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A whale necropolis has been found

nature.com

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Re: A whale necropolis has been found

#12

Post by nine_k »

> the fossil record in this area comprises both extant and extinct deep-diving beaked whales. Isotopic dating shows that whale falls in this region have occurred since at least 5.3 million years ago

So this look less like an organized cemetery, and more like Mt Everest, also littered by bones of the less fortunate adventurers.

Re: A whale necropolis has been found

#13

Post by theendisney »

dbish wrote: post #5
jtfrench wrote: post #2

I feel like maybe we've needed an "OceanX" before a "SpaceX".

I’ve always wanted to start a company that builds automated underwater swarms of “probes” that just search and return info and carry out small exploration tasks but over long amounts of time and space. Do it right and you can send the first underwater explorers to Europa. Hard to find the right way to monetize in the early stages though. SpaceX had a variety of options.

Sounds good.

Make several modular probes and give them fancy names.

Have various support classes like signal relay, charge stations, camera cleaning, resque etc

Sell rent lease the vehicles to customers who get to pilot them in vr.

Create a simulator where one can explore some already explored areas with the probes projected in real time. Create a market for map chunks.

I think it will make one hell of a game.

Roberts Space Industries Legatus bundle costs $48,000 USD and you only get pixels.

If you can have your own exploration submarine without having to deal with all the boring logistcs yourself people will gladly pay many times that and hire other players to do ingame jobs like keeping the signal alive.

If you can build the mothership with investors and crowdsourcing then maintain it with subscription fees and insurance policies it would be hilarious even before anyone finds anything interesting.

Re: A whale necropolis has been found

#15

Post by irishcoffee »

dbish wrote: post #5
jtfrench wrote: post #2

I feel like maybe we've needed an "OceanX" before a "SpaceX".

I’ve always wanted to start a company that builds automated underwater swarms of “probes” that just search and return info and carry out small exploration tasks but over long amounts of time and space. Do it right and you can send the first underwater explorers to Europa. Hard to find the right way to monetize in the early stages though. SpaceX had a variety of options.

I actually work in this space. The difficulties of long-running underwater probes should not be discounted. Comms bandwidth without a tether is… quite slow. Dealing with even the tiniest drops of water inside the system is… a real problem. Salt water is also quite a problem. Deploy and retrieve is a real problem.

I won’t say I think outer space is easier, but the problem space is very different.

Re: A whale necropolis has been found

#17

Post by fsckboy »

jtfrench wrote: post #2

I feel like maybe we've needed an "OceanX" before a "SpaceX".

>I feel like maybe we've needed an "OceanX" before a "SpaceX"

SpaceX is based on the idea that our planet will someday be uninhabitable, so we need to be ready to colonize other planets. The sooner we start, the sooner we get there.

OceanX might be fun science, but it's not going to save us.

Re: A whale necropolis has been found

#18

Post by Espressosaurus »

fsckboy wrote: post #17
jtfrench wrote: post #2

I feel like maybe we've needed an "OceanX" before a "SpaceX".

> I feel like maybe we've needed an "OceanX" before a "SpaceX" SpaceX is based on the idea that our planet will someday be uninhabitable, so we need to be ready to colonize other planets. The sooner we start, the sooner we get there. OceanX might be fun science, but it's not going to save us.

Colonizing another planet will never be easier than our own biosphere. That claim for SpaceX is pure nonsense.

Re: A whale necropolis has been found

#19

Post by toast0 »

irishcoffee wrote: post #15
dbish wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve always wanted to start a company that builds automated underwater swarms of “probes” that just search and return info and carry out small exploration tasks but over long amounts of time and space. Do it right and you can send the first underwater explorers to Europa. Hard to find the right way to monetize in the early stages though. SpaceX had a variety of options.

I actually work in this space. The difficulties of long-running underwater probes should not be discounted. Comms bandwidth without a tether is… quite slow. Dealing with even the tiniest drops of water inside the system is… a real problem. Salt water is also quite a problem. Deploy and retrieve is a real problem. I won’t say I think outer space is easier, but the problem space is very different.

> I won’t say I think outer space is easier, but the problem space is very different.

You didn't even mention pressure. Space is only 1 atm off of sea level. 100 meters below the surface is 10 atm more than at sea level ... all sorts of cool stuff you might want to explore is way deeper than that.

Less of a problem for robots than people, but still a problem.

Re: A whale necropolis has been found

#20

Post by totetsu »

Espressosaurus wrote: post #18
fsckboy wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I feel like maybe we've needed an "OceanX" before a "SpaceX" SpaceX is based on the idea that our planet will someday be uninhabitable, so we need to be ready to colonize other planets. The sooner we start, the sooner we get there. OceanX might be fun science, but it's not going to save us.

Colonizing another planet will never be easier than our own biosphere. That claim for SpaceX is pure nonsense.

The human condition is delicate and mortal, when you realise this you realise how important it is to do everything you can for Elon Musk while he's still alive
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