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Old 08-26-2016, 08:14 PM   #21
Flyndaran
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Default Re: Lucy's Choice: Let's make Lucifer Parallels!

Sure, earth life needs certain elements to exist, but 5-10% for earth life isn't "that" much all things considered. And who's to say that that number couldn't go much lower theoretically?
I did mean that for the most part getting all nutrition from the air is small potatoes compared to the more basic problems regarding physics.
But way to call out my habitual hyperbole. lol
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Old 08-26-2016, 08:15 PM   #22
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Default Re: Lucy's Choice: Let's make Lucifer Parallels!

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Originally Posted by dcarson View Post
The seedling phase drops to the ground loaded with lots of sugars and such, extracts the all trace elements it will need and then inflates for its adult life.
That ends up with larger macroscopic balloons rather than the organic sky blotting mist the first description made me picture.
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Old 08-26-2016, 08:39 PM   #23
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Default Re: Lucy's Choice: Let's make Lucifer Parallels!

Kudzu - Named for the plant that is bringing down civilization. An apparently spontaneous mutation in the fast growing plant Kudzu supercharges it's growth and hardiness. The downside for the planet is that this variant now contains an incredibly toxic nerve agent that is released when ingested or burned.

Efforts to contain the green plague to northern Florida failed years ago and secondary infestations started appearing all over the globe. Population is crashing due to loss of prime farmland and multiple wars have already been fought over dwindling resources. Most of the temperate zones have already been lost to the green plague when contact is made.
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Old 08-26-2016, 09:34 PM   #24
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Default Re: Lucy's Choice: Let's make Lucifer Parallels and Hells in general!

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Kudzu - Named for the plant that is bringing down civilization. An apparently spontaneous mutation in the fast growing plant Kudzu supercharges it's growth and hardiness. The downside for the planet is that this variant now contains an incredibly toxic nerve agent that is released when ingested or burned.

Efforts to contain the green plague to northern Florida failed years ago and secondary infestations started appearing all over the globe. Population is crashing due to loss of prime farmland and multiple wars have already been fought over dwindling resources. Most of the temperate zones have already been lost to the green plague when contact is made.
Nice. I was considering something similar with a fungus, but a photosynthesizing plant does have more energy available... Still, deserts and the oceans would be mostly habitable.

Chlorine: A portal above the arctic circle opened in 1902 and started releasing an immense outflow of chlorine gas at least as fast as it could be absorbed. In all, the outflow raised the surface prevalence of chlorine to 5 or 6 ppm on average, but local topography can concentrate it; basements are deadly without masks. Current year of 1970 sees people seeking safe highlands and filtered bunkers. The chlorine level -- and the lowest safe elevation -- is still rising.

Sagan: Several small changes, most notably high insolation and a sub-arctic-ocean earthquake, result in the release of massive quantities of subsea methane deposits: the "clathrate gun" idea. The releases started in 2006. In the present year of 2025, almost 19 years after, Earth is well on its way to the worst of the worst-case scenarios.
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Old 08-26-2016, 11:07 PM   #25
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Default Re: Lucy's Choice: Let's make Lucifer Parallels and Hells in general!

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Nice. I was considering something similar with a fungus, but a photosynthesizing plant does have more energy available... Still, deserts and the oceans would be mostly habitable.

.
... deserts are famously only marginally habitable to humans, and oceans aren't meaningfully habitable at all.
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Old 08-27-2016, 12:05 AM   #26
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Default Re: Lucy's Choice: Let's make Lucifer Parallels and Hells in general!

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... deserts are famously only marginally habitable to humans, and oceans aren't meaningfully habitable at all.
People live in deserts, but almost entirely in the few wet spots aka oases and near beaches. Or have some means to store the occasional downpours to last through the longer dry times.

Humans live great near oceans, but aside from Waterworld boat cultures, yeah, we don't live on them.
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Old 08-27-2016, 07:21 AM   #27
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Default Re: Lucy's Choice: Let's make Lucifer Parallels and Hells in general!

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Nice. I was considering something similar with a fungus, but a photosynthesizing plant does have more energy available... Still, deserts and the oceans would be mostly habitable.
Not sure about real kudzu, but a coincidental co-mutation that the NeoKudzu is also a nitrogen-fixing agent might allow a slow reclamation of deserts by the growth.

Then again, I may be misunderstanding the chemistry of nitrogen-fixing, etc.
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Old 08-27-2016, 07:33 AM   #28
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Default Re: Lucy's Choice: Let's make Lucifer Parallels!

Kudzu might still have some settlements in the far north and south cold regions with scavenger runs into the ruins, but other than high mountain areas and deep sea platforms there won't be that many big settlements. Hawaii and some islands *maybe*.

On the other hand I could see Australia being the last big 'clean' area on the planet. Flamethrower crews wearing bio-hazard suits regularly sweep the beaches to catch floating mats coming in from the ocean and maybe even an effort to sterilize the soil in nearby parts of Indonesia. It's not much. but it might be possible.

Edit: Depending of course on just how long ago the mutation happened.

Last edited by Jasonft; 08-27-2016 at 07:36 AM.
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Old 08-27-2016, 08:25 AM   #29
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Default Re: Lucy's Choice: Let's make Lucifer Parallels and Hells in general!

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Not sure about real kudzu, Then again, I may be misunderstanding the chemistry of nitrogen-fixing, etc.
Real kudzu does during a hard freeze. It does come back well of course.

I don't see much way even a mutant variety could do more than go dormant when it gets too cold.

Real kudzu doesn't even come that far south into Florida. It may not like sandy soil or something.
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Old 08-27-2016, 11:17 AM   #30
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Default Re: Lucy's Choice: Let's make Lucifer Parallels!

Steeling from a thread on terraforming, a large body the size of the moon starts orbiting earth in a close polar orbit.

The Yellowstone super-volcano decides to blow.

I love the chlorine idea. I don't know if I'd do it with a portal, but the basic idea of a world overrun with chlorine gas is awesome.

The kudzu idea is yet again 'cinematic science', but I like it. cinematic plants for the win!
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