gravityeyelids: (Default)
[personal profile] gravityeyelids
via http://ift.tt/2druaKj:
dragonessofthelights:

thatweirdscienceguy:

crowmxster:

highladystarfall:

thatweirdscienceguy:

runningeleven:

Science side of Tumblr: how can dragons breathe fire?

There are three variants of dragons.
One of them possesses  a gland that produces a liquid, which spontaneously combusts when coming into contact with oxygen. Some phosphorus compounds could do that for example.
The second one possesses two glands instead, which produce so-called hypergolic propellants, fluids that ignite when they come into contact with one another.
The third kind stores the methane bacteria in their stomach produce, and expells it when breathing fire. In their mouth there’s a piezoelectric crystal, which is a substance that produces a spark when placed under mechanical stress and could thus serve to ignite the methane gas.
Or it’s magic.

It’s definitely the fourth one.

@thatweirdscienceguy 
Alright, but what about D&D dragons like the acid spewing kind or the thunderbolt kind. I like your explanationskills, please enlighten me.,

Acid (Black): Pretty much an overpowered version of acid reflux, possibly with a gas as propellant. Essentially proton pumps in the stomach lining cause Hydrogen ions to be added to the liquid inside the stomach. Thus the contents become acidic. Through reverse peristalsis, they are then transported into the mouth, where highly compressed methane, produced by the dragon’s metabolism, is released to propel the acid into the enemy’s direction.
Lightning (Blue): The dragon is capable of bioelectrogenesis. Specialized proteins pump certain ions into or out of the cells to create an electrostatic gradient. Through continuous stimulus conduction, this electric potential accumulates in the mouth. The dragon then spits a conductive liquid at the target, along which the current travels to its intended victim. Since the liquid evaporates nearly instantly during this process, it is not visible to the naked eye.

Acid Gas (Green) : Just like Acid. However this dragon’s stomach contents are under higher pressure, which keeps the acid in a liquid state, even though its boiling point is significantly lower than that of the acid of a dragon with acid breath.
Thus, as soon as the acid is expelled, it expands in volume, boiling and thus transforming into a gaseous state.

Cold (White): These dragons possess organs containing extremely compressed gases, that have thus been turned to liquid, or even solid state. When they are expelled, they immediately expand, and thus cool.

Sleep (Brass): These dragons possess an organ filled with a liquid under pressure, that contains sleep hormines including melatonin. As they are expelled, they expand and thus evaporate. Creatures breathing in these vapours quickly fall victim to the hormones triggering the sleep reaction.

Repulsion (Bronze): This dragon, unlike one with Sleep breath, uses various fear hormones with complicated names, causing their opponents to fall into a panic and run away.

Slow (Copper): These dragons’ breath weapon works similarily to Sleep and Repulsion Breath, but instead contains enzymes that inhibit the calcium receptors in the targets muscles, making it harder to use them and thus more difficult to run away.
Weaken (Gold): Just like Sleep, Repulsion and Slow, Weakening Breath works by using a hormone. This one prevents Adenosine Triphosphate to be split, thus denying the body of its main source of energy and hindering most bodily processes, weakening the target.

Paralysis (Silver): This one works through - who’d have guessed it - an enzyme blocking the Na/Ca cotransporter in the axons of the nervous system. Thus the electrochemical potential used to transmit signal breaks down, preventing the target from using their muscles.

Aren’t hormones cool?

You are so damn cool.

Profile

gravityeyelids: (Default)
Rachel

April 2019

S M T W T F S
  1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930    

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Mar. 31st, 2026 12:14 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios