Questions tagged [xenobiology]
Use this tag to mark questions related to creating plausible alien biologies that may be close to or far removed from Earthly biology but within the realms of hard science.
621
questions
8
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1answer
113 views
What's in the outer system?
Background:
It is sometime in the late 21st century. Several unmanned probes have recently been sent to land on and investigate Jupiter and Saturn's moons. Two sites in particular, Europa and Titan, ...
4
votes
1answer
84 views
Could life arise using iron pentacarbonyl as a solvant?
Iron planets are planets which lack a significant mantle. These planets are essentially lone planetary cores. Since water and iron are unstable together iron pentacarbonyl and other exotic metal-based ...
6
votes
2answers
104 views
How would oceans of supercritical CO2 on Venus-like exoplanets look like/behave?
Carbon dioxide turns supercritical above a pressure of 73 atm and 304.25 K (31.10 °C). The surface of Venus fullfils these conditions.
The density of the air at the surface is 67 kg/m3, which is 6....
-2
votes
2answers
100 views
What modification is needed so a creature can't fart, while it can still excrete?
As the title says, what modification is needed, so a creature cannot fart while still being able to excrete their waste?
So creatures that can't excrete or doesn't have an anus like the Demodex is ...
14
votes
3answers
2k views
What kind of planet could have giant sand worms?
I would like to have giant sand worms similar to the ones in the 'Dune' novel. What should the planet be like so that they are realistic? Giant sand worms are roughly 100m long and 5 meters in ...
2
votes
3answers
84 views
How might natural teardrop shaped markings on my humanoid aliens be connected to their empathic abilities?
Why I’ve Chosen Not to Handwave: The fictional galaxy in which this humanoid species (I’ll refer to them as Empaths from here on out) lives is protected by a space-faring military/law-enforcing legion ...
9
votes
4answers
641 views
Plausible ways for the alien species to be able to impregnate every and any species?
In many movies, alien species often have the ability to impregnate "every and any" species and have their mutant offspring.
I have a story setup where some, not so conscientious, scientists decide to ...
6
votes
5answers
140 views
What different biological aspects would facilitate an elite race of warrior aliens?
A bit of backstory: I'm attempting to create a militaristic alien race composed of elite warriors capable of conquering the galaxy. They posses a variety of "enhanced" abilities such as immense ...
1
vote
2answers
116 views
Would a flying, human sized species from a planet smaller than Earth be stronger, as strong or weaker than humans?
I'm working on a sci fi story where one of the species has batlike wings and comes from a moon around the size of Titan with roughly the same atmospheric pressure as Earth. Initially, I thought they'd ...
18
votes
5answers
5k views
What would a life-form be like if it's antimatter-based
I've been thinking of the idea of creating and adding an alien species that's antimatter-based (being from a universe where antimatter became the majority instead of "normal matter").
However, I'm ...
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. :
...
1
vote
1answer
71 views
Symbiotic fungus causing rapid mutations within the human body
A group of scientists discover a heretofore unknown species of fungus. unbeknownst to them, let's say it is of extraterrestrial origin but it operates very much like certain fungi on Earth (e.g. ...
0
votes
0answers
76 views
What is a realistic useful life of a calcium carbonate pulse jet deflagration chamber?
My jet-propelled squid uses a scavenged shell for its pulse jet deflagration chamber, I am trying to determine how often he’ll have to replace it.
Including the shell it’s a 5 kg animal using a ...
7
votes
4answers
182 views
how can a developing organism affect the DNA of its host?
A group of scientists have been commissioned to create a new kind of super soldier. As this project includes illegal human experimentation, the government wants to limit the risk of anything being ...
8
votes
6answers
2k views
Why might a vampiric race have low birthrates?
This pure-blood vampiric race is not immortal, but their lifespans are about five times that of mortals. This race has lived in a vast city beneath a small mountain range for thousands of years (the ...
4
votes
1answer
53 views
What physiological tools would a humanoid need to generate ultra-low frequencies?
I'm interested that some ULF (ultra-low frequencies, especially the 17 HZ zone) can cause humans to experience sensations of fear, trembling, or even claims of seeing ghostly apparitions. What an ...
6
votes
5answers
231 views
What would the flora and fauna be like on a planet with the most competition? The most violent planet
My setting has a lush rainforest planet, which houses some of the most feared animals in the galaxy. The abundance of food would make competition tougher and tougher over millions of years of ...
