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by Mz 3778 days ago
While that exact realization did make me stop being freaked out by giant spiders in movies, technically "they can't breathe" in earth's current atmosphere. Presumably, if it was worth the expense involved, you could grow giant insects in closed biomes with higher oxygen levels and (I assume) higher atmospheric pressure.

Also: Jurassic Park is BS for the same reason. The T Rex would not function in earth's current atmosphere -- at least not without tampering with their physiology and/or some kind of extra support system.
1 comments
maxerickson 3778 days ago
Even then they probably didn't get much bigger than a cat.

http://listverse.com/2013/01/14/10-prehistoric-bugs-that-cou...

The huge dragonflys were still only somewhere between a crow and raven in size.

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Mz 3778 days ago
Well, I don't know what the limits would be on size, but you seem to be presuming that historical limits are hard limits. I think that is as much a mistake as assuming current sizes are hard limits. It might take crazy levels of oxygen and pressure or it might be undoable, but if we were to create environments for this purpose, hell, why stick to recreating historic earth conditions?
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