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The dragon – a mythological creature that soared through the skies breathing fire and devouring people!
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But could dragons really have existed?
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Well, dragons have been part of Chinese folklore for years.
In fact, there’s plenty of evidence around suggesting where the myth may have come from.
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Dinosaurs lived in certain parts of China, and this fossilised skull of a T-Rex could have been just enough to get people thinking…
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Imagine that you didn’t know anything about dinosaurs like the T-Rex.
What sort of creature would have had a skull like that? And what would have its skin been like?
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Well, scientists discovered fossilised skin, so maybe the creature had a lizard-like body, full of scales.
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Now check this out!
It’s a chinese alligator. If you take a look at his face, you can imagine how reptiles like this might have inspired the whole dragon myth…
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So could dragons exist?
Well, you need to know a little bit of science to imagine what they were like, but if you follow a few rules, you can certainly dream up a dragon!
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The first problem is, how could something as big as a dragon actually fly?
They’re just too heavy! The biggest flying bird is a swan – but a swan-sized dragon isn’t a very scary idea, is it?
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Have you ever seen or heard of an airship? They’re much bigger. The old ones were absolutely massive and they were filled with hydrogen which is a gas that’s lighter than air.
So if we had a dragon full of hydrogen, it should be able to fly really easily!
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But where would the hydrogen gas come from?
Well, imagine that this is dragon’s stomach.
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All stomachs – including yours – contain hydrochloric acid. In yours, it’s diluted by lots of saliva.
If the dragon had concentrated hydrochloric acid in its stomach, it would react with anything metal, and produce hydrogen.
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So, if a dragon was eating lumps of metal – say a knight’s armour or shield perhaps - hydrogen would be produced.
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Michael and Kate made a huge dragon in their flat.
The body was packed with hydrogen-filled balloons to make it float.
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Hydrogen is very flammable – which might explain why dragons breathe fire!
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And, the high acid content in the stomach might explain why the dragon’s blood could eat through metal.
So the only missing link is - how did the dragon ignite its fiery hydrogen breath?
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Well, in a quick demonstration Michael showed a glass jar filled with a precious metal called platinum.
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When a small amount of hydrogen is released, the platinum causes the hydrogen to react with the air in a way that releases a lot of heat energy.- so much energy in fact, that it could light a flame.
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So if the dragon was to breathe out even more hydrogen then…
Wow!
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So, does this explain the fire-breathing monster?
Well, platinum is a precious metal and we all know how dragons are said to hoard treasure…
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So did dragons really exist?
Well, it’s unlikely, but nature is full of surprises!
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