tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593390371951368920.post2461533801603372632..comments2023-12-08T21:46:19.347-05:00Comments on Colony Worlds: Is Terraforming Mars A Bad Idea?Darnell Claytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10892014932718500845noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593390371951368920.post-72129325120786215492008-04-06T23:21:00.000-04:002008-04-06T23:21:00.000-04:00@ Freederick: First off, thanks for commenting!As ...<B>@ Freederick:</B> First off, thanks for commenting!<BR/><BR/>As far as the few species that rely on magnetic fields, many of them are critical, such as bees and certain insects that plants need in order to breed (and in some cases survive).<BR/><BR/>Genetic engineering may have its benefits, but it can only go so far. A magnetic field will be critical if we are to terraform the red planet, assuming such a feat is even possible (or worth doing so financially).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593390371951368920.post-74133583841506938852008-04-04T18:47:00.000-04:002008-04-04T18:47:00.000-04:00The hurricane hobgoblin you are raising is Hollywo...The hurricane hobgoblin you are raising is Hollywood science. Martian winds are so fast precisely because the air is so thin--there is little viscosity to slow them down. In a denser atmosphere, the dynamics of the air masses will change. Supposing that the wind speed will stay the same after all other atmospheric parameters--density, composition, condensation, insolation--have changed, is naive.<BR/><BR/>As for magnetic sense--are you proposing that we abandon Mars <I>because pigeons would feel lost there</I>? Few species rely on magnetic navigation, and even fewer rely on it exclusively. Mars is not likely to have a full complement of Earth species to begin with. We can do without pigeons, but if you insist on having them: plants will have to be specially bred or genetically engineeered anyway to take on Mars, so there's litle additional trouble with breeding a non-magnetic-sense-reliant pigeon or beetle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593390371951368920.post-33214252730585337012007-05-23T20:45:00.000-04:002007-05-23T20:45:00.000-04:00Humanities understanding of weather (especially gl...<I>Humanities understanding of weather (especially global warming) is still in its infancy, and if we are not careful, our attempts at turning a world into an oasis may end up turning the world against ourselves.</I><BR/><BR/>This is why we should terraform Mars. Because practice makes perfect and it's wise to have a knowledge base for taking care of our own world.Brian Dunbarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12952894032434503816noreply@blogger.com