[extropy-chat] Singularity Drugs

[John K Clark]

"spike" <spike66 at comcast.net> Wrote:

> If we are talking about this particular planet, we can prove
> that natural  supersonic flight never existed (until 1947
>when evolution produced Chuck Yeager's plane.)

I would bet my life that you are correct, but I can't *prove* you're
correct, I can't prove some paleontologist won't dig up a fossilized
supersonic bird tomorrow.

> The proof would go thus: evolution produced jet propulsion in
> some sea  creatures (defined loosely, in squids) but not in land beasts.

For that matter, why didn't evolution ever produce a supersonic fish?

> Supersonic flight cannot be achieved by flapping wings

Probably not, but I'm not certain.

> or with screw propellers.

The Russian screw propeller TU-95 "Bear" bomber could reach Mach .82
(575 mph) in level flight, and that was more than 50 years ago. I imagine if
somebody could think of a really good reason for doing so a supersonic prop
airplane could be built. Incidentally the tips of the TU-95's propellers did
exceed the speed of sound making the TU-95 the loudest airplane ever made by
Human Beings, the flight crews absolutely hated it, as did anyone within
10 miles of the beast .

And that's another thing, if evolution wanted a big bird, a REALLY big bird,
it would need to invent a fixed wing and a screw propeller, but it just
never could manage it.

  John K Clark