The concept is a little different from a Dyson sphere or a Dyson swarm, but I remember a book called Manifold:Space by Baxter, and much before that a mention of the Dyson tree in a non-fiction book by Carl Sagan. Do you think this is a good idea to write a story about? People traveling on Dyson trees from planet to planet. Its an evocative idea... ---- Forwarded Post --------- The Dyson Tree If you’re a fan of science-fiction (or Star Trek), you might have heard the term ‘Dyson Sphere’ before. Therorized by 20th century physicist Freeman Dyson in the 1950s, a Dyson Sphere is a colossal spherical structure constructed around a star, completely surrounding it. The interior of the sphere would absorb the entire energy output of that star, allowing lifeforms to live on the interior surface almost indefinitely. A Dyson tree is a hypothetical genetically-engineered plant, (perhaps resembling a tree) capable of growing in a comet, suggested by the physicist Freeman Dyson. Plants could produce a breathable atmosphere within hollow spaces in the comet (or even within the plants themselves), utilising solar energy for photosynthesis and cometary materials for nutrients, thus providing self-sustaining habitats for humanity in the outer solar system analogous to a greenhouse in space or a shell grown by a mollusc. A Dyson tree might consist of a few main trunk structures growing out from a comet nucleus, branching into limbs and foliage that intertwine, forming a spherical structure possibly dozens of kilometers across. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sources: wikipedia, Inhabit, scienceblogs, Further reading: scienceblogs/authority/2009/03/27/co2-freeman-dyson-magic-trees Mention in entry: itsf.org/resources/factsheet.php?fsID=98 Pic on the right courtesy picc.it, pic on left courtesy sentientdevelopments. h/t to Yuriy Fazylov for putting me on this path. #dyson #tree #space #dysonswarm
Posted on: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 16:03:02 +0000
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