8
votes
2answers
136 views
Could an electroreceptor organ work above water?
Could a species with an incredibly advanced electroreceptive organ (such as that of a shark) be able to use it above water? The gas-mix in which the sense works must be breathable to humans, and it ...
4
votes
1answer
80 views
is it possible for biological creature to spew/breath explosion instead?
i want to make my dragon spew/breath explosion mix with the gizzard stone fragments/shrapnel rather than common fire breath like a flamethrower but more like a shotgun.
so is there any explosion ...
4
votes
2answers
94 views
Adaptations for an ice planet?
My planet is a frozen world. Roughly the size of earth and in a perpetual ice age. The planet has very cold temperatures at night and during the day its surface becomes very bright. The intense solar ...
3
votes
4answers
1k views
is it biologically possible for a creature that can be compatible to reproduce with any creature?
just as the title, my question is can it possible for a creature that can reproduce with any/all creature despite it was different species/family? (not the alien xenomorph or parasite one/way but real ...
4
votes
3answers
88 views
What is the optimal horn shape for efficient heat radiation while still being effective at protecting the skull in headbutts?
To preface, my creatures have 4 horns, and they behave very similar to rams (at least ancestrally) in that they headbutt to resolve conflict/create dominance hierarchies. Two smaller horns are above ...
3
votes
1answer
136 views
Could intelligent life arise on a planet that isn't 'tethered' to a star, just drifting near to one? [duplicate]
Earth's movement in space is obviously linked to the Sun, as are many other planets. But what I'm asking, is could intelligent life develop on a world that is merely 'passing by' and basking in a ...
7
votes
1answer
112 views
if humanoid creature can shed their skin whenever they want, can they look young forever?
inspired by this question Wearing vs Growing Clothes
and this link medical news today
Chemical peels
A chemical peel involves applying a chemical solution to wrinkly
areas, causing the dead ...
4
votes
2answers
68 views
Design for a long and short distance radio wave communicating lifeform
Having read previous questions on radio wave communication on biological creatures would it make sense for race of alien creatures to have developed dish like bone structures for radio wave ...
6
votes
2answers
224 views
Giant bug noises
I understand, vaguely, how human voices vary with the overall size/shape of the individual(s vocal chords), and I can use that to make reasonable assumptions about what the voice of non-human fantasy ...
3
votes
3answers
279 views
If mammals with paws were to evolve to have human hands or fingers what would their paws/pads look like if they still retain it?
Inspired by One Piece by Eichiro Oda.
from https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Nikyu_Nikyu_no_Mi
Fiction has many examples of humanoid animals - things like lycans or werewolves, cat/dog/rabbit folk, ...
3
votes
2answers
193 views
What problems would arise if a species that uses wheels via electricity/conductivity instead of muscle tissue to move? [duplicate]
I've been thinking about making a species that uses wheels for locomotion. However, instead of using muscle tissue to spin them (as that would cause damage to said tissue), they would use electricity ...
6
votes
4answers
250 views
Cool way to see through fog and darkness
My planet is frequently set with thick fog. What is the best way to have its residents see accurately?
One species called Hell Fires fall from the sky, landing on top of prey and killing it. How ...
1
vote
2answers
53 views
How could a race of jellyfish like aliens convert the hydgroen atmosphere of their home world into fuel?
The Ozoa are a peculiar race. They are native to a large gas giant similar to Saturn and physically look similar to what we would call "jellyfish". Within their "head" the Ozoa contain a lifting gas ...
2
votes
1answer
127 views
Does a life form not using a food-based metabolism still need to saturate its cells with respiratory gases?
I've quite a few alien species that utilize a non-food-based metabolism (one of them being nuclear power).
Does a species that has a metabolism not based-on plants or meat (such as using nuclear ...
4
votes
2answers
134 views
How Would Ammonia-Based Life Evolve? [closed]
EDIT:
The planet/moon has a high mass, and has a similar atmosphere to Jupiter or Saturn. These organisms will be silicon-ammonia based, and breathe hydrogen. There will be very little oxygen in the ...
7
votes
8answers
5k views
What organs or modifications would be needed to have hairy fish?
It is inspired by this furry trout.
I mean fish (not necessary to be a trout), not aquatic mammals, and real fur, not from fungi or mold (or looks like fur because of the dead cell, like Mirapinna ...
4
votes
1answer
150 views
What kind of metal-based blood types be effective/used in transporting non-oxygen gases and what would their color be?
There's iridium-based blood called Chloro-carbonyl-bis(triphenylphosphine)-iridium that's effective at transporting hydrogen alongside oxygen.
What I want to know is that, are there other metal-based ...
6
votes
2answers
125 views
Anthropomorphic flying squirrel, gliding capability
(maybe this should be part of the "anatomically correct" series. If so, feel free to edit accordingly, as I don't know how to add it to that list)
Could a roughly human sized, human weight, bipedal, ...
13
votes
7answers
3k views
What are the benefits and disadvantages if a creature has multiple tails, e.g., Kyuubi or Nekomata?
Since a lot of people are already asking about multiple-headed creatures, I wonder what about multiple tails? Such as kyuubi, nekomata, etc. (I know some have asked about these mythical creatures, but ...
2
votes
4answers
134 views
How could a society be able to function over the time span of millions of years?
One of the races in my sci-fi universe is the Ceratons a race of bipedal (more hunched build) that look similar to triceratops. Their race is well known as skilled geneticists having a hand in ...
24
votes
15answers
6k views
What organs or modifications would be needed for a life biological creature not to require sleep?
I mean literally not sleeping for the rest of their life, not like giraffes that only require short rests, or dolphins that can sleep with half of their brain at a time, or like otters and sharks that ...
3
votes
7answers
345 views
What would be needed to scientifically be able to stand on cloud?
Inspired from people walking on water using cornstarch plus myths such as monkey king, several gods in heaven/celestial palace, and other fiction works.
(image from Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama)
I ...
2
votes
1answer
123 views
Rapidly Spreading Disease Timeline - Fungus Based
I've been working on this concept where a deadly new fungus starts spreading from two central locations. One in Europe and one outside of a major city in the United States. Over the course of 16 days, ...
4
votes
2answers
136 views
How could a plant harness kinetic energy?
This post about a tidally-locked planet got me thinking about plants and wind.
Let's say plants evolve on a perpetually windy, tidally-locked earth-like planet around a sun-like star at about 1 AU. ...
10
votes
2answers
170 views
What metals other than calcium can be used to create alien bones that won't also engender a human-toxic environment?
Edit: Okay, truth be known that this question was part of a set of 5 related questions that I was recommended to break up into individual posts (in their original form, the comments had no trouble ...
17
votes
13answers
7k views
What would a biological creature need in order to see into the future?
Inspired by the Paycheck and Minority Report movies.
So far as I can tell, physical time travel is impossible for humans, and so I searched to see the future possible scientific or theoretical ...
5
votes
2answers
53 views
Ecology with methanogenic respiration
Methanogenesis is among the most energy-dense forms of anaerobic respiration. Typically, it requires the environmental presence of hydrogen to reduce CO2; however, hydrogen can be generated from ...
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 ...
6
votes
1answer
315 views
What would a silicone-based plant, especially a tree, look like?
This question's information is based on the answer in my previous question about what the aquatic creature need in order to live or survive in my acid water?
The thing that's not in the description ...
4
votes
1answer
223 views
what the aquatic creature need in order to live or survive in my acid water?
inspire by xenomorph acid blood from alien movies.
so the water either rivers, lakes, and oceans in my world or some of the regions is highly acidic because some of the dirt or stone minerals content ...
3
votes
19answers
3k views
Number of Fingers for a Math Oriented Race
Form follows function, or that's how the saying goes. Which isn't true for some things. That is to say, a large reason why humans use a base 10 numbering system is because we have 10 fingers, not that ...
10
votes
5answers
244 views
Fire Producing Organism
I was hypothesizing an organism that could create it's own fire with the use of a flamethrower-like organ. I was thinking that this animal has a oxygen-free organ that hold diethylzinc and when the ...
5
votes
2answers
115 views
Novel Alien Bacteria / Fungus Causing Rapid Mutations
We've seen it throughout media before, a crazy mutation that creates zombies, rabid people, giant spiders, etc. I'm spot checking how crazy I can get with this short story I'm writing about a bacteria ...
