yep, but with as many sources as i can reasonably fit in them, and, for the underwater civs, starting from sticks and stones and breaking bones, rather than from things that require: gene editing(assuming a civ starts with that is cheating, and proving a reasonable way for that to evolve on its own is a whole ‘nother essay), radioactive materials(which generally have to be mined, or made/purified with modern alchemy), unrealistically genetically malleable species’(octopi do not count, as they can edit their rna through more than just selective gene expression, but it doesn’t affect their genomes, which means they are not darwinian, and thus, cheating), species’ that couldn’t realistically evolve on an earthlike planet where humans and corvids never evolved, already having metals to use, or other things that a civ that uses tools made from driftwood, rocks, and bones of various creatures, starting from scratch, wouldn’t reasonably be able to use or find on their own(which means nothing that came from space except light, the planet itself, and maybe meteors)
and for the sentient plants one, i’ll start with endosymbiosis between two organisms that already exist on modern earth, and existed before the boring billion (specifically, green sulfur bacteria, and phagotrophic archaeans), adapt them to eachother, and progress from there, without using anything that wouldn’t have reasonably evolved from that point in time onwards(like biological photovoltaics, or complex systems of gears and shafts, or thermoelectrics), and going only off of the principle of ‘good enough’, and building on what was already there, like evolution does irl
not gonna go in-depth about them in here tho
4 Likes
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
7904
What do you have to say about small-creature civs?
2 Likes
Deathwake
(i nuked zenzone and will never let him forget it)
7905
you can use a source multiple times
anywho good luck with your plan
3 Likes
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
7906
I wonder how did Ferrus get the permission to post a new UC proposal…
Allowing common sense stuff is generally okay in scientific essays, but it’s almost always better to use a source even if something is really common sense as just letting things slide will make people want to make more and more unsubstantiated claims.
In the example I assume you wouldn’t just say oxygen is a good oxidiser, but instead you would need to apply that to the context. And that is going to need a source reference why oxygen is a good oxidiser in the context you are applying, and that is no longer common sense. So if you want you can say the Earth is round, but even stuff like average surface pressure or common fact like that should have a source reference.
5 Likes
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
7908
We’re three-quarters of the way to finishing this second misc thread already…
not how cephalopods do it! they basically just toggle genes between translating to adenosine containing RNA or inosine containing RNA, which is why i compared it to turning genes on or off, the biggest difference is that they have 2 on states for their genes, that just work differently
and inosine supposedly behaves more like guanine as well
but also octopodes can already go on land by holding their breath
crabs too
cuttlefish use a method of locomotion that only works in water though, so they could work
also apparently i actually need to design a whole way for the creature in the civ to evolve, mainly because just handwaving that and using fully aquatic mermaids would not be something that i could roll with.
also probably for other reasons as well
1 Like
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
7912
Wasn’t it said an UC solution, if ever found, should be easily applicable to all kinds of UC species, not just 1 hyperspecific kind?
it’s not going to be hyperspecific, cuttlefish are just the only marine earth animal i could find that are fully aquatic, and have manipulator limbs
and for simplicity’s sake, i am using an alternate history of earth where humans and crows never evolve as the starting point, so that ruins of a previous civ are out of the question, without me having to use a whole custom planet
I actually started a similar project for aquatic civs, but have not had time to work on it. If you like, I can share my ideas on how, using Sturgeon air bladder and oily fish guts, an underwater civ could make a waterproof adhesive that doubles as a preservative and triples as a sealant for wood, as well as my research into Garden Eels and the Cement-like mucus they secrete from their tails, and my ideas for why/how an underwater civ would make a drying platform and glue based air dried clay (for jewelry and figurines as it would not be strong enough for pottery). But it may take a bit to put it together cite all my sources on those as I have a lot going on.
Also, consider that bringing water with you onto land is easier than bringing air with you under water. And a water pump, perhaps a water screw made with wood preserved with the aforementioned adhesive, could push water through a hose easier than any kind of air pump.
sure!
and one of my ideas for floating things to the surface for when that’s needed was using air to lift them, but air trapped under something to lift it also doubles as a spot for storing things that need moisture, but to not be wet
3 Likes
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
7916
How soon do you two plan to post your UC plans?
2 Likes
AnthropocenianAge
(AnthropocenianAge Arthropleura wants to give you a hug!)
7917
Huh. A Sudoku and block-like puzzle game. Sudoblock.
1 Like
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
7918
Wonder what sort of board games we’ll see develop under the digital games’ dominance…
AnthropocenianAge
(AnthropocenianAge Arthropleura wants to give you a hug!)
7919
2 Likes
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
7920
Crazy to think NZ once had a native terrestrial-only mammal species…
1 Like
AnthropocenianAge
(AnthropocenianAge Arthropleura wants to give you a hug!)
7921
Imagine how many more fossils of different creatures are still out there…
1 Like
aah31415
(The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)
7922
And how many species never fossilized even a single specimen…