What should Giants really look like?

[jgbrowning]

This Sunday at dinner we attempted to calculate the amount of energy required to spontaneously create a human being. I think it was something like 9 x 10^18 joules. Fireballs are easy in comparison.

5 minutes and 9 months of waiting?

joe b.

 

[kenobi65]

5 minutes and 9 months of waiting?

And, usually, a bottle of wine.

 

[Mycanid]

Hmm ... big, huge humans?

I dunno about correct biology and physics and stuff, but hey, it IS fantasy after all.

 

[William Ronald]

Well, to borrow a page from the Dragonriders of Pern, perhaps giants and some other large creatures have elements other than calcium as part of their bone content. For example, I recall that the dragons of Pern have boron as part of their skeletal structure. Possibly, giants might have boron or another element as part of their bone structure --- explaining why half-giants might require some magic to create.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

Well, to borrow a page from the Dragonriders of Pern, perhaps giants and some other large creatures have elements other than calcium as part of their bone content. For example, I recall that the dragons of Pern have boron as part of their skeletal structure. Possibly, giants might have boron or another element as part of their bone structure --- explaining why half-giants might require some magic to create.

Exactly, all the assumptions are based on a biology essentially identical to our own using identical materials. Once the materials start changing so do the engineering assumptions. For example giant insects, if they have the same biological construction as OUR insects implausible, but if their exoskeleton has more in common with an aramid like kevlar or a carbon-fiber like substance that's one less obstacle.

Basically I just assume the tags on conventionally implausible fantasy races aren't actually scientific descriptions just common names. Yes they call them giant insects because that's what they most resemble. But if a scientist disected one he'd put them in some totally new order because of new and strange design features.

 

[Nyeshet]

Some interesting links . . .

http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/hulk.html

http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/kong.html

. . . from this interesting site:

http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/