4 ms·
What stops the thing from growing indefinitely, but also fast enough when damaged to return to the "original" state? If there's a "surface coating" which when
by infinity0 8y ago
What stops the thing from growing indefinitely, but also fast enough when damaged to return to the "original" state?
If there's a "surface coating" which when damaged, causes the "inside" to "grow" again, how does the coating repair itself, to stop the "inside" from growing beyond the original surface?
- Pica_soO 8y agoWait till they make a airborne version of it - this is basically the greenfly
- Asooka 8y agoIt can't grow indefinitely, because the reaction with the carbon consumes the reactant in the material itself. I suspect the surface coating is a bit like the layer of aluminium oxide that forms on the surface of aluminium in that it seals off the mass under it from reacting with the air, and when scratched, the material underneath reacts with the carbon in the air to form a new coating.
- user3359 8y agoWith trees and porous materials, this is known as "wicking". With humans and biology, it's the clotting factor that prevents bleeding out. There are downsides to this as well, blood clots in veins and arteries can cause heart attacks, strokes. I read about this recently and found it fascinating - specifically related to tree height, but alludes to other implications. https://livescience.com/14667-tall-trees-grow.html https://livescience.com/14667-tall-trees-grow.html
- Edmond 8y agoproto-molecule ? :)