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Scotius

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Posts posted by Scotius

  1. On Earth the closest things we have to shapeshifters are octopuses and squids. Just watch some videos of those animals changing shape, colors and even texture of their bodies. It's simply unreal.

    As for gasbag users, It could be an adaptation towards migratory lifestyle. Normally such animal would live on the ground, feeding, grooming and doing daily things with gasbag deflated and shrunk or folded on his back and sides. Perhaps even hidden safely under leathery or chitinous covers - like wings of a beetle. When it's time for migration - due to change of season, lack of food or for breeding, this animal could start gradually filling bag or bags with hydrogen, while metabolizing walking muscles for energy and to shed weight. Finally it would be able to take off - to either fly away using wings or similar structures, or simply float away with wind to hopefully reach its destination. Where it would again deflate the gasbags and start eating to rebuild leg muscles.

    What could be the source of hydrogen filling the bags? Maybe bacteria in specialized organs. Or maybe electric organs similar to electric eel's, electrolising water into hydrogen and oxygen - just like electric eels do.

  2. 4 hours ago, kerbiloid said:

    The stealth wants you to think so. It's a stealth, how do you know if it is or isn't.

    Only way to be sure? Wide spectrum cameras covering full sphere around the craft. And laser\maser emitters firing beams randomly in all possible directions as fast as possible. Unless potential enemy is 100% invisible to all wavelengths of EM spectrum, eventually it will be hit and it will be registered by cameras.

    But then, you can't be sure that whatever you looking for isn't partially shifted to another dimension - which would mean laser beams would go through it without interacting.

    :confused:

  3. With Israel planning to accelerate the deployment of Iron Beam system, we should get more data about effectiveness of lasers in combat. Apparently during trials system was able to destroy missiles, artillery and mortar shells. Considering it has rather short range (up to 7 km.) it suggests both very short reaction time and the ability to deliver significant amount of energy in very short time.

    Now I'm wondering if similar system could be attached to space stations, to protect them from space trash? Maybe not destroy space junk outright, but push it away - to a safer orbit. Possibly even decelerate piece enough to make it burn in the atmosphere faster? This way station could serve as a space janitor, cleaning its orbit of garbage over time. :)

  4. Quote

    Unless you are a one-hit one kill aimbot who never misses, glowing scifi beam weapons are just going to let EVERYONE know your location immediately and draw a firefight to you.

    Just use pulsed weapon. With short enough pulses you will notice the flashes, but locating where they are coming from will not be easy. Unless you are looking straight at the source - which won't be healthy! :cool:

  5. 27 minutes ago, Meecrob said:

    Sure, but my point is that life does not seem to be abundant at places where nuclear reactions are happening...in fact it kinda sterilizes life.

    Or so we think. Which is a bit of a reach, because our current knowledge is based on single sample.

    Meanwhile Sllorps from the world of Duzamur discuss how rare life must be on energy poor, cold worlds of galactic rim...

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