Questions tagged [science-based]
For questions that require answers based on hard science, not magic or pseudo-science, but do not require scientific citations. Contrast with the hard-science and reality-check tags. Do not use this tag as the only tag on a question.
7,058
questions
1
vote
2answers
106 views
How would Atlantis work on a Planetary Scale?
I have a world, and when the story begins, I want it to almost completely covered by water. There are islands scattered across the planet reasonably frequently, and most of the oceans are very shallow....
4
votes
6answers
115 views
What can we learn from an alien ground attack? [closed]
This answer explores what we can learn from alien starships in orbit around Earth. But what if the aliens went a step further: They send a shuttle down. Humanity dispatched interceptor aircraft, but ...
2
votes
3answers
150 views
Possibility of detecting drug taking athletes in a 16 century setting?
The empire hates cheating and manipulation of honest trades or sports. There is an explosion of sports and athletic events and all that. So. They are very popular.
Sports in general include stuff like:...
3
votes
1answer
95 views
Help with Pressure, Winds, Precipitation and Climate Zone
So I've decided to re-do my worlds winds with a more realistic approach. Honestly the entire process has overwhelmed me, so I need some help with certain things.
This is the climate map map by itself.
...
8
votes
4answers
222 views
How could be a relatively “universal” eye?
In searching of a universal eye, I meant a photoreceptive organ which can have all/most of the best capacities of the known eyes.
So, each type of eye or photoreceptive organ has a different function ...
5
votes
3answers
126 views
Living on a Windy Rainless Hemisphere
The dayside of this arid, tidally locked world has no rain, but instead has glacier-fed endorheic rivers. Winds are unending, and vary from ~15kph to ~50kph depending on distance from the glaciers.
...
4
votes
6answers
2k views
Designing absolute sensory deprivation punishment, what am I missing?
Warning: Brutal concept coming up!
The ultimate punishment in a setting of mine is a procedure known as The Emperor's Wrath.
A person subject to that punishment undergoes the following: They have ...
7
votes
9answers
3k views
If a scientist were to compare the blood of a human and a vampire, what would be the difference (if any)?
I tried to stick with vampire folklore and the various movies/shows about vampires when I thought of how vampires would be like if they really existed, but I also wanted to keep it as realistic as ...
2
votes
2answers
116 views
A single volcano turns a northern island into a tropical jungle: how it is made?
To have a single volcano warm up an island the size of Iceland and located in a northern Europe climate, how hot does a volcano have to be, or what type of volcano does it need to be? I want the ...
2
votes
2answers
121 views
What biological process could explain a human turning into a vampire by drinking vampire blood? [duplicate]
In my world, vampires are living, breathing creatures that once were human. There's no magic, curse, or anything remotely supernatural involved. I'd like my vampires to be as 'realistic', or 'science-...
4
votes
1answer
92 views
Tidally Locked Planet with no Oceans
Picture an earth-mass, breathable atmosphere planet; tidally locked to a red dwarf; orbiting far enough out that the dayside is not scorching; and with no planet-wide liquid oceans (but probably local ...
4
votes
2answers
134 views
How can I cool the body of a human such that it can see Long wavelength IR light without its eyes glowing
The protagonist in my world has its eyes and subsequently its brain altered (genetic alterations from conception) in such a way as to allow it to see into the UV and IR range via the addition of new ...
3
votes
2answers
76 views
Is there a way to strengthen or keep intact the (undead) skeleton monster bones elements or compositions/components without using guts digestions?
I want to know if there is a scientific way for skeleton monster to keep their hardness intact or strengthening it without getting wear or weakened from the elements. since they have no guts or ...
5
votes
2answers
99 views
Using Cellular DNA Reader to Counter Radiation Damage
I have a space based setting and would like to develop a mechanism that counters radiation damage.
Here is my idea:
The setting 100 years from now. A cellular organelle is developed similar to the ...
10
votes
3answers
161 views
Increasing Speed of Neural Transmission by Embedding Material in Myelin Sheaths
I am building a science fiction world 100+ in the future with various human augmetics. One of the things I would like to do is speed up human thought. My preferred mechanism for embedding this ...
18
votes
10answers
4k views
Using our current scientific theories, is it possible to develop better siege equipment than medieval ones? (Updated)
Sieges are not a mystery. Bribe someone to open the gate or starve them out are the popular options. And actual assaults are not very common. Sun Tzu would even advice to
And the worst policy of all ...
