The green man is a fake

Pedro Pereira · 17 Jan 2011, 00:46 · from 2011-January.txt.gz

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From: domus_artemis at hotmail.com (Pedro Pereira)
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2011 02:46:27 +0200
Subject: (urth) The green man is a fake
In-Reply-To: <427784.4810.qm at web114705.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
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Message-ID: <COL105-W39D5D93E70489020FFF2B385F40 at phx.gbl>



 

> Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2011 16:31:14 -0800
> From: jerry_friedman at yahoo.com
> To: urth at lists.urth.net
> Subject: Re: (urth) The green man is a fake
> 
> > - Who says more intense radiation can't lead to different photosynthetic 
> >strategies (heck, even our plants have 3 types)
> 
> It would have to be many times more intense. Mirrors in space? Another white 
> hole or two?
> 
> > - Who says photosynthesis is the only path to autotrophy
> 
> What else is there? He doesn't seem adapted to use wind power. Getting one's 
> internal
> algae to parasitize plants through what looks (and probably feels) like human 
> skin would
> be a really, really good trick.

 
Truth be told, there are other things: chemosynthesis, which many bacteria and archaea use. However it doesn't solve the problem in any way, so you're right anyway.
 

> > - Who says the green man isn't engineered to be more efficient in his storage 
> >of energy
> > - Who says the green man isn't engineered to be more efficient in his usage of 
> >energy
> 
> There's not enough at 100% efficiency, as Jeff said.
> 
> However, I'm imagining a world with many fusion plants powering LEDs that shine 
> on
> green people as they sleep. Including shining on them from below through 
> transparent
> water or air mattresses.
> 
> However however, I suspect Wolfe just committed the Sin Against Niven and didn't
> think it through.
> 
> > (Interestingly, one corollary of your idea is that a moving, talking plant is 
> >an evolutionary impossibility.)
> 
> If by "plant" you mean "something that gets most of its energy from 
> photosynthesis on Earth
> as it is now", it would have to move a lot less than us.

 
I agree fully. 
 
Pedro 		 	   		  
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