5 ms·
off the top of my head, gold is non corrosive. it doesn't react with anything. I'm convinced the great filter has something to do with the availability of gold
by cultofmetatron 4y ago
off the top of my head, gold is non corrosive. it doesn't react with anything.
I'm convinced the great filter has something to do with the availability of gold to a species. There are all manner of gold based alloys that we haven't researched and There are all sorts of technological innovations locked away from us simply because gold is too expensive.
case in point, a boat hull coated in a gold alloy could be non reactive. no more need for antifouling paint or sacrificial anodes.
- helsinkiandrew 4y agoPresumably barnacles would still stick to it though?
- theK 4y agoWasn't this a theme in the Baroque cycle? </spoiler>
- thombat 4y agoGenerally alloys can selectively corrode, so with a combination of gold and iron the iron may still be attacked. But certainly some gold alloys provide improved hardness without being very vulnerable. For a boat the gold coating would need to include all metal parts in contact with the water (rudder pins, prop shaft, etc) and it would be an interesting experiment to learn whether it really prevents fouling (I can imagine that wear and damage to the coating might provide cervices for growth to anchor)