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submitted 8 months ago by ylai@lemmy.ml to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world
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[-] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 104 points 8 months ago

"Somebody didn't do the research on that," Tyson told the talk show host, making the case that if you pound your fist into a sand dune, it wouldn't actually produce a thumping sound the way it does in the film. "You can't thump sand."

Oh, this is easy. Neil, the thumping isn't for the sand its for the spice in the sand which is a near-magical substance that is tied biologically to the sandworms and when consumed by humans in large quantities lets you see into the future. Are you going to try and tell me a substance which clearly grants its user the ability to see through space-time can't be excited mechanically with thumping it on the ground?

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 86 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Actually it does work with regular sand dunes. The sequential baked layers creates a reasoning champer that amplifies sound at certain frequencies.

https://youtu.be/v29ou094luc

Which means Neil is actually upset with how much scientific world building Frank Herbert did, since it confuses people like him who haven't studied sand dunes for decades.

[-] SzethFriendOfNimi@lemmy.world 56 points 8 months ago

Besides the sand worms can pick up on the vibrations. It doesn’t need to be loud. Just be a consistent pattern.

So having the thump sound is there for artistic purposes. For the art. In a medium used for art.

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 16 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Well, it's more than that. I think this is even mentioned in the new movies, but there's a phenomenon in Dune called "drum sand" that is a section of sand that somehow amplifies vibrations. Obviously it doesn't matter how any of this works. It's a story where, if you get high enough, you can predict possible futures. No shit it isn't realistic. No one cares.

[-] QuarterSwede@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Yup. I think that’s why it’s called Science Fiction not Science Nonfiction.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 26 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Neil failed to remember that they are on Arrakis, not in the Mojave desert.

[-] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 8 months ago

patrolling arrakis almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter

[-] Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social 10 points 8 months ago

Spice might be like mycelium on Arrakis.

[-] CodexArcanum@lemmy.world 12 points 8 months ago

With what Spice does to people, and the general weirdness of the spice/worm/maker life cycle, suggesting that the worms are partially fungal in nature actually makes a lot of sense!

[-] uid0gid0@lemmy.world 5 points 8 months ago

Someone didn't read the book far enough to get to the part about Drum sand

this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2024
313 points (87.5% liked)

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