[extropy-chat] Dragons

[Dirk Bruere]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Adrian Tymes" <wingcat at pacbell.net>
To: "ExI chat list" <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2003 9:11 PM
Subject: [extropy-chat] Dragons


> --- "Robert J. Bradbury" <bradbury at aeiveos.com> wrote:
> > On the other hand one of the reasons I went back and
> > learned all about
> > molecular biology was because I wanted a pet dragon
> > (derived in part
> > from my thinking dragons were cool from reading the
> > Dragonriders of
> > Pern series in my youth).  Once I learned enough
> > about molecular
> > biology I was convinced they were feasible (don't
> > know about flying
> > but there were some very big reptiles that flew) I
> > started biotech
> > companies doing aging research because I knew it was
> > going to be
> > a few decades until the technology developed
> > sufficiently to do
> > whole genome design (and I wanted to still be alive
> > to take
> > advantage of using it to design my dragon).
> >
> > The other reason to have a pet dragon is because if
> > I walk it
> > around Greenlake its going to be a babe magnet big
> > time. :-)
>
> It would definitely be an artistic statement along the
> lines of the glofish, but perhaps better received
> given its existing wide precedent in fantasy.  So I
> wonder...what all, exactly, would be necessary to
> genetically engineer a fire-breathing, flying reptile?
>
> I recall a description someone once worked up, of how
> a dragon could have enzymes that digest certain rocks
> (mainly limestone) to produce hydrogen gas, that was
> stored in an internal bladder, allowing blimp-style
> flight (with wings for horizontal propulsion).  This
> gas could then be forcefully expelled by contracting
> the bladder, either heating up a lot or going past
> some kind of spark generator right at the edge of the
> mouth (don't want to burn the tongue or gums).  The
> description did not mention it, but if the bladder
> could contract without expelling the gas, the dragon
> could change its volume without changing its mass,
> thus controlling the amount of lift its store of
> hydrogen gave - and, most importantly, allowing the
> dragon to land and take off without having to
> sacrifice and regenerate hydrogen (which might limit
> landing zones to spots with available limestone).
>
> (The author then went on to speculate that in theory,
> upon a dragon's death, the enzyme would eventually
> dissolve the bones, leaving only soft tissues which
> disentigrate normally.  The only "fossils" they would
> leave behind would be pockets of natural gas and
> perhaps a bit of oil.  But that is of little
> importance to creating a new species.)
>
> One could possibly start from an already existing
> winged reptile.  Or perhaps take nature's cue for
> optimized flight, and go for a feathered dragon: a
> bird.  That way, most of the design needed for flight
> is already done; we'd just need to add in the enzyme,
> the bladder, and the heater/sparker.  Now, knowing
> enough genetics to add in specific organs (rather than
> an overall effect, as for the glofish) would be a
> challenge...

Well, here's a 'mythological creature' project that could probably be
undertaken now, and if successful would be worth a fortune.
Creating a Unicorn.

Dirk

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