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A comment on Why did we wait so long for the bicycle?. Parent comment

Re:Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? by WalterBright on Tuesday July 16, 2019 @01:31AM (#20447697)
> a reductionist viewpoint

I once tried to figure out how to make iron from nothing. There are several "from scratch" guides on the internet, but all of them include "buy these needed chemicals from a supply house".

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Re:Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? by monktastic1 on Tuesday July 16, 2019 @02:09AM (#20447842)
You tried to make an element from... nothing?
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Re:Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? by WalterBright on Tuesday July 16, 2019 @05:24AM (#20448615)
Nothing provided by civilization. It's the old "you're dropped naked into the wilderness 10,000 years in the past" challenge and have to make iron to impress the tribe so they won't eat you.
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Re:Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? by umanwizard on Tuesday July 16, 2019 @06:50AM (#20448942)
To clear up the confusion of the grandparent comment: I guess you mean smelting iron from its ore (because actually creating new iron atoms would require nuclear fusion)
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