Kate Davenport
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
I just finished rereading "Flowers of Vashnoi" and realized that by "Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen" it must be eight or nine years later. How do you think the rad bug experiment progressed? It gives me so many ideas for us, here, in our world since science seems to be (ever so slowly) pivoting toward natural and/or biological solutions rather than ever more technical, toxic ones.
Lois McMaster Bujold
One of the reasons the plot of that tale veered toward the social rather than the scientific was indeed the timescale of realistic research. I can think of ways it might have succeeded, and ways it might have failed; the only certainty is that there would need to be many trials to get it right, and even then it might flounder on economic-feasibility rocks.
I would point out that a number of attempted bio-solutions in our world have not gone well; cane toads ferex. (Ask an Australian about that one.)
Biotechie people are welcome to speculate in the comments...
Ta, L.
One of the reasons the plot of that tale veered toward the social rather than the scientific was indeed the timescale of realistic research. I can think of ways it might have succeeded, and ways it might have failed; the only certainty is that there would need to be many trials to get it right, and even then it might flounder on economic-feasibility rocks.
I would point out that a number of attempted bio-solutions in our world have not gone well; cane toads ferex. (Ask an Australian about that one.)
Biotechie people are welcome to speculate in the comments...
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Naomi G Rivkis
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
I have yet one more question about "Might there be a story someday about X character?" I feel like Tej has so much more to say. I'd love to see what life is like from her point of view once they *do* make it back to Barrayar. Eventually. (And I suppose Ivan's too, the big goof.)
Georgy Iliev
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Hi Lois, as I recently saw a youtube series about "The Truth about Space War" - the channel's name is Because Science - I came to realize I think I've read that somewhere in the books. In Mirror Dance I remember Mark recalling "The weapons were supposed to cook everyone neatly, like eggs in their shells". Considering he's from a universe in the future how scientifically aimed was that statement?
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