Questions tagged [genetics]
For questions about a way to pass on biological information from one generation to the next.
360 questions
2
votes
3
answers
277
views
Could an alien plant composed of purely stem cells, be very adaptable?
In terms of scientific realness, I want to have a bioengineered plant that is composed primarily of stem cells. I want it that way so it can grow in any environment, and adapt to any changes in ways ...
- 963
1
vote
5
answers
425
views
Would there always be markers (or some kind of clue) on cells that had been genetically engineered? [duplicate]
A mad scientist in my novel is intent on proving this human specimen he captured is not naturally coming by his characteristics, that he is instead somehow lab-altered, genetically engineered. Is that ...
- 57
2
votes
4
answers
557
views
How to sustain a monoracial society in a modern world? [closed]
I want to include a country with a uniform physical appearance (a narrow range of builds, hair, eye, skin colors - like how fantasy races used to be stereotyped) in my fictional world. The setting is ...
- 6,088
8
votes
5
answers
2k
views
What would cause species only distantly related and with vast morphological differences to still be able to interbreed?
In my books' universe, there are twelve sapient races, counting humans. They are all descended from a single species that was effectively identical to modern humans, but they have each adapted to the ...
- 325
1
vote
1
answer
103
views
Compacting biological traits arising from emergent biological mechanisms into singular artificial genes [closed]
I have scientists attempting to experiment with humans by tampering with sexual attraction for lore reasons. Sexual attraction comes from complex biological mechanisms. They wish to 'simplify' this ...
- 5,602
-4
votes
1
answer
193
views
Long term viability of a human population with super healing that causes female to male sequential hermaphrotism [closed]
This question starts with a conversation I had with friends about the implications of super healing ability of Marvel comics characters like Wolverine, Deadpool, Hulk, and more. How would a person ...
- 1,605
11
votes
12
answers
3k
views
How can a society have a group of people who are sick (from radiation?) while others are kept healthy?
I'm trying to plan out a post-apocalyptic novel that takes place on earth centuries or thousands of years after the apocalypse. The circumstances surrounding the apocalypse are vague as society has ...
- 111
14
votes
9
answers
4k
views
Will it be possible to prevent cancer by introducing ECC on genome?
Could it be possible to drastically improve DNA repair capabilities by introducing error-correcting codes into the human genome? Would it be feasible to reduce the probability of cancer while slightly ...
- 150
3
votes
3
answers
230
views
A Better Genetic Polymer?
This is a long one. (TLDR at the bottom)
The prospect of alternative genetic polymers has attracted the interest of people for almost as long as we have known about DNA. Indeed, many alternative ...
1
vote
1
answer
282
views
How would sex chromosome inheritance work in a tetraploid trioecious species with the ZW sex determination system?
I imagined a trioecious angiosperm species descended from common cocoa trees (Theobroma cacao). Trioecious = three sexes (male, female, and simultaneous hermaphrodite).
They use the ZW sex-...
- 5,484