Things affected by space

[Sly McFly]

How do you think things would be affected in space, like lets say fish considering they swim or birds being that they fly? Or what about coldblooded animalsl?

[Bluenoise]

Ummm pretty much all life dies really fast in space....

[Daecon]

I think the question was referring to the way birds and fish move when in zero-gravity environments...?

[h4tt3n]

Well, since water is one of the most abundant chemicals in the universe, all we'd have to imagine is a solar system made up almost entirely of this material. There'd be zero-g close to the centre of each water-planet.

 

But I think this belongs more in the exobiology thread, or perhaps in speculations than here.

 

And anyway... a zero-g environment probably wouldn't have any great effect on fish, since they already float in a semi-wheightless state here on earth.

 

regards,

Michael

[Xyph]

Yeah, fish and other aquatic creatures would probably adapt well to 0g. I think birds would have trouble, though, since they don't spend their whole lives in the air, and even then are accustomed to flying under the influence of a gravitational field.

[Sisyphus]

Well' date=' since water is one of the most abundant chemicals in the universe, all we'd have to imagine is a solar system made up almost entirely of this material. There'd be zero-g close to the centre of each water-planet.

 

[/quote']

 

Hehe, yeah, 0g and trillions of tons of pressure.

[h4tt3n]

Hehe, yes indeed - well depending on planet size, of course. Besides, a water planet would only have a density of about one fifth of the earth's.

 

The implicit question is quite interesting, though: At what maximum pressure can life as we know it exist? Is there even such a maximum value?

The limit doesn't seem to have been reached here on earth, since life exists even in the deepest sub-oceanic canyons. And in those cases the bottleneck seems to be available food / light / heat rather than pressure.

 

Does pressure affect any of waters properties, say its ability to dissolve chemicals?

 

Michael

[s pepperchin]

Ithink they would adapt to it. Birds could fly with any direction being up but fish I'm not sure about. If they are in a tank full of water that is sealed then they could just swim around. The bladders they use to sink and rise wouldn't work though.

[Klaynos]

oc what would be more intersting is something like a dolfin when it gets to the interface between it's water and air....

[Daecon]

Fish wouldn't know which was was "up" so they could be swimming upside down and never know.

 

And the gravel at the bottom of the tank would go everywhere...

[Igor Suman]

We will soon find out how rodents cope in space:-

 

" In 2006 a group of mice-astronauts will orbit Earth inside a spinning spacecraft.

Their mission: to learn what its like to live on Mars."

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/20jan_marsmice.htm

 

In space no-one can hear you squeak

[Janus]

 

Does pressure affect any of waters properties' date=' say its ability to dissolve chemicals?

 

Michael[/quote']

 

Gases dissolve more readily in water at higer pressures. (which is why when you open a pop bottle the pop fizzes.