Hello all from a long time lurker...
After watching Cloverfield, I got to wondering.
As a thought experiment, consider .........
************* spoliler warning ? *************
You have a monster rampaging through
New York, the size of a small skyscraper, with the strength to
not only move around speedily but smash through anything in its
way. And not only that, but shrug off land and air launched missles,
tank rounds, and conventional bombs without observable damage.
Now any earthly animal would die long, long, long before reaching
that size. Today's elephants are the current large land mammal,
the megafauna of the ice age, and the dinosaurs show the upper
limits of what is possible with terrestrial biology and materials.
Based on the monster's observed size and movements, can there
be any calculation as to the strength of materials neccessary
to sup****t and move such a creature? This calculation
would have to apply to bones, muscles, skin and all other bodily tissues.
A superstrong skeleton without corresponding musculature and other tissues
would just lead to a skyscraper of meat - a immobile and non-viable
creature.
The only earthly materials that I believe could even measure up would be
carbon nanotubes (the magical material de jour), but even they might not
suffice for a creature of this size and performance.
So given the above, you have a creature whose entire body from the
cellular level up is built from (forex) carbon nanotubes or an equivalent
material. Such a creature might even be able to shrug off a nuclear blast
(depending on the size of the bomb).
Any ideas or theories?
Thanks in advance...
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