Tag: atmosphere
For a Technological Civilization, We Must Have Metals
It is very doubtful that any beings in the universe could develop a civilization remotely comparable with our own without the use of metals.
For Fire, Our Planet Is Just the Right Size
Self-evidently, the gravity on the surface of a planet limits the maximum size of large terrestrial organisms.
Why Do We Not Spontaneously Combust?
James Lovelock has pointed out that atmospheric levels of oxygen much above about 25 percent, let alone 30 percent, would cause raging conflagrations today.
By Design, Earth Is a Planet Fit for Fire
As we have seen so far in this series, fire was an absolutely crucial component in humanity’s rise to civilization and technology.
Is Space Travel Our Destiny?
I was motivated to do this study after two papers were published in 2018 on the difficulty of launching rockets from super-earths.