The Clitorides are open for voting. [ Dismiss ]
Home » Forum » Author Hangout

Forum: Author Hangout

There's a LOT of weird 'cutting-edge' science in the news lately

Vincent Berg 🚫
Updated:

Since I tend to write hard-science science-fiction stories, I always peruse the science sections of various magazine, and there has been a glut of fascinating material for sci-fi authors to comb through.

Granted, it's not the type of thing most readers will care about, but if you're like me, and like basing your fiction on actual physics properties, rather than on pure fantasy, you might want to pay attention.

Most of it is still purely hypothetical, like how atoms and molecules change shape and structure inside nutrinos, but they could help explain many of the long-standing assumptions in Science Fiction which have never been well-explained or documented.

I'm already planning to incorporate many of these elements in my newest story to detail how my alien spaceships develop the 'shielded' hulls, power their 'space expanding' FTL engines, and other details that—if kept both brief and simply—readers eat up. The key is, the details have to sound authentic, and it helps if, reading about it in your story, they can then go online and look up the detail to authenticate your wild-assed claims. 'D

For anyone interested, good luck hunting.

By the way, if any authors are interested and may have missed most of the stories, send me a note and I'll email you the details and sources.

Replies:   BlacKnight
BlacKnight 🚫

@Vincent Berg

like how atoms and molecules change shape and structure inside nutrinos,

I'm pretty sure you've failed to understand whatever it is you're reading, because this phrase is nonsense.

It's "neutrinos", to start with. "Nutrino" is a health-food outfit that I doubt has any effect on fundamental physical properties of matter.

And neutrinos are much smaller than even electrons, which are themselves tiny in comparison to the protons and neutrons of the atomic nucleus. Atoms don't go inside neutrinos; it's the other way around.

Do you mean "neutron stars"? That would make sense, but is something very different.

tendertouch 🚫

@BlacKnight

My guess is he needed something to separate "how atoms and molecules change shape" from "structure inside neutrinos" - maybe "...like how atoms and molecules change shape, and new information about the structure of neutrinos" but even that isn't very good.

Or he's completely out to lunch which I don't think is the case.

Replies:   Ross at Play
Ross at Play 🚫

@tendertouch

Ross will Play too if today's sport is Let's All Crap on Crumbly.

I made the same guess as you after parsing the sentence about three times. But it still didn't make sense to me. BlacKnight's guess of neutron stars looked more plausible to me when I read it.

Vincent Berg 🚫

@BlacKnight

Do you mean "neutron stars"? That would make sense, but is something very different.

Yes. That's precisely what I meant. Once again, I write such LONG responses, I rarely invest the time and effort to review and edit EVERYTHING I type (and no editor in his right mind would even consider editing Forum posts for someone else).

My bad, I was in a hurry to report the information before I forgot what I was doing. Still, it doesn't change the the point I was making, or make the 'model-based' results any more authoritative. It simply opens additional options for science fiction authors to justify including common assumptions in fiction (ALL the movies, TV shows and books do the exact same thing in how they treat their 'assumptions' as some unknown magic), so no one would be wrong in ignoring my suggestion entirely.

I simply found the option to include the cutting-edge information in a story intriguing. But again, that's just me.

My guess is he needed something to separate "how atoms and molecules change shape" from "structure inside neutrinos" - maybe "...like how atoms and molecules change shape, and new information about the structure of neutrinos" but even that isn't very good.

More likely, I never bothered to consult the references when I typed the initial message, simply going by what I recalled offhand without investing the time to open my saved files.

The fault is entirely mine! Again, given how the information is only relevant to, at most, a couple of SOL authors, I didn't think such a limited audience was worth the time checking the details. That's no excuse, but ... it's what happened.

Remus2 🚫
Updated:

Most of it is still purely hypothetical, like how atoms and molecules change shape and structure inside nutrinos, but they could help explain many of the long-standing assumptions in Science Fiction which have never been well-explained or documented.

I'm not one for pinging people on spelling, so I'll leave that one alone.

However, you've just displayed a fundamental ignorance of a subject in that paragraph. In order of size (largest down) for the mentioned items;

1. Molecule

2. Atom

3. Neutrino

If you're trying to say the inside of neutrinos can be changed by molecules or atoms, you might want to explain that.

Please explain how the larger items can be inside the smaller items?

Then there is the description of 'neutrinos'. You do realize there is more than one flavor of neutrino do you not? To be specific, there are three known out of twelve suspected flavors.

If you're going to make condescending post like this, it might be a real good idea to understand what you're saying before doing so.

Darian Wolfe 🚫

@Remus2

Please explain how the larger items can be inside the smaller items?

Tardis 'nuff said

Replies:   StarFleetCarl
StarFleetCarl 🚫

@Darian Wolfe

Please explain how the larger items can be inside the smaller items?

Tardis 'nuff said

Anyone ever watched a baby come out? How did that bowling ball come out through that hole that was so tight when I put something I'm rather attached to into it?

Replies:   Remus2
Remus2 🚫

@StarFleetCarl

Anyone ever watched a baby come out? How did that bowling ball come out through that hole that was so tight when I put something I'm rather attached to into it?

It gives a whole other perspective on the term elasticity.

Replies:   karactr
karactr 🚫

@Remus2

And why did Mrs. Incredible worry about her stretch marks?

Vincent Berg 🚫
Updated:

@Remus2

If you're trying to say the inside of neutrinos can be changed by molecules or atoms, you might want to explain that.

No, I was simply 'winging it' by quoting terms without checking the definitions first. What I meant, is that, based purely on mathematical models, they've determined that the likely strongest element in the universe are the nutrinos (the only thing left once a protein and electrons are crushed beyond all recognition), densely packed inside collapsed stars, but which are not yet full black holes.

According to their model, the strength and structure of those neutrinos (which are now considered to be more the size of a basketball, when compacted with others, than individual neutrinos). But you're absolutely right, that's no way near what I described in my haste.

So, it's not that neutrinos exist within either molecules or atoms, but that when compressed in mass under extreme pressure, they produce harder and harder substances, the further you get into the collapsed star.

That's not something that anyone will ever be able to confirm with actual observations, but if we assume that an alien civilization based their advanced technology on similar models, the model provides a reasonable explanation for what most sci-fi stories base their plots on but never provide any justification for.

Again, that won't impact most authors, who simply won't CARE. But for the one or two who might, it's worth noting.

Again, it was a badly worded explanation of a situation that few SOL authors give a shit about. That said, the information is available for anyone interested. I found it intriguing, but few approach stories the way that I do.

P.S. I'm now thinking I should do what I typically do whenever something I post gets no response, and delete the entire topic, but since so many have responded, I'm now only able to hide my lack of follow-through.

Once again, the impulse to include the information wasn't based on a vital need by anyone, simply a desire to mention in case anyone cares.

But, like the other threads, I'll sit down and shut the hell up, before I embarrass myself further.

Back to Top

Close
 

WARNING! ADULT CONTENT...

Storiesonline is for adult entertainment only. By accessing this site you declare that you are of legal age and that you agree with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.