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1500 questions
36
votes
13 answers
Can a river be put under enough pressure to jet straight up for a mile?
I've been mulling over an idea for my preferred RPG setting, and I wanted to check if anyone knows the following:
Is it possible for a river to flow underground for miles, and then suddenly be put under enough pressure to jet a mile or so into the…
Rowanas
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36
votes
18 answers
Subverting 'evil humanoid' (orcs, goblins, etc.) tropes
TLDR:
What believable real-world consequences can there be for killing orcs, goblins, etc. when such acts are not illegal nor necessarily frowned upon by one's society?
I am preparing a Dungeons and Dragons campaign and would like to treat humanoid…
user8171
36
votes
5 answers
That's no Moon: Planet-sized Plants Possible?
Inspired by the many great questions asked for this fortnight's tag challenge, I got to thinking, could a plant develop/evolve to eventually consume an entire planet, and keep on living? What I mean by this is that a single organism, or perhaps a…
DaaaahWhoosh
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36
votes
5 answers
Is it possible to genetically modify a being after birth?
In many stories we hear about people whose genetic structure is modified after they're born (Spider-man, The Fantastic 4 and practically any other superhero you care to mention). However current science focuses very much on modifying the DNA at the…
Liath
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36
votes
4 answers
How to Survive Mountain Environments With a Tribal Culture?
Assume we have an Earth-like environment.
If a tribe with only early medieval technology were to settle in a mountain environment:
What resources would be needed to deal with the elevation, cold, and other hazards?
What resources are they likely…
Maximillian
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35
votes
3 answers
What size would a diamond made from a human be?
I am writing a science fiction novel where dead humans are turned into diamonds by compacting cremated remains. What size of diamond would the amount of carbon in a human body form? I know that the size would vary somewhat depending on the weight of…
Catlover
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35
votes
9 answers
Are external lights on spaceships even necessary?
Many fictional spaceships of all kinds are known to have external lights. Do they even need them? Outer space is lit by the billions of stars and galaxies, so why are there external lights on fictional drive ships, war ships, cargo ships,…
iostreamerX
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35
votes
5 answers
Destruction by design - how best to go about crafting a ruined landscape?
Ruins of many kinds are a staple of stories whether for games or tales of high adventure. My question is about the design process behind such structures: should one start with a city or building and break it down or start with the ruin and justify…
Ash
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35
votes
28 answers
If my world is flat (obviously not possible) how would I explain the edges?
I don't want my world to be infinite, that would be a pain to draw maps for. And I need it to be flat (for a slightly unrelated reason). How would I explain why no one has looked over or seen the edge before? I could always put a giant wall there,…
Gray9
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35
votes
7 answers
What would an efficient swimming creature in magma be like?
This question is specifically about the mechanics of an alien creature swimming in highly viscous magma, the unlikeliness of life surviving at magma temperatures etc isn't relevant. Just imagine it's extremely thick mud if it helps. :)
My research…
Fred the John
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35
votes
14 answers
Is an economy based on piracy possible?
What would be needed for a piracy-based economy? One based mainly on raiding ships?
I don't know if there are any real-life models of this that were successful, though I know that piracy existed (and still does) as an outlawed way of generating…
Erin Thursby
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35
votes
6 answers
What's the smallest reasonable natural planet or moon with Earth-like surface gravity?
We all know that equation for surface gravity is
$$ g = \frac{4\pi}{3} G \rho r $$
So if we want Earth-like surface gravity of $ g = 9.81 $, then the equation for radius is
$$ r = \frac{3 g}{4\pi G \rho } $$
where $\rho$ is mean density of a…
Mołot
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35
votes
20 answers
What's the most advanced weapon a time traveler from the 21st century could make with the technology of the Middle Ages?
Assume the time travel is a soldier who has a good idea of how to maintain and care for most guns and knows how all the parts fit together. They've brought with them a working assault rifle, a double-barreled shotgun, and a revolver, as well as a…
Z.Schroeder
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35
votes
6 answers
How do centaurs get enough oxygen to run
This is a partner question to How do centaurs get enough calories to live?
Centaurs are a common mythological figure, with the body of a man where a horses head would be. They usually exist in fantasy worlds but let's say they are not sustained by…
Tim B
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35
votes
14 answers
What kind of society and morals would an alien species evolved from solitary carnivores have?
I am envisioning a space faring species, evolved from an obligate carnivore and apex predator.
The obvious concept to me is a tiger like species with prehensile tails that became increasingly adapted to tool use. However if you want to create an…
Dubber Rucky
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