When 7-year-old Sophie wrote to Australia's leading science agency and asked for a dragon, we knew it was time to step up our dragon R&D program.
A mythical generator: Could the fire in Smaug’s belly power a small city?
We’ve been doing science since 1926 and we’re quite proud of what we have achieved. We’ve put polymer banknotes in your wallet, insect repellent on your limbs and Wi-Fi in your devices. But we’ve missed something.
There are no dragons.
Over the past 87 odd years we have not been able to create a dragon or dragon eggs. We have sighted an eastern bearded dragon at one of our telescopes, observed dragonflies and even measured body temperatures of the mallee dragon. But our work has never ventured into dragons of the mythical, fire breathing variety.
And for this Australia, we are sorry.
This came to our attention today when we received the following letter:
Hello Lovely Scientist
My name is Sophie and I am 7 years old. My dad told me about the scientists at the CSIRO. Would it be possible if you can make a dragon for me. I would like it if you could but if you can’t thats fine.
I would call it toothless if it was a girl and if it is a boy I would name it Stuart.
I would keep it in my special green grass area where there are lots of space. I would feed it raw fish and I would put a collar on it. If it got hurt I would bandage it if it hurt himself. I would play with it every weekend when there is no school.
Love from Sophie
Fanmail, with a call for dragon R&D.
Last week the Scientific American hypothesised whether dragon fire would be produced by flint, gas, or rocket fuel. We already do some research in alternative fuels, so perhaps dragon fuel is a good area for us to start accelerating our dragon R&D program. Hobbit fans would have observed the amount of fire in Smaug’s belly. But how much energy could it produce? Would dragon fuel be a low emissions option?
Thanks for the fuel for thought, Sophie. We’re looking into it. In the meantime, you can always admire the brood of Daenerys Targaryen.
Sophie’s dragon.
* * *
UPDATE: We made Sophie a dragon. Really. Check it out in our latest post, Here be 3D printed dragons.
10th January 2014 at 8:37 am
This is not a live dragon, I know, but if Sophie is interested in mechanical dragons I have designed and built a small one that breathes fire. I have all the plans and instructions if she would like to try making it. You can see the video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuebMIlPrUI
9th January 2014 at 10:03 pm
Dear Vanessa Hill,
Thank you for this article and for demonstrating renewed commitment to advancing dragon research.
I am a dragon research scholar myself and argue in my latest paper that there is a huge untapped potential in the use of dragons for human kind.
I would like to invite you and your team to join our small circle of academics and practitioners. Your background and expertise would add unique insight to our discussion.
This is where you can find us:
‘Why the UN needs Dragons’ – published on http://www.lobloggomy.com.
11th January 2014 at 6:06 pm
ok so lets use a dragon if they existed to torture and do what man wants! put a dragon to use for our own purposes rather than god put them here to intentionally do ! and what capture them and hold them against their will like killer whales, tigers monkeys and so on! how can we protect other species when we are uncapable as humans to care for ourselves (meaning our own species) we seek to destroy enemies even though they are human and we find reasons to do it even if not valid hence human nature! I think that saving species is best by leaving them in their own environment and not disrupt their environment! and then if man were to create a species how very wrong that in itself could go, look at viruses, and bacteria’s we could create something that seems harmless and end up with complete monsters! we must learn to how to keep our species alive before tackling on creating new or saving old ones! Not to say that we shouldn’t protect endangered species or whales like on whale wars but to cage them up to do it like with tigers is a little ridiculous! one attraction that enrages me is sea world! dolphins r smart we got that but at the end of the day after entertaining the adults and kids do they get to go home and relax or go swimming around their man built habitat! just my opinion! and scary thing to is what if we were to clone a extinct animal that would be going way to far they r extinct for a reason and god obviously plays a role in that and who r we to play god and bring back to face a world that is more unstable now then ever before!
9th January 2014 at 9:18 pm
Dear CSIRO.
I may be able to help you. I don’t have a “Dragon” as such but I do have an engine design that is being scheduled to run in February. We always intended to call the head design, the Dragon head engine for good technical reasons, as the exhaust gasses are allowed to be much hotter, allowing the catalytic convertor to run more efficiently, and hence, cleaner. It is based on replacing the conventional valves with rotary valves and when these retro fit kits go on sale, they will be marketed with dragons aplenty. This is partly due to a fascination with Dragons since I was a child and collecting or making models, pictures and toys of these so called mythical creatures ever since I can remember. I can’t help but thinking there is more to the truth about these animals than complete myth, even as an adult engineer. Maybe some link with “the chariots from the Gods” but as they say, there is no smoke without fire.
19th January 2014 at 1:35 am
Really?? time will tell.
19th January 2014 at 5:13 pm
If it works , do you think the boffins will allow you to produce it. Remember it wasn’t invented by CSRIO or son professors team at a University so it’ll never get their endorsement.
I have a Dragon, it comes to see me every day, it eats cockroaches. It’s only little yet, but wait until it grows.
I can’t see a Bat & a lizard cross working but a chook & a lizard, Hmmm.
9th January 2014 at 6:22 pm
But … but … but … I want a unicorn…
9th January 2014 at 3:43 pm
To the Scientists at the CSIRO,
How wonderful to see the selection criteria of all the amazing people who work at the CSIRO now includes mathematical and emotional expertise.
Could not be prouder to be an Australian (and a mother of a couple of kids who love dragons)
Well done!