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In the future can we create hybrid organisms?
- Thread starter tombodrog
- Start date
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
There are several aspects to genetic engineering. We're getting pretty good at splicing and transplanting genes. But we have a long way to go before we understand what each one of them does, especially since they often act in groups. And of course after that the big challenge will be to create new genes to do new things.
Ultimately, just as with any new discipline, some things will prove to be simply impossible.
The reason mammals can't live underwater is simply that there isn't enough oxygen there to support the mammalian metabolism. We generate, and use, an enormously greater amount of energy than a gill-breather of the same size. This is why mammals always rule when they adapt to an aquatic ecosystem. They're stronger, faster and MUCH smarter than the fish that compete with them.
For a human to live underwater, by extracting oxygen from the water, he would probably need gills the size of a tugboat. Even if he had some efficient, lightweight high-tech analog of gills, he's still limited by the amount of oxygen that is dissolved in a volume of water. There's simply no way to get more without accessing a larger volume of water, and that requires the gigantic organs to perform the access.
Scale is always a killer problem in fantasy biology. I did the math once on SciForums so perhaps I should look it up, but I calculated that if you wanted to build an ostrich (a 300 lb bird) that could fly, he would need a wingspan of somewhere in the order of 100 feet. The geometry of a breastbone big enough to anchor those muscles would be impossible. The largest flying bird is a species of bustard that weighs less than fifty pounds and flies like a Buick.
If you wanted to create a Pegasus, a 1000-pound horse that could really fly, his wingspan would probably be about 500ft. The breastbone... well...
Ultimately, just as with any new discipline, some things will prove to be simply impossible.
The reason mammals can't live underwater is simply that there isn't enough oxygen there to support the mammalian metabolism. We generate, and use, an enormously greater amount of energy than a gill-breather of the same size. This is why mammals always rule when they adapt to an aquatic ecosystem. They're stronger, faster and MUCH smarter than the fish that compete with them.
For a human to live underwater, by extracting oxygen from the water, he would probably need gills the size of a tugboat. Even if he had some efficient, lightweight high-tech analog of gills, he's still limited by the amount of oxygen that is dissolved in a volume of water. There's simply no way to get more without accessing a larger volume of water, and that requires the gigantic organs to perform the access.
Scale is always a killer problem in fantasy biology. I did the math once on SciForums so perhaps I should look it up, but I calculated that if you wanted to build an ostrich (a 300 lb bird) that could fly, he would need a wingspan of somewhere in the order of 100 feet. The geometry of a breastbone big enough to anchor those muscles would be impossible. The largest flying bird is a species of bustard that weighs less than fifty pounds and flies like a Buick.
If you wanted to create a Pegasus, a 1000-pound horse that could really fly, his wingspan would probably be about 500ft. The breastbone... well...
Pumps.For a human to live underwater, by extracting oxygen from the water, he would probably need gills the size of a tugboat. Even if he had some efficient, lightweight high-tech analog of gills, he's still limited by the amount of oxygen that is dissolved in a volume of water.
But I believe the question was about living in the water like a dolphin - that's a different situation.