Dyson tree

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Freeman Dyson in 2005 Freeman Dyson.jpg
Freeman Dyson in 2005

A Dyson tree is a hypothetical genetically engineered plant (perhaps resembling a tree) capable of growing inside a comet, suggested by the physicist Freeman Dyson. [1] Plants may be able to produce a breathable atmosphere within the hollow spaces of the comet (or maybe even within the plants themselves), utilising solar energy for photosynthesis and cometary materials for nutrients, thus providing self-sustaining habitats for humanity in the outer solar system analogous to a greenhouse in space, a shell grown by a mollusc or the actions of thermogenic plants, such as the skunk cabbage or the voodoo lily. [2]

Contents

A Dyson tree might consist of a few main trunk structures growing out from a comet nucleus, branching into limbs and foliage that intertwine, forming a spherical structure possibly dozens of kilometers across.

Dyson trees in science fiction

Dyson trees are mentioned a number of times in science fiction, beginning in the 1980s:

See also

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References

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  2. Lyra, Wladimir. "Living in a comet: How to build a Dyson treehouse". Las Cruces Sun-News. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  3. Westfahl, Gary (2009). Islands in the Sky: The Space Station Theme in Science Fiction Literature. Wildside. p. 209. ISBN   9781434403568.
  4. Sagan, Carl; Druyan, Ann (1985). Comet (1st ed.). New York: Random House. ISBN   978-0-394-54908-8.
  5. Swanwick, Michael (1988). Vacuum flowers. New York: Ace Books. ISBN   0-441-85876-7. OCLC   20956579.
  6. Moffitt, Donald (2003). The Genesis quest. New York: Ibooks. ISBN   0-7434-5833-8. OCLC   51676877.
  7. Moffitt, Donald (1988). Second Genesis. Sphere. ISBN   0-7474-0016-4. OCLC   18982814.
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