11–20 of 53 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
https://what-if.xkcd.com/73/
Direct dosage isn’t the only possibility though. Could be used to start a nuclear chain reaction, for example. We could also find a novel way to unlock the amount of energy required for direct lethal dosage, analogous to how we figured out how to split atoms
[Insert mandatory Three Body Problem reference here]
> they have observed and generated in the laboratory [Insert mandatory Three Body Problem reference here]
There may be more practical alternatives of course…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
https://what-if.xkcd.com/73/
Direct dosage isn’t the only possibility though. Could be used to start a nuclear chain reaction, for example. We could also find a novel way to unlock the amount of energy required for direct lethal dosage, analogous to how we figured out how to split atoms
Neutrino bomb incoming? Where can I read about proposed weapons using neutrinos?
https://what-if.xkcd.com/73/
[...]The physicist who mentioned this problem to me told me his rule of thumb for estimating supernova-related numbers: However big you think supernovae are, they're bigger than that.
Here's a question to give you a sense of scale:
Which of the following would be brighter, in terms of the amount of energy delivered to your retina:
1. A supernova, seen from as far away as the Sun is from the Earth, or
2. The detonation of a hydrogen bomb pressed against your eyeball?
If we can both generate and detect neutrinos, we have the basis for a communication device that can operate on a point-to-point basis between any two locations. If Europe wants to send a secret message to Australia, it can point its transmitter towards the ground, and fire the beam through the interior of the Earth. It is very unlikely that there will be anybody in between to intercept the signal. There may be more p…
If we can both generate and detect neutrinos, we have the basis for a communication device that can operate on a point-to-point basis between any two locations. If Europe wants to send a secret message to Australia, it can point its transmitter towards the ground, and fire the beam through the interior of the Earth. It is very unlikely that there will be anybody in between to intercept the signal. There may be more p…
If anyone does it, it will be financial firms putting them under stock exchanges to get milliseconds of advantage over anyone following the curvature of the earth.
If we can both generate and detect neutrinos, we have the basis for a communication device that can operate on a point-to-point basis between any two locations. If Europe wants to send a secret message to Australia, it can point its transmitter towards the ground, and fire the beam through the interior of the Earth. It is very unlikely that there will be anybody in between to intercept the signal. There may be more p…