terraforming
terraforming — noun
1. the activity of changing a planet's air, temperature, and surface so that it bec
the activity of changing a planet's air, temperature, and surface so that it becomes more like Earth and can support human life
Iris's doctoral research focuses on the basic chemistry needed for terraforming Mars.
focuses on [subject] needed for terraforming [target]
Emre explained that terraforming a planet would take hundreds of years with current technology.
explain + that-clause for hypothetical timescale
The novel shows a future where terraforming has turned the Moon's dry surface into farmland.
Many scientists debate whether terraforming should begin before we fully understand a planet's own environment.
- planetary engineering
broader term that covers terraforming as well as other large-scale changes like building orbital mirrors or altering a planet's orbit
- worldbuilding
used in fiction and game design to describe creating an imaginary planet's environment; not a real scientific process
用法筆記
Terraforming is primarily found in science fiction and astrobiology writing. It is the noun form derived from the verb 'terraform', which was itself built from the Latin word 'terra' (earth) and the English verb 'form'. Unlike colonization (setting up human settlements), terraforming specifically means changing the environment itself to be Earth-like.