tkdguy Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 I often look at the Transhuman Space forum on the GURPS boards to look for ideas I can use in my Star HERO campaing. I saw these links posted. harmful lunar dust genetically altered mosquitos What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Re: Harmful lunar dust and genetically altered mosquitos? The dust idea (lung hazard via microparticles that are suppressed in an atmosphere) makes a lot of sense. The analogy to silicosis seems very good. It's really only going to matter in places where you're living in a dome on a vacuum world, and there's a fair amount of traffic out into the vacuum of the surface. A regular full-capacity base would have mechanisms in its air locks to take care of this; it could be as simple as a wet shower after coming up to pressure but before opening the suit, or as invisibly high-tech as some sort of electrostatic mumbo-jumbo still in vacuum that got all the particles off the suit and into particle-catchers before pressurization. Small ships, landing craft, etc., might do without such things simply because one exposure isn't lethal and the antiparticle measures are bulky and expensive. Genetically manipulating disease vectors as a way to influence the disease ... interesting idea, though I fear the reservations mentioned in the article are probably correct. The malaria plasmodium is stunningly variable and adaptive, and has a potent ability to evolve against our prevention measures, so this idea could be another nice concept that's impossible (the "belling the cat" problem). After all, if we can't come up with an effective vaccination against malaria in humans, why should we think we could make an effective means to prevent malaria in mosquitos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmadanNaBriona Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Re: Harmful lunar dust and genetically altered mosquitos? Though only briefly mentioned in the moondust article, the idea of microwaving the lunar surface to create dust free "glass" areas is pretty neat. Good fodder for a few more hard sci-fi bits here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Re: Harmful lunar dust and genetically altered mosquitos? Though only briefly mentioned in the moondust article' date=' the idea of microwaving the lunar surface to create dust free "glass" areas is pretty neat.[/quote'] http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/09nov_lawnmower.htm http://space.newscientist.com/channel/human-spaceflight/dn8320 http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/22apr_dontinhale.htm http://www.moondaily.com/reports/Lunar_Dust_Buster.html http://www.space.com/adastra/adastra_moondust_060223.html http://www.wired.com/news/space/0,2697,67110,00.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister E Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Re: Harmful lunar dust and genetically altered mosquitos? "If you took a healthy pair of adult lungs and smeared them out, they would cover a football field," Professor Taylor told BBC News. If I haven't heard it before, it's news to me! Previous in vitro experiments with rodents found little effect from the inhalation of samples of lunar soil of average grain size. But Larry Taylor says that new experiments need to concentrate on the effects of breathing in the fine dust particles. What's the deal? I want to breath lunar soil. Lab rats and space monkeys get to have all the fun. In addition, when some fine dust particles are examined under the microscope, they can be seen to be filled with holes - like Swiss cheese. ... ah... Swiss cheese, huh? Hm... what a random analogy... I guess that's why they gave it to the rats. "I discovered that if you put lunar soil in your microwave oven, next to your tea, it will melt at 1,200C before your tea boils - which is a magical thing," he said. Whoa there, Professor Science... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Re: Harmful lunar dust and genetically altered mosquitos? What's the deal? I want to breath lunar soil. Lab rats and space monkeys get to have all the fun. Well, according to the astronauts, it smells like spent gun-powder. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/30jan_smellofmoondust.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister E Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Re: Harmful lunar dust and genetically altered mosquitos? Well, according to the astronauts, it smells like spent gun-powder. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/30jan_smellofmoondust.htm My gamers are going to flip when I spring that on them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted March 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Re: Harmful lunar dust and genetically altered mosquitos? Interesting links, Nyrath! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrath Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Re: Harmful lunar dust and genetically altered mosquitos? Interesting links' date=' Nyrath![/quote'] Thanks, though you will note that most of them are from 2005. The link that started this thread was about old news. I ran across them back in the days when I was slaving away at doing a space science blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted March 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Re: Harmful lunar dust and genetically altered mosquitos? That just goes to show you how out of touch I am nowadays! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted March 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Re: Harmful lunar dust and genetically altered mosquitos? Sheesh! Now Martian dust may be dangerous too? It's a conspiracy, I tell ya! Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeropoint Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Re: Harmful lunar dust and genetically altered mosquitos? I do NOT need genetically enhanced super mosquitos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmadanNaBriona Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Re: Harmful lunar dust and genetically altered mosquitos? I do NOT need genetically enhanced super mosquitos! But they glow in the dark. It's an early warning system. "What's that eerie green glow spreading towards us? Auggghhhhhhhh....RUN... the Transgenic mosquitos are coming!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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