6
votes
4answers
360 views
What would be the consequences of an Earthlike Planet retaining helium in its atmosphere
So I did the numbers using atomic rocket's page on worldbuilding and it appears my super-earth would retain the helium gas in its atmosphere from its early formation. What effects would this have on ...
4
votes
2answers
281 views
How much more effective at digging would an efficient late preindustrial power be compared to basic human labour?
Following on from my earlier question here:
Can a water transport canal be excavated by water power?
I have abandoned the self channeling as too difficult. So manual digging will be required. I need ...
1
vote
3answers
72 views
Super suit is getting an upgrade, but what do I not already have? [closed]
I have a super hero from another world who can create electricity in his body and output it with general control. This character decided to make a suit to increase his powers, and succeeded. Shortly ...
10
votes
2answers
2k views
What would seasons and daylight be like if the Earth was on an eight-shaped orbit between two stars?
I'm building a medieval-high-fantasy world and I want it to have two suns. I'd like it to make it somewhat realistic at least as far as seasons and light/biomes go, while the actual feasibility of ...
7
votes
2answers
998 views
What temperatures would occur several meters below different types of deserts?
What temperatures can one expect 50-150 meters below different types of deserts? The rocks in my campaign heavily feature iron sediments, like in Australia, but since this is a fantasy world I am open ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
Can a water transport canal be excavated by water power?
Situation: A very large reservoir of water exists raised up above a large expanse of almost flat land. From the bottom of the reservoir the land falls away at a very gentle gradient of ~1 in 10,000. ...
4
votes
1answer
419 views
What would 500 year old dried blood look like?
Imagine you are in a mountain cave (in the mountain, or under the earth), and you stumble upon a what seems to be a lake of blood. It's roughly 4mx4m (13ft) wide and 2m (6.5ft) deep. The blood is ...
2
votes
1answer
152 views
Modifying muscles to be more bullet resistant without affecting strength?
So, if we were to treat realistic creature design like making a pokémon card, one of the obvious "types" would be volant (flight-capable) creatures, and their biggest downside would be the ...
2
votes
1answer
111 views
What body modifications or body adaptations would be needed to be able to make human can sit longer or indefinitelly without affecting their health?
my question is in the title, i want to know what kind of body modifications or body adaptations needed or look like for human to be able to sit in prolonged time without affecting their health. Since ...
3
votes
4answers
283 views
Could an animal have more than one heart?
It's a generally accepted fact that animals have only one heart, at least in vertebrates. Reality shows that duplicates certainly aren't necessary, but is there any reason why they aren't possible? ...
4
votes
2answers
94 views
How best to control the cost of iron and what it’s used for in my world?
I want to create a world where iron is still widely used, but is more expensive than on Earth. Small quantities would still be viable for wheel hub rings, swords, axes etc at a modest increase in cost ...
3
votes
0answers
77 views
Applications of Chameleon Particles: Space Constructs [closed]
Dark Energy is a very strange force, and one of the theorised carriers of this force is the Chameleon Particle. To describe its effects, due to its non-linear self-interaction, it has a variable level ...
10
votes
6answers
3k views
Disadvantages to Liquid Breathing Space Fighter Pilots
The setting: 27th Century Alpha Centauri system
From everything I have seen, it is generally accepted that future space combat might not do very well with individual fighter-craft (similar to a modern ...
8
votes
4answers
2k views
How Would the Mountains Form in This Supercontinent?
Here is a supercontinent map generated randomly from the Donjon website:
Now, hold on just a minute. Something looks wrong. The mountains in brown and white are too far inland to be caused by ...
5
votes
2answers
408 views
How much of the solar system would be damaged if the earth was destroyed by lightspeed ship collision?
If a large spaceship travelling at near-lightspeed hit the earth and destroyed it, how far into the system would the devastation travel? Would colonies on Mars and Venus (and perhaps ships in orbit ...
3
votes
6answers
221 views
Gods are real, why is there still corruption within the Church then? [closed]
Gods and religious organizations are a frequent part of "typical" fantasy, but there is a problem with them:
Gods grant miracles to their followers on a fairly constant basis.
I want to ...
3
votes
1answer
103 views
Can my preindustrial civilization control an artificial water flow on the scale of the Mississippi?
Extending some of my earlier questions
How to stop a massive canal system from silting up?
Roughly how much water would my desert civilization need every year?
My preindustrial* society needs to ...
