Questions tagged [life]
For questions about the characteristics of living beings in different settings. This tag is not for questions about the daily life of characters.
177
questions
4
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Is a desert planet with a small habitable area possible?
My world takes place on a desert planet, but there is a small habitable forest with water and life. My main inspiration for this is Halem'no from star trek, but without a weather tower sustaining the ...
- 2,097
4
votes
3
answers
907
views
Could we have a humanoid life-form that requires CO₂?
How would an heterotroph alien life form exist if it purely needed to inhale CO₂?
Would it be lazier and bulkier that carbon based life forms who require oxygen, like us humans?
I am trying to ...
- 1,377
3
votes
2
answers
232
views
What is the maximum survivable gravity for humans for say 8 months
I know the human body can survive multiple g's for short periods - like fighter pilots or F1 drivers. But what is maximum survivable gravity for more than just a transient moment? Could a body live on ...
- 30.4k
4
votes
2
answers
381
views
Could a civilization have existed on earth when our planet was much smaller, and as earth gained more size could it have grew around and above them? [closed]
I want to create a civilization that were living on earth when the planet was a much smaller protoplanet or a planetesimal. If earth grew over billions of years, could a civilization have existed ...
0
votes
0
answers
21
views
Regarding silicon-based life, how would using silane instead of silicone in chemical compounds change how the lifeform works? [duplicate]
All I currently know is that they require cryogenic solvents, cold temperatures, hydrogen to breathe, and only inhale. What else should I know for using silane in silicon lifeforms?
6
votes
3
answers
302
views
Can a planet with rings support life?
Is it at all possible for complex life to evolve and exist on a planet with rings?
I assume the rings would have to be rock, since if the planet is to support life, it will have to be in the habitable ...
- 161
4
votes
1
answer
93
views
Could a planet with an unusually high heavy metal content sustain life? [closed]
I'm playing around with the concept of a planet containing unusually high heavy metal content, due to being born in a nebula that resulted from a neutron star merger. What conditions would this planet ...
- 10.8k
29
votes
22
answers
7k
views
Is it possible to live without killing?
Hooray! Aliens are discovered, the alien community is out there, and we want to join them.
However to join their illustrious organisation, the Galactic Federation, it is a deeply moral group, and the ...
- 97k
4
votes
1
answer
146
views
Gas giant ecologies with more realistic weather. Sky anchors
I've always enjoyed stories that explore ideas about life in the clouds of gas giants. The Algebraist by Banks is my favorite. Though one thing that never quite rang true to me about stories like The ...
- 113
5
votes
2
answers
228
views
Life in the vacuum of space: What if we looked in the wrong places?
Forget space whales, forget star-trek-style creatures like the crystal entity, forget space creatures so massive that they have their gravity to hold on to an atmosphere around them. The issue with ...
- 10.8k
3
votes
1
answer
496
views
Planet orbiting a star orbiting a black hole - can there be life?
Sagittarius A* is a black hole at the center of the Milky Way with at least 45 stars orbiting it. It weighs in at over 4.2 million solar masses and is likely rotating, which has interesting effects on ...
- 142k
10
votes
7
answers
3k
views
Could Megaflora Sustain Permanent Settlements?
So, a setting I'm brainstorming is basically a tribal world, with Hunter-gatherers, animism, and the like.
One of the features I want to add, to make it stand out from our own world is the existence ...
- 126k
2
votes
1
answer
146
views
How can I make my insect life cycle time system more accurate
In my world, there is not day or night, only dusk and dawn. Their time system is based on an insect called an Ersen which follows a very mechanical and strict life cycle which is synchronised ...
CommunityBot
- 1
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Must a planet's magnetic poles be coaxial with the axis of rotation?
I have this idea for a planet whose magnetic field is not aligned with the axis of rotation as is the case for Earth (I know they're not exactly aligned, but hear me out). How plausible is this, and ...
- 42.4k
14
votes
15
answers
5k
views
Could there be an alien life form (a complex animal) that lives hundreds of thousands of years, or even millions of years?
On earth, most animals live decades, and only a handful over 100 years. What has led to such a 'short' lifespan across the board?
Assuming there may be other carbon-based life forms similar to that of ...
- 888