Scientific world building

Peace of Christ, everyone!

This is going to be unconventional, but nevertheless it does relate to science! I am working on a graphic novel that takes place in a mammal dominated Neo-Ice Age brought about by a nuclear war in the 1950s (as described by H G Wells), centered around races of humans that are able to use hormones from special endocrine glands as a deadly martial art in order to fight an authoritarian dieselpunk superpower. Now I know I could just throw up my hands and say “quantum nanobots” and be done with it all, but since this is supposed to take place in the same world that we live in (just in a different timeline), I want the rules of this world to reflect our own as much as possible. I don’t want this to be too far in the future (let’s say 10 million years from now is the setting), so I’ve been having trouble visualizing the climates and environments this future world would have, and especially the bizarre forms of life that inhabit them, and especially how life would be affected by all of the radiation and fallout of the bombs. Since my story takes place mainly in Eastern Europe and the Eurasian Steppe, I was wondering what it might be like by then?

P.S. You can tell me if anything I just described doesn’t follow the rules and is in need of correction. I won’t cry…too much!

Pax,
Charles

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With the climate change well its pretty simple. Eastern Europe will be a desert

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Peace of Christ, NickolaosPappas!

What makes you say that it Eastern Europe would become a desert? Not to sound like I’m doubting you or anything, I’m just not well versed in future climate speculation and would like to have a basis for thinking a certain way.

Pax,
Charles

I live in Greece which i think its considered Eastern Europe. Anyways the climate here is humid and subtropical. Although we are in the mediterrenian zone you have a lot of dry mountains with no trees at all and a lot of empty fields that cant grow corps. So i assume due to climate change and the passing of time eventually some areas here will turn into plain deserts ,with nothing at them. Thats my speculation im not in any means a professional om this

I like your profile pic. Half Life 2?

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That’s really interesting and helpful! If you don’t mind me asking, what general area in Greece do you live?

I live in Greeces fields. Thessaly

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Oh and thanks! Yep, that’s Gman! Only the Half Life Alyx model.

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I just looked up some pictures. That’s downright beautiful, especially the Monasteries of Meteora; I could use that as inspiration!

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I have visited them once. Yeah they are beautifull. Although there are more beautifull places in Greece than Thessaly

Also they have found some things in meteora which suggests that millions of years ago they were at the bottom of tge sea. So imagine

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Interesting post!

Is this relevant? Thanks

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This place sounds absolutely perfect. Maybe the growing deserts pushed populations of Greeks into the mountains, leading to small clusters of monastic cultures that acclimated to the climate by the year 10,000,000? I can imagine that, sadly, all that would be known of Classical Antiquity would be gleaned from the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, and Pythagoras, translated in some hypothetical Greek language by that mountain-dwelling community of Orthodox Christian survivors, but at least the culture and history and Christian Faith can still be carried on! Perhaps some nomads and mystics come to these mountains seeking ancient knowledge from before the bombs fell?

Hi Randy!

Thanks for this; it’s also extremely useful! Who knows what kind of creatures could roam those steppes? Perhaps the ecological niche of a mammoth would be filled sooner or later, but what could be up for the task?

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@NickolaosPappas Oh, and considering the rest of Greece, do you think that even more Greeks would hug the coasts, like in Australia, where 98% of the total population lives on the outskirts, or is that how it’s like already?

You mean outskirts of cities or outskirts of the landscape? Like closer to the sea etc etc?

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I was wondering if people would live closer to the ocean; if they do already and if even more would come in from the land should it become extremely arid.

Now most people live in Mainland Greece with Athens and Thessaloniki having 50 to 60% of our entire population. Crete has a big population as well. If it becomes a desert i think we will adapt to it but move closer to the sea.

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Alrighty! Thanks for this!

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I should point out that both Athens and Thessaloniki have ports though

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Peace of Christ, everyone!

I was wondering two things:

Should I only make it 100,000 years in the future, because I don’t see recognizable humans making it to the year 10,000,000?

What kinds of plants, animals, and fungi would we expect to still find after a nuclear war?

Many fungi love radiation, most deep marine things would do alright and most things that lived in sufficiently deep caves, otherwise, I don’t really know.

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