My thanks to all who were able to help me out with "Surface Tension" by James
Blish. I'll have to pick up a copy and keep it on hand to explain why
Paramecia are my favorite protist, even if they're not really such hot
historians. Now here's part 2, just for fun: Nicola Gebendinger had some
reservations concerning the scientific accuracy of the story, to wit
> Too bad that there are two major flaws: #1) no living
> being that small contains enough cells to support a brain
> big enough to be really intelligent; #2) it doesn't "really"
> take in account the surface forces and the brownian movement
> so predominant on that scale. Have you noticed how still
> human-size is the protagonists' environment? I'd have
> expected a much more alien environment.
Now has anyone actually read a story that handled the second point in a
realistic manner or have any thoughts on the matter themselves? Any way to
slide around the first point other than simple suspension of disbelief?
Thanks again for your help, and I hope you enjoy the follow-up. CJ
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