by Dr.Minimizer » Mon Sep 11, 2023 3:04 pm
We could probably think of ways to use science to get more babies (think artificial insemination). However...now take it one step further. What happens then?
If whatever it was that shrank every woman to 5 inches tall only works on women (including only female babies) then a tiny woman who gestated a male baby would be in big trouble. (sorry, couldn't resist that one.) So, for obvious reasons, the doctors doing the inseminating better make damn sure there only X chromosomes in those sperm cells. I'm sure this is a hurdle science could overcome, BUT it limits humanity to artificial reproduction forever unless either (a) a way to enlarge women is found or (b) a way to shrink men is discovered, in order to even out the sizes.
Now, how about the other theory: the shrinking was instantaneous and now everything proceeds normally, so that if a tiny woman has a male baby, he too is tiny. If this happened...well, in a few generations there would be no big people left, only tiny ones. So the giant men in that world better get started building infrastructure for the new, 10% scaled society to follow, or the forthcoming tiny civilization will have to contend with a natural world far in excess of what it's used to.
We could probably think of ways to use science to get more babies (think artificial insemination). However...now take it one step further. What happens then?
If whatever it was that shrank every woman to 5 inches tall only works on women (including only female babies) then a tiny woman who gestated a male baby would be in big trouble. (sorry, couldn't resist that one.) So, for obvious reasons, the doctors doing the inseminating better make damn sure there only X chromosomes in those sperm cells. I'm sure this is a hurdle science could overcome, BUT it limits humanity to artificial reproduction forever unless either (a) a way to enlarge women is found or (b) a way to shrink men is discovered, in order to even out the sizes.
Now, how about the other theory: the shrinking was instantaneous and now everything proceeds normally, so that if a tiny woman has a male baby, he too is tiny. If this happened...well, in a few generations there would be no big people left, only tiny ones. So the giant men in that world better get started building infrastructure for the new, 10% scaled society to follow, or the forthcoming tiny civilization will have to contend with a natural world far in excess of what it's used to.