worldbuild a plausible alien species down to ...
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What evolutionary pressures would lead to Canis major?
In my world, there is a species of canid named Canis major, commonly named giant wolves or giant coyotes or giant dogs (the name was based on a famous constellation). They are the world's largest ...
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Efficient ways to keep the moon from receding
Say we decide at some point that we'd like to keep the Moon where it is, stop its recession. What would be some efficient ways to achieve this (in terms of rate of money or energy spent)? The ...
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Is it possible to melt icebergs for water at below the cost of desalination with 1960s/1970s technology?
(i'm going to use dollars for cost because i don't really want to figure out currency conversions for the in world currencies)
In this world people need water, a lot of water. But in areas that don't ...
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How Do I Contain Hydrogen Gas With Pre-Modern Technology?
I finally figured out how my alchemy system works. The problem is, when my characters perform alchemy, they release loads of hydrogen gas. Why? Well, basically, they will take an object and cause ...
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Preexisting wormholes: How to find aliens?
Setting
The future, but not too far. No antimatter and no teleportation. Space travel is relatively reliable, but it's not cheap and it's powered by fusion. Space travel outside of the solar system is ...
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What weaponry would a clockwork Skynet use to take over a fantasy world? [closed]
Milennia ago, on another plane of existence, a genius clockmaker dedicated his life to the creation of a thinking machine. The clockmaker imbued the two noblest ideas he could think of into the ...
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How credible is an extremely lethal virus dying out due to genetic inheritance patterns?
As a preface, let me apologize to knowledgeable people if things I say make them wince, I have no genetics or virology background whatsoever and my science-speak is taken straight from Wikipedia.
The ...
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Potentional ways to exploit track built for very fast & very *very* heavy trains when transitioning to high speed rail?
In this world a nation has built 2 railway networks, a smaller 3'6" gauge network & a heavier 4'8" railway network. The 4'8" network connects most of the major cities & has very ...
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Would super soldiers be necessary/viable in this environment? [closed]
Well then this is a hard science fiction story, i.e. nothing that is not physically, technologically or biologically possible, no magical energy sources, no unexplained super powers, just the genetic ...
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How feasible are nukes as a spotting system in space?
In the semi-realistic space combat I design, the following rock-paper-scissors relation holds:
lasers beat rockets
rockets beat armor
armor beats lasers
The level of technology is not too futuristic:...
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Is there any plausible way for dry-vacuum based biology to evolve?
Basically instead of being what we would call wet nanotechnology which is what our biology could be described as, imagine if you will, organisms that evolved from 'dry nanotechnology' who are native ...
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Can I spin 3753 Cruithne and keep it spinning?
I am planning to build a habitat with close to Earth gravity on asteroid 3753 Cruithne. I would dig a circular tunnel (or series of parallel tunnels) deep under the surface, with a radius of 4 ...
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Is there any way a species could evolve to run across lava using the leidenfrost effect?
So far all I really know is that the leidenfrost effect would work, just not exactly how the species would have evolved it, but I do know it would require a store of water, likely like that of a camel....
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Is it possible for polar nights at one pole to be 8 & 1/2 months long without significantly messing up the climate?
Is it possible for polar nights at one pole to be 8 & 1/2 months long without significantly messing up the climate?
The length of polar nights at the south pole from what i know is a week longer ...
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Is it possible for a planet about 1/5th larger than earth in radius to remain earthlike?
The planet in question has a radius of 7947km, volume 1.9408 times as large as earth, & a weight about 1.55377 times that of earth.
I want the planet to be earth like, or at least earth like ...
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Light effects when facing a wormhole with faster time flow on the other side
Simply put, let's say there is a portal that leads to the past, and that it's "catching up" : an observator from the present looking into the past sees time go faster, and an observator in ...
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Reality check for egg laying humanoid
I have been doing little research about egg laying. Namely ones involving humanoids. General consensus seem be that those two are bad combination. This and some other information I have gathered, has ...
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How close Earth must be to Milky Way's center to undergo a modified 2012 film's scenario?
The 2012 apocalypse film features a premise that there are neutrinos from the sun that heat the Earth's core and thus leading to the end-of-the-world scenario.
Inspiration
Recently, a paper was ...
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Do I need magic to change the colors I see?
Basically, I have creatures that are supposed to see all wavelengths of light which are hypothetically visible to biological life, but the way they do this is by changing the photo-receptors in their ...
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Plant life on a planet with extremely bright "moon"? [duplicate]
The planet in question is part of a Binary Planet pair, both of which are tidally locked to each other at a fairly close distance (~129,000 km) from each other, meaning that the "moon" is ...
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How does this microbe recognize specific chemical patterns?
This species of bacteria is electroreceptive, and when it receives an input pattern of electric spikes, it can “translate” that input pattern into a pattern of chemical signals internally via its ...
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Possibility and sustainability of Volcanic Climate in Tropical Asia
I am looking for an answer relating to the possibility of very tall volcanoes (maybe as tall as 6km high), scattered around Tropical Asia (Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia), that spew lots of ...
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What would the consequences of abusing my fictional drug be? [closed]
In this world there exists a potent psychogenic drug named Soma(lifted from Brave New World because I like the name and vibe).
The effects of the drug are thus.
In small doses the drug ‘softens’ the ...
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Landing on a Bishop's Ring
How would a spacecraft land on a Bishop's Ring? Would it enter the atmosphere like a space shuttle reentry? And what g-forces would the passengers experience?
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Using gravimetry to detect cloaked enemies
In the future, a variety of different technologies to evade detection are employed, such as harmful sensory input that renders one incapable of perceiving the object that attempts to evade detection ...
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Using Neutron Stars to Generate Electricity
Quick question
In my world building project I have a civilization that lives on a planet that orbits a Neutron star. Neutron stars have an extremely powerful magnetic field so I was wondering if it ...
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Replacing Light in Photosynthesis with Electric Energy
I am currently attempting to construct my alien planet with exotic forms of life that use alternative metabolisms.
I got an idea that I could perhaps somehow replace the photon energy required in ...
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How would tides work on a floating island?
My world involves several floating islands extending some way beneath sea level (enough for their to be deep mines on the islands). How would tides work? Could some areas have tides strong and ...
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What would stop a large spaceship from looking like a flying brick?
In the far future, galactic space travel is now a common reality, and spaceships reach sizes of over 1 kilometer in length.
Any capital ship in existence would therefore be designed for functionality, ...
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Is it realistic/plausible to have iron plated scales on an animal? [duplicate]
I've been drafting a fantasy world with dragons, obviously becuase it's a fantasy world. I was thinking about the science behind flying animals and how reptiles and birds are sort of related, yadda ...
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Suitability of White Dwarf stars for supporting a Matrioshka Brain?
Note: I'm working on a far future sci-fi setting for a novel series which aims to blend elements of both "soft" and "hard" science fiction concepts. I'm aiming for the series to be ...
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What material properties would be expected from magically-produced iron?
Magic System
One of my magic systems consists of the ability to magically synthesize a material in a given shape. The material can be any one of the elements from hydrogen all the way up to gold, or ...
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A Chemical Formula for a fictional Room Temperature Superconductor
I am working on a Hard Sci-Fi novel. In this novel Humanity has set up a drilling operation on the fictional exoplanet Hela. They are drilling for Trivesene, which is an Oil like viscus organic ...
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What are some ways a planet with a diameter 12 times that of Earth could have a mass barely any larger than Earth’s?
In my stories, there exists an inhabitable, Earth-like, terrestrial planet called Ozarvis 32. Ozarvis 32 has a diameter of 95,110 miles, which I’ve calculated as being about 12 times the diameter of ...
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