Science of Half-life

[pilot7893]

This is a thread for creating scientific theories of various aspects of Half-life. I'll start.
Subject:Combine Gunship

How do they fly? All you can see is a big fan on the back, but that wouldn't exactly make flight easy. They would just be flipping over their heads whenever they tried to take off. I assume they have smaller thrusters near the front to even it out, but then why did they make the one on the back so big? On the Half-Life wikia, it says they use it for propulsion, but then wouldn't it be easier to just have 2 small thrusters on the underside near the back, and 2 more on the back itself? Man, those Combines are pretty strange when it comes to bioengineering.

 

[Xevrex]

When I finish college at MIT, maybe I'll write a theory on portals.

But that's a little ways off.

 

[WriterforHire]

When I finish college at MIT, maybe I'll write a theory on portals.

But that's a little ways off.

I would really like to read that, but, since you'll be a MIT graduate it'll probably go right over my head.

 

[coheedswicked]

im pretty sure the prop in the back is mainly used for lift. if you look on the underside there appear to be some sort of engines. also im pretty sure the gunships are naturally flying creatures and the combine just add things to augment its ablilities

also while we're on this topic of science of halflife...
-xen creatures breathe oxygen and have yellow blood.
-we breathe oxygen and have red blood. our blood is red because it bonds to the iron on the hemoglobin molecule (iron oxide is red)
- iron can also form a yellow oxide... yellow blood explained

 

[Adabiviak]

Subject: Zombine morphology
Hypothesis: Whatever the Combine do to the heads of the, eh, 'volunteers', degrades the integrity of their heads, namely their skulls. Perhaps removes it?
Evidence: When the headcrabs are blown off the heads of the Zombines, there's just the lower jaw and base of the cranium left (as opposed to whole heads in every other case).
Conclusion: Yuck!

 

[pilot7893]

Subject: The Citidal
Would it even be structurally possible? Buildings such as Taipei 101 were just barely possible, and it was only 1/4 a mile tall. How tall is the Citidal again?

Taipei 101

The Citidal

Definately a lot taller than Taipei 101. The wasy I see it, there are only a few options:
1. They used something to strenthen the steel frame of the building
2. There are levitation devices helping to take some of the weight of the building
3.The Citidal is actually lighter than the air around it, and is being lifted up instead of pulled down. This might explain the cables.

 

[AciD]

Who said they used steel. Maybe they used some super-light material that is extremely durable.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

I would really like to read that, but, since you'll be a MIT graduate it'll probably go right over my head.

Nah, he will use what he knows from his MIT paper and create a Portal for Dummies version

- iron can also form a yellow oxide... yellow blood explained

Interested, please explain, or link

Who said they used steel. Maybe they used some super-light material that is extremely durable.

Perhaps using a combination of lightweight materials and metamaterials that can somehow allow wind to pass through the structure artificially

 

[Grodan Freechman]

The chemistry in a yellow colored blood would make the hemaglobin a pretty ineffective O2/CO2 transporter molecule because it contains a haydroxyl and H20 group, throwing off the chemistry that effects how it works in our bodies. I don't know the biology/biochemistry of creatures from Xen, so this could be perfectly fine by their systems.

 

[Hurricane]

also while we're on this topic of science of halflife...
-xen creatures breathe oxygen and have yellow blood.
-we breathe oxygen and have red blood. our blood is red because it bonds to the iron on the hemoglobin molecule (iron oxide is red)
- iron can also form a yellow oxide... yellow blood explained

I don't mean to ruin the thread by using the oldest explanation in the book (It's a game), but I dont think valve had thought that in-depth when making the game. They probably just thought "oh, we need a graphic for alien blood. throw in some yellowish green goo". then again, they've explained much more complicated things than this before, so maybe that is the explanation.

 

[coheedswicked]

The chemistry in a yellow colored blood would make the hemaglobin a pretty ineffective O2/CO2 transporter molecule because it contains a haydroxyl and H20 group, throwing off the chemistry that effects how it works in our bodies. I don't know the biology/biochemistry of creatures from Xen, so this could be perfectly fine by their systems.

this is true. perhaps there is a secondary compound in the blood, an enzyme perhaps, that would take care of the OH group when the O2 is being taken out of the blood by cells.

I don't mean to ruin the thread by using the oldest explanation in the book (It's a game), but I dont think valve had thought that in-depth when making the game. They probably just thought "oh, we need a graphic for alien blood. throw in some yellowish green goo". then again, they've explained much more complicated things than this before, so maybe that is the explanation.

you're probably right about the whole "lets just make it yellow goo" thing but then again, this is a "science of half-life" thread so its supposed to take the contents of the game and explain using science. fun to some, pointless to others. naturally it will stray from "its just a game"

 

[Hurricane]

I've always wondered how the Hunter's flechettes work. what are they specifically and how do they operate? The best theory i've been able to come up with is that they are some sort of variation on the AR2, using dart rounds that combine it's regular fire with the dark energy orb.

 

[Maturin]

And why don't they explode when they hit you?

 

[Hurricane]

I'm pretty sure they explode on contact when they find their mark. It's only when they stick to walls and such that they delay.

 

[Maturin]

Naw, when they hit you your blood splatters up in the camera and there's *schoopschoop* sound. Kinda dumb.

 

[Hurricane]

huh. strange.

 

[Grodan Freechman]

perhaps there is a secondary compound in the blood, an enzyme perhaps, that would take care of the OH group when the O2 is being taken out of the blood by cells.

Also true. Because we don't know anything about their DNA or genes, we can't disprove that theory. That leaves room for the production of proteins or enzymes that could do this.