3
votes
2answers
120 views
Is there any way to control people by sending electrical signals to the body “wirelessly”?
I'm writing a story and one of the characters can control other people with electricity sent to their nervous systems without physical contact; that is, to be able to force control their body without ...
11
votes
7answers
517 views
How different can an alien be from us if it is possible for us to have sex and procreate?
Aliens have arrived to Earth from the depths of space, and thankfully they are peaceful and only want to learn about us and interact with us.
Despite some initial trepidation, first contact goes well ...
1
vote
6answers
187 views
How to weaponise Anti-Gravity?
Antigravity, as a recap, is the phenomenon of creating a field that is free of / opposes normal gravity.
Supposedly Antigravity is real and can be created. The most common idea is to have a rotating ...
3
votes
4answers
2k views
A several billion dollars project to stop people from sneezing, besides full hazmat suits?
As the government stopped believing in Hammerwoman, a heroine with the power of a hammer like intelligence and agility...etc, they turned to science to save them from the dreaded Sneezator
The super ...
1
vote
5answers
242 views
How to tell bird people apart when their visual differences are more subtle?
One problem that fantasy suffers from is that it is hard for human viewers to differentiate between actual non-humans when the differences are subtle. I'm not talking about dwarves and elves, but ...
2
votes
2answers
114 views
Would high-g travel require medical assistance?
I was reading about the "Osteo-X" and "the juice" from The Expanse series, and it got me wondering about my own setting. Would transportation services, say, from the moon and back, ...
13
votes
17answers
4k views
How would Earth turn into debris drifting through space without everything at its surface being destroyed in the process?
Consider planet Earth in a distant future. Human technology has advanced, although it still respects the currently known laws of physics. I am trying to build a story where:
An Event makes it so the ...
21
votes
17answers
5k views
In the far future would weaponizing the sun or parts of it be possible?
Lets assume we are dealing with a futuristic setting set several thousand years in the future with major galactic empires controlling thousands of systems and producing all sort of things that we can ...
2
votes
2answers
117 views
Enhanced Nuclear Fission Weapons: Casaba Howitzers VS Nuclear-Pumped Laser
So, after finding the answer to why not all fissile material is used in a nuclear fission bomb (being blown in multiple directions), I thought that to solve this, the blast should be more focused and ...
-1
votes
2answers
115 views
What needs to be changed in the structure of the human body in order not to get poisoned with raw Fugu fish?
The most poisonous fish in the world is the so-called puffer. Its liver and other parts of the body contain a substance called tetrodotoxin, which is capable of paralyzing the respiratory muscles of ...
4
votes
1answer
106 views
Is it possible to make a solar system based on an existing solar system
I've been making a solar system for my story based off the Keplar-47 solar system as my story has 2 suns like this solar system and since its easier to write a system based off a real one then to ...
5
votes
1answer
208 views
Plausible design/size of flying cities?
Setting
The setting was a tropical, Mars-sized, ocean-covered world that has completely frozen over. Over the span of several years, the mean global temperature had dropped to below 200 Kelvin. Ice ...
7
votes
4answers
2k views
What needs to be changed in the structure of the human body in order not to die from cyanide?
Cyanides are the most powerful poisons that affect the mitochondria of cells. A cyanide poisoned cell loses its ability to breathe. In mitochondria, cyanide acts on the cytochrome oxidase enzyme ...
5
votes
1answer
219 views
What kind of wounds would a pulsed laser weapon really create?
Lasers and other heat-based weapons in sci-fi are often misrepresented in how they deal damage. A common reaction to heat based weapons like lightsabers, laser rifles and plasmaweapons is to say they ...
-2
votes
2answers
125 views
What needs to be changed in the human cardiovascular system so that he does not die from blood loss or cardiac arrest?
What needs to be changed in the device of the human cardiovascular system in order to survive in case of serious blood loss and not die in the event of blocking of vital arteries or cardiac arrest?
So ...
1
vote
1answer
89 views
What needs to be changed in the structure of human lungs to be able to filter the inhaled air from heavy particles and toxic gases?
What needs to be changed in the structure of human lungs to be able to filter the inhaled air from heavy particles and toxic gases?
For example, mine air can contain gases such as nitrogen ( This ...
7
votes
8answers
3k views
Why does fantasy racism exist in my world if there isn't a reason for it? [closed]
In order for you to be able to hate a certain group of people, they must fulfill two criteria:
They're within your vicinity
You have some a (real or perceived) conflict of interests with them
In my ...
