habitat
The natural home and environment for all things sci fi, including future homes and territories.
Atmosphere of Earth
Imagine you are an otherworldly explorer. As part of your survey of the Milky Way, you have come across an interesting stellar system with nine major planets. You have gotten permission from your superiors to investigate the lively third planet. The planet is called “Earth” in one of the many languages used there. In your last report you discussed the development of the planet as part of the entire system. Now you are going to begin a more detailed examination of Earth itself. The most logical place to start is the atmosphere, the envelope of gasses and vapors that gives this planet so much of its character. Since it is always best to begin at the beginning, you review your findings concerning the early history of the atmosphere.
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in FuturismOrigin of the Moon
Beautiful, vast, mysterious, and unexplored. From the planets in our own solar system to those in the other 500 solar systems, there are endless possibilities to what is beyond our terrestrial existence.
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in FuturismGypsy Moth Invasion
The caterpillars were everywhere—in the pool, on the side of the house, in the eaves, in your hair. Where there were large infestations, you could hear them at night. Their droppings, or frass, sounded like a light rain. Perfectly sane people went about protected beneath umbrellas on sunny days.
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in FuturismImpact Craters of North America
The time: June 30, 1908. The place: central Siberia, Imperial Russia. A giant meteorite, blindingly incandescent, streaked across the sky and smashed to Earth near the Tunguska River, devastating a roughly circular region nearly 150 kilometers in diameter. Forests were flattened and several herds of reindeer killed. The earth was pitted by cone-shaped craters up to 50 meters across. Ground vibrations from the impact shattered windows scores of kilometers away. Heat seared the bark from trees, and smoke billowed many kilometers into the atmosphere. Shock waves from the blast were "heard" around the world by delicate microbarographs, instruments that measure pulsations in atmospheric pressure set up by very long sound waves.
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in FuturismFire Fighting Ice
On a cold Christmas Day a long time ago, a five-alarm fire at 2724 Heath Avenue, in the Bronx, New York City, raged out of control for more than five hours before firefighters were able to subdue the flames. Firemen arriving at the scene found hydrants locked solidly with ice and were forced to use 750-gallon pumpers. While the firemen attempted to unfreeze pumper spigots with acetylene torches, flames raced through the cockloft of the six-story white-brick building and spilled from the windows on the upper floor. Firefighters battled the flames from fire escapes on the face of the building, but intense heat drove them off the ice-coated metal stairways. From the street below, Fire Commissioner Charles Hynes watched as the icy spray from water cannons pelted the street with golf-ball-size hail. "These were the most difficult circumstances under which we had to operate," he said, referring to the arctic weather and the immense volume of water needed to extinguish the blaze. "If it had been summer, it would have been a one-alarm, easy," said a department spokesman.
Izzy ErlichPublished 8 years ago in FuturismAtlantis Theories
Originally Atlantis was the the name of an alleged lost continent that sank into the Atlantic Ocean around 9000 B.C. This version, which is the origin of all Atlantis lore and theories, cannot possibly be true, but that doesn't really matter, because if Atlantis isn't an underwater continent, maybe it's an island or even a lost city on dry land. Atlantis has been identified by various seekers in Spain, Sweden, North Africa, Russia, Mexico, Sri Lanka, and California, among other places.
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in FuturismWhat is a Meteor Shower?
Thousands of people observe the night sky throughout the year, either as a hobby or for scientific purposes. Meteor showers hold a unique benefit over other types of stargazing—you don't need a telescope. You won't even need binoculars. All you will need is an alarm clock to wake you up at the right time, and a sleeping bag if you plan to camp out. However, simply stepping out into your back yard is enough for most to observe a meteor shower. But exactly what is a meteor shower? What are these natural occurrences that we call "shooting stars" and go out of our way to place wishes on? Learning what you're seeing will make your next stargazing session that much more interesting.
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in FuturismIs Life on Mars Possible?
Is it any coincidence that The Martian came to the big screen the same week that NASA discovered water on Mars? Many people believe that this it's too suspicious to be a coincidence. The Martian, released on October 2, 2015, depicts Matt Damon as astronaut ark Watney, who is suspected to be dead after a dangerous storm hits Mars. After being left behind by his crew mates, it is discovered that he had in fact, survived the storm. Left to survive the desolate environment and somehow send a message to Earth that he has survived, Watney faces the challenge of staying alive on an uninhabitable planet. The discovery of water on Mars seems like it could have been created as a publicity stunt to promote the movie. However, the discovery has caused scientists to relish the possibilities of what life on that planet would be like, and to ask "is life on Mars possible?"
Futurism StaffPublished 8 years ago in FuturismTucson's Biosphere 2 Lessons
The human brain has spawned a parallel universe of imagined lifeforms, landmarks, and civilizations. Though usually conceived of as fiction, this parallel universe often leaks into various Earth systems. Robot explorers, genetically engineered animals, artificial intelligence, international space stations—these are, before anything else, the products of our imagination. They are what happens when an organism is capable of asking itself: What does the future look like? The Biosphere 2 in Tucson, Arizona is a totemic example of how such fantasies can carry over into reality.
Megan May DaalderPublished 8 years ago in FuturismInfinite Mystery of Light
The following article was originally published on The Free Advice Man's website here. Our Magnificent Star, The Sun, emits Photons that reach our fragile little planet Earth after traveling in the relative vacuum of outer-space for a time duration of roughly Eight Minutes, and at a Speed that is considered to be the Relative Speed Limit of The Universe, The Speed of Light, which is approximately 11,176,943.8 miles per minute! Which is 670,616,629 miles per hour, or 5.87849981 × 1012 miles per year! The nearest Star to our Star is actually a Binary Star System (two Stars orbiting one-another) that is located 4.37 Light-years distance from our Sun! A Light-year distance is 5.87849981 × 1012 miles! Anyway; guess what! All the plant food and animal proteins you and I and all fauna and flora consume on this planet are packages of energy, or more precisely photons emitted by the Sun transferred electromagnetic radiation energy from the Sun to plants and animals on Earth, (with a fraction of energy from other sources) and so we are essentially energized by our Star The Sun's photons! The Light that allows us to see one-another is also the Light that allows us to be one-another! We are Enlightened by Light!
Jean-Pierre FenyoPublished 8 years ago in FuturismEconomics Vs Environmental Crisis
From our wildlife being taken over to our greenhouse gases being at an all-time high, environmental crisis is forcing us to ask what, how, and why. Throughout history, there have been recurring battles between man and nature in every century, from nature versus big corporations to growth versus quality of life. In each battle, each opposing side struggles to regain control of the situation at hand. But what they really should be addressing is: When have we gone too far?
Kenneth BrowerPublished 8 years ago in FuturismDarwin’s Archipelago
In 1966, I spent four months in the Galápagos Islands, gathering materials for a picture book on that archipelago. My Galápagos, the Galápagos of 1966, had been discovered by science but not by Lindblad. Charles Darwin had come 131 years before, but tour boats were not yet calling; there were no hotels, and the Ecuadorian government had yet to establish the Galápagos National Park. The islands were best known among the citizens of the mainland for their old penal settlements. The Encantadas—the enchanted isles, as the Spanish had first called them—for a time had been devil's islands of the Pacific.
Kenneth BrowerPublished 8 years ago in Futurism