Defiant-Peace-493

Defiant-Peace-493 t1_jacnojo wrote

Reply to comment by borislightgem in [WP] "One drip of this poison is enough to kill a whale." The scientist points towards a table, but the beaker isn't there. Instead a silly coffee cup shaped like a beaker sits. You lower the not coffee cup from your mouth. Tastes like lemon-lime. by DistillerCMac

Oh, there are a whole host of plant defensive toxins that don't merely not work, but have actively made us pursue them. Compounds with fungicidal or insecticidal properties are often quite tasty … or psychoactive.

See, for instance, Transgenic tobacco plants producing caffeine: a potential new strategy for insect pest control

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Defiant-Peace-493 t1_j7x7mv2 wrote

Reply to comment by Delta_Lantanoir in Killer whale moms are still supporting their adult sons — and it's costing them by RestSnorlax

Interesting, it looks like it got major revisions through the series. The first one I found ("I know I remember an Orca Gunship from somewhere" phase) has sort-of stub wings, fixed fans in the wings (takeoff assist?), and what I think are pivotable jets (TW vintage). Older TD style, as you say, is pretty much a heli form factor aside from the turbofans. One of the developers is Lancaster Lifting Body, which might imply that the hull is an airfoil, which could push it back towards plane.

I assume this has been discussed several times by now in the community!

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Defiant-Peace-493 t1_j71xqlx wrote

Reply to comment by Vegan-bandit in [WP] One in 1,000 people are born 'star blind', a genetic disorder where they can't see the frequency of light emitted by stars. One day, they see something in the sky no one else can. by Vegan-bandit

Real world stars are approximately blackbodies, emitting ALL frequencies below an upper limit. If anyone plays that part straight, that could range from reality-breaking to apocalyptic.

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Defiant-Peace-493 t1_ix8crjw wrote

Reply to comment by menlindorn in Humans could be living on the moon in the next 10 years, Nasa says by Aggravating_Pie7747

And plenty of silicon and modest amounts of rare earths, so chips, solar, and glass are easy enough.

Regolith mining offers hydrogen and nitrogen, at around 100g per m3. Carbon is scarcer, but significant deposits exist in polar ice.

Note that there are some designs for aluminum - LOX rockets, which ought to be perfectly adequate for surface cargo runs.

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