tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post5481450360194136245..comments2024-03-25T09:31:36.926+01:00Comments on Furahan Biology and Allied Matters: An unknown speculative biology project by Dougal Dixon: Microplatia ISigmund Nastrazzurrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16449461215427527447noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-19351244089641967812020-11-26T00:39:14.506+01:002020-11-26T00:39:14.506+01:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.dysfunctionhttps://erectiledysfunctionpillscvs.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-69138780524272678322014-02-25T20:35:10.390+01:002014-02-25T20:35:10.390+01:00The haploid "offsprings" growing on the ...The haploid "offsprings" growing on the walking-mouth's back present an interesting idea, and this reminds me of two equivalents on Earth:<br /><br />- queen/workers hierarchy: Bees have a haploid phase called "drone", which lacks the sting. the drone mates with (preferably) another queen to establish a new beehive.<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drone_(bee)<br /><br />- Ferns: reproduce by alternation of generations: The plant sold at nurseries is the sporophyte, releasing spores. A spores landing on humid ground develops into a prothallium (Gametophyte) which is haploid and contains a sperm and ovule (primitive equivalent of a flower, but grows on its own). A fertilized prothallium produces a new sporophyte. (skipping the seed phase)<br /><br />The walking-mouth may have a haploid generation growing on its back, detaching and searching for another walking-mouth to fertilize (like bees), or one haploid mates with a non-related haploid (like ferns) to produce a diploid (walking-mouth)Christmas Snowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00272187289420166314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-76891911606645632482014-02-12T21:20:33.539+01:002014-02-12T21:20:33.539+01:00How can a world be so geologically active but have...How can a world be so geologically active but have no EM field? If everything moves as fast as the author says, it seems that there should be some generator effect inside that world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-62540528658170146902014-02-12T18:43:21.910+01:002014-02-12T18:43:21.910+01:00It chagrins me to admit that I've only now not...It chagrins me to admit that I've only now noticed the roman numeral 'I' in the post's title, suggesting that you'll have more to say about this project in future posts. I look forward to it!<br /><br />And I always say that it's better to be missed than to be hit. :)<br /><br />Wavelength specific transparency makes the most sense to me too, but unless an organism is actually using at least some of the wavelengths allowed to pass through, why not have complete wavelength protection with opaque coverings? Since microplatian life isn't utilizing sunlight for energy, why transparency at all? Are the 'plants' described actually photosynthetic instead of chemosynthetic like black smokers?<br />Evan Blackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10493966209787828900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-38595135237313764162014-02-11T23:41:18.708+01:002014-02-11T23:41:18.708+01:00Hi Evan,
It's good to have you drop by again;...Hi Evan,<br /><br />It's good to have you drop by again; you're missed.<br /><br />You raise some good points, particularly the one about the radiation and how to protect against it (wavelength-dependent transparency would be my guess) or why life forms do not make use of that energy source (don't know; perhaps it is more difficult to get the process started for some wave lengths than other?).<br /><br />As for the springy bones, I misunderstood the drawing in relation to the text, as Dougal pointed out to me. I will rectify that in the next post on this project. There is more, and I will post about it. <br /><br />You are probably right about the reasons for not posting this. Many illustrators have wonderful material lying around made for themselves or as studies to improve their art, but those additional works do not get published. It probably has to do with the difference between a hobby and a job/profession. Sigmund Nastrazzurrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16449461215427527447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-81403096857041229222014-02-11T19:30:57.624+01:002014-02-11T19:30:57.624+01:00It's always a delight to see material from the...It's always a delight to see material from the man who could be considered the father of speculative evolution. I'm doubly intrigued by the fact that it's an alien project! I think it's fair to say that most projects in this field are "aborted," but it's always nice to see what we can.<br /><br />The explanation of geology reminded me of my own work. A large core would increase the overall density of the planet and produce a greater gravitational force. Depending on the planet's total mass, life on Microplatia might experience higher g-forces than life on Earth.<br /><br />And this trait seems to justify the, er..., 'dynamic' tectonic patterns on Nereus. Perhaps I need to consider factoring similar "natural disasters" into Nereus, though maybe not with the same frequency.<br /><br />No magnetic field has often been considered incompatible with a planet's life-bearing capabilities. I'd be interested to know about the radiation levels experienced from the sun, how different materials have coped with that process (how do transparent/translucent body coverings really help to protect organisms?), and why life forms haven't adapted to utilize that energy source instead of the geothermal activity?<br /><br />If these springy-- perhaps cartilaginous-- bones exist in larger creatures, it suggest to me that the gravity is lower than on Earth, and the overall small mass of the planet would lend credence to why there is no magnetic field. I too was surprised by the arrangement of the "bones" and "muscles" because I also imagined the structures growing adjacently. I guess this is further evidence of the value of illustrations, especially in speculative biology.<br /><br />If there is more of this project, I'd love to see it. Sometimes I wonder why works like this aren't more widely shared across the Internet, but a telling phrase echoes in my head: "If you're good at something never do it for free." I hope to see more of the potential variety and innovation a project like this contains, but I understand if we only ever get to see snippets. Perhaps it's encouragement for other speculators to try their hand at taking these ideas to new, interesting, and plausible levels.Evan Blackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10493966209787828900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-28935747966188805382014-02-08T18:53:11.459+01:002014-02-08T18:53:11.459+01:00Puyamaster: that's a long time ago; welcome ba...Puyamaster: that's a long time ago; welcome back. Actually, yes, I do know about it, but think that the video part has never been released on DVD and so is impossible to obtain. Sigmund Nastrazzurrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16449461215427527447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-42163195868908187882014-02-08T15:55:09.990+01:002014-02-08T15:55:09.990+01:00Very very interesting! I 'm looking forward to...Very very interesting! I 'm looking forward to your next post. <br /><br />P.S. I 'm searching for Dixon's 'Krakken adventures in future ocean'. <br />Do you know about it?puyamasterhttp://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/puyamaster/31914284.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-48267743443611357842014-02-06T23:38:19.586+01:002014-02-06T23:38:19.586+01:00Anonymous: I knew about it but hadn't read rev...Anonymous: I knew about it but hadn't read reviews etc. yet. I think I will order it. It's not about life on other planets, but there's no reason to be overly fussy. <br /><br />Daniel: 'extensile' was the word used in Epona days, so it is apt. There was a a big debate about how well they would work at one point; I remember writing a two page analysis...<br /> I had seen the dresden codak comic. Very good, and very enjoyable. Sigmund Nastrazzurrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16449461215427527447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-68582469098325339172014-02-06T23:17:11.846+01:002014-02-06T23:17:11.846+01:00Yes, Eponan push-based muscles were what I was ref...Yes, Eponan push-based muscles were what I was referring to. Don't know why 'extensile' was the first word to come to mind.<br /><br />While I'm thinking of it; not sure if you've seen this before: http://dresdencodak.com/2009/09/07/the-sleepwalkers/Daniel Demskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08714941811085673416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-70634473174438459632014-02-06T22:50:28.444+01:002014-02-06T22:50:28.444+01:00This is off topic (though I'm also a fan of Do...This is off topic (though I'm also a fan of Dougal Dixon's work), but if you are still looking for different topics to talk about on your blog I just learned about a new book done by the same people who did All Yesterdays (http://io9.com/cryptozoologicon-could-revolutionize-the-field-of-monst-1517552866) . Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-58640698258330729682014-02-06T22:11:50.591+01:002014-02-06T22:11:50.591+01:00Andrew Broeker: I'm not much of a geologist an...Andrew Broeker: I'm not much of a geologist and cannot address yor comment adequately. However, Dougal Dixon is a geologist by training, unless I am mistaken. Perhaps he will jump in. <br /><br />Nicky: all right, all right, but give me some time please. The chances of me doing a post on these creatures are very slim, but I will have a look. <br /><br />Daniel Demski 1/2: I did report on such an approach once, but your examples are very interesting, particularly the one with the 'four flipper/wing design. I think I will try to contact the author.<br /> Abiut the bendy skelton: there will probably be more about that in a second post on Microplanitia. When you wrote 'extensile muscle, were you thinking about the design in the Epona project? Sigmund Nastrazzurrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16449461215427527447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-28488046811377204632014-02-06T18:23:51.975+01:002014-02-06T18:23:51.975+01:00This video contains some thought-provoking ones:
...This video contains some thought-provoking ones:<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_8tNGKm87U<br /><br />At 2:25 there's even an apparent clap-and-fling design, with four wings!<br /><br />Regarding the post I'm actually commenting on. The bendy skeleton concept is definitely thought-provoking, it definitely allows for drastically different musculature. I did find one genetic algorithm walking experiment which simulated actual muscle tissue... Seems like such simulations would be a good way to explore other paradigms like 'extensile' muscle, or this one here.Daniel Demskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08714941811085673416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-87627678760005747212014-02-06T13:32:23.692+01:002014-02-06T13:32:23.692+01:00Earlier you asked for links to unknown specbio pro...Earlier you asked for links to unknown specbio projects... I don't have one, but I've been reading posts I skipped on my initial read-through of this blog and noticed the ones about borrowing methods of movement from areas such as robotics. One excellent area for helping us think about biology without using assumptions from Earth, is genetic algorithms. For example much has been done to simulate evolution of walking and swimming.<br /><br />https://archive.org/details/sims_evolved_virtual_creatures_1994<br /><br />Such strategies as are shown at that link seem to suffer in elegance for not taking into consideration anything but the need to move; but they are certainly possible ways of getting around.Daniel Demskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08714941811085673416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-40358313274816870972014-02-04T00:03:13.692+01:002014-02-04T00:03:13.692+01:00Alright, i have some makeshift size comparison of ...Alright, i have some makeshift size comparison of the creatures from borderlands 2: Thresher (underground serpemtine creature that has tentacles, larger one can summon more tentacles) http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=224203142 Rakk (flying, has no legs, mouth like a stingray's)http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=224203179 Stalker (can be invisibe) http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=224203214 Bullymong (gorilla like, uses its 4 arms to move around, very strong, uses smaller back legs a support when lifting heavy objects) http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=224203237 Crystalisk (made of crystals, has radial symmetry) http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=224203252 Spiderant (left, can had various armor, spider-like) Skag (right, dog-like, has bifrucated mouth, barfing is actually defecating) http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=224203272 Varkid (exoskeleton varies) http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=224203282 and one unique critter Chaurus (lives in caves, a centipede has stag beetle-like mandibles by means of convergent evolution) from Elder Scrolls: Skyrim http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=224203296 from Garrysmod. <br /><br />Ragdolls by Chrysaetos, who ported the models. Might show more tomorrow.Nickyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17892007791072992567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-25306950481202004622014-02-03T20:34:44.166+01:002014-02-03T20:34:44.166+01:00"but as the mantle is shallow, the convection..."but as the mantle is shallow, the convection currents are very small. This results in a large number of very small tectonic plates (Microplatia - geddit?) that move around quite quickly."<br /><br />Could someone who knows more about geophysics than I comment on whether this follows? It seems dubious to me at first glance, particularly the part about the plates moving faster.Andrew Broekerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03455959935160897929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-70768849164262419372014-02-03T07:53:33.621+01:002014-02-03T07:53:33.621+01:00Anonymous, Petr, Nicky: glad you like it.
Nicky: ...Anonymous, Petr, Nicky: glad you like it.<br /><br />Nicky: I had a quick look and thought it was difficult to form an opinion based on that: the size is difficult to judge, so is movement, what kind of world is this supposed to be, etc. But I will look longer later. Sigmund Nastrazzurrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16449461215427527447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-75025494702008889842014-02-03T04:44:01.922+01:002014-02-03T04:44:01.922+01:00Curse the ignorant towards speculative biology tha...Curse the ignorant towards speculative biology that has plagued us for so long. How dare does society focus so much on family drama and reality shows that are not even worth to be qualified as shows. Gah, if I had the rights to FOX and other media outlets, I sue them all. Darn them all for their supressionist acts<br /><br />P.S. King Gert, would you do a post concerning the biology of the creatures from these two video games?<br /><br />http://borderlands.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Creatures<br /><br />http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Creatures<br /><br />I know you are not a gamer, but at least share some honest thoughts.Nickyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17892007791072992567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-23528064661494272442014-02-03T02:06:17.405+01:002014-02-03T02:06:17.405+01:00very interesting! veeery veeery interesting!very interesting! veeery veeery interesting!Petrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06537642993606964893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5821098719340852065.post-78167029362628361942014-02-03T00:42:54.115+01:002014-02-03T00:42:54.115+01:00Ah! After all these years Douglas send me back on ...Ah! After all these years Douglas send me back on the school bench once again. <br />Nice to hear that he also participate in the field of exobiology, can't wait to see more =)<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />JoschuaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com