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 |   A tentative blog to test the temperature. |
| On Dragons Years ago I read a beautifully illustrated book on dragons. It went further than most, proposing a scientific hypothesis that explains the known attributes of the creature. The basic idea was that the dragon’s digestive system used anaerobic bacteria to produce copious amounts of marsh gas, essentially methane, the cause of the will o’ the wisp phenomenon in bogs and marshes. Spontaneous combustion of this gas gives rise to the spooky lights sometimes seen drifting above marshy areas. This could be the origin of the most unbelievable aspects of the dragon’s existence. If the gas were stored within the body of the fabled reptile, it might be the cause of its ability to fly. Methane is lighter than air and would certainly ease, if not completely negate, the weight of the dragon and so allow it to become airborne. The wings, even if unnecessary to lift the resultant gas-filled body, would at least give it a means of propulsion and navigation through the atmosphere. So the enormous size and bloated body of the dragon need not be an excuse for doubting the possibility of such small wings being able to lift it from the ground. Indeed, the very rotundity of the normal dragon body shape would prove to be an advantage, since it would require a large volume of gas to counteract its weight. They would, in fact, be living blimps floating around in the atmosphere of a time long gone. This would also explain the fact that it seemed to be so easily defeated by its arch enemy, the knight. Far from being outgunned by the size and fearsome appearance of the dragon, all the knight would have to do is get close enough to puncture the distended belly of the beast with some sharp instrument or other, and the problem would be solved. The resultant deflation would be the cause of the poor creature’s subsequent extinction. All that methane would have other uses as well. Since anaerobic fermentation also produces small amounts of fairly explosive gases (hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide and phosphine), the dragon would have a convenient access to a catalytic method of igniting some of its gaseous output. This could then be produced as its famous fiery breath. The theory is so attractive and beguiling in its feasibility that I think of it whenever dragons are mentioned. It is somehow comforting to know that the legends may have some basis in truth. And, before we all laugh and poohpooh the idea, we should remember the huge number of schoolboys who have proved the theory behind the lighting of farts. Word count: 436 |
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