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Ok, the concept that I seek to rationalize is how a completely aquatic species could become industrialized. This is critical for a sci-fi I am considering. I already understand nutrient cycling, ice chunks that carry nutrients are cycled to the ocean below, but finding a rational way to give them cities and spaceships are proving problematic. If anyone can help me brainstorm, please do so.
P.S: I am just looking for ideas, not someone to write for me.
This biggest problem I see is that an aquatic species would not be able to create fire. Without fire there are no metals. Without metals there is no industrialization or civilization.
I think the problem is that it will be difficult to maintain combustion under water since that's the basis for a lot of our industrialized civilization on Earth. It seems that ocean structures may have to be partially or wholly biological. Or maybe the beings could build their space ships on the some small existing area of dry land and then take them under water?
I think the problem is that it will be difficult to maintain combustion under water since that's the basis for a lot of our industrialized civilization on Earth. It seems that ocean structures may have to be partially or wholly biological. Or maybe the beings could build their space ships on the some small existing area of dry land and then take them under water?
That might work, but you have to remember the planet is a water giant with a rocky core. Something I thought of was hydrothermal vents heating up metals so they can be tempered. I also thought of them trading with another advanced race for metals. If I can't get a sea civilization to work on a water giant, I'll make the planet smaller and try what your suggesting. Anyway, would hydrothermal be able to do anything in regards to building?
Or you could create a backstory that has the beings' ancestors come from a planet similar to Earth but who colonize the water world and adapt their dry land technology to work underwater. A second option could be that the beings are native to the water world, which eons ago used to have a lot of dry land. And way back then, the planet's ozone layer was depleting so their solution was to raise the planet's temperature and melt the polar ice caps, thus terra-forming the planet into a water world so that the water could protect them from their star's UV rays. I didn't know I had that kind of imagination!
This biggest problem I see is that an aquatic species would not be able to create fire. Without fire there are no metals. Without metals there is no industrialization or civilization.
Things like magnesium and lithium don't always follow the typical "laws" as far as flammable materials go. I would think along those lines to deal with the fire "problem".
Thanks, I think I will use magnesium! All of your suggestions have helped. I have my very first story I ever have tried to sail in the mail to Analog Science Fiction & Fact. I am taking sequels in the epic further into the future, and I wanted for some of the more technical points to be somewhat believable by the disproportionately large number of space scientist that subscribe.
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