NATURE SHOWS HOW DRAGONS MIGHT BREATHE FIRE by Bethany Brookshire

Context: Fire-breathing dragons are a shared creature among many fantasy worlds. But how realistic is it that a dragon could breathe fire? In this informational text, Bethany Brookshire explores how a dragon might actually breathe fire. As you read, note the special characteristics of the real animals that the author references. What are you reading for?

Context: Fire-breathing dragons are a shared creature among many fantasy worlds. But how realistic is it that a dragon could breathe fire? In this informational text, Bethany Brookshire explores how a dragon might actually breathe fire. As you read, note the special characteristics of the real animals that the author references. No fantasy world is complete without a fire-breathing dragon. But if dragons were real, how might they get that fiery breath? Nature, it seems, has all the parts a dragon needs to set the world on fire. The creatures just require a few chemicals, some microbes — and maybe tips from a tiny desert fish. Fire has three basic needs: something to ignite the blaze, fuel to keep it burning and oxygen, which interacts with the fuel as it burns. That last ingredient is the easiest to find. Oxygen makes up 21 percent of Earth’s atmosphere. The bigger challenges are sparking and fueling the flame. All it takes to strike a spark is flint and steel, notes Frank van Breukelen. He’s a biologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. If a dragon had an organ like a bird’s gizzard, it could store swallowed rocks. In birds, those rocks help break down tough foods. Swallowed flint might rub against some steel inside the dragon, sparking a flame. “Maybe what you have is sort of scales that are flint-like and click together,” van Breukelen says. If the spark was close enough to a very sensitive fuel, that might be enough to ignite it. The ability for dragons to breathe fire...

Context: Fire-breathing dragons are a shared creature among many fantasy worlds. But how realistic is it that a dragon could breathe fire? In this passage, Bethany Brookshire explores how a dragon might actually breathe fire. As you read, note the special characteristics of the real animals that the author references. But some chemicals don’t need that initial spark. Pyrophoric molecules burst into flame the instant they contact air. Consider the element iridium, says Raychelle Burks. She is a chemist in Texas at St. Edwards University in Austin. Iridium burns different colors when it becomes part of various molecules. One of them burns a warm orange or red. Another burns a violet-blue. (That’s one way to get the blue flame of the zombie ice dragon in George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series.) Unfortunately, iridium isn’t common, especially in biology. “There are a lot of cool elements on the periodic table, but [living things] only use a few,” Burks explains. There are other pyrophoric chemicals that a dragon might find a little closer to home, notes Matthew Hartings. He’s a chemist at American University in Washington, D.C. Assume that dragons like caves, he begins. “If you’re living amongst a bunch of rocks, you’ll have access to a high amount of iron.” Do some chemicals need the initial spark?

Context: Fire-breathing dragons are a shared creature among many fantasy worlds. But how realistic is it that a dragon could breathe fire? In this passage, Bethany Brookshire explores how a dragon might actually breathe fire. As you read, note the special characteristics of the real animals that the author references. Iron can react with another chemical, hydrogen sulfide. This is a flammable gas that smells like rotten eggs. It is found in crude oil. When hydrogen sulfide and iron get together — in a rusty oil pipe, for example — the result is iron sulfide. Combine it with air and you’ve got an explosive mix. Iron sulfide is sometimes the culprit when gas pipelines or tanks blow up. Another explosive option comes from Anne McCaffrey’s series The Dragonriders of Pern. McCaffrey describes her dragons chewing on rocks containing phosphine — a chemical made of one phosphorus atom and three hydrogen atoms. In gas form, phosphine is very flammable and explodes on contact with oxygen. It’s also very toxic: Just seven drops of its liquid form can kill someone How could dragons breathe fire without a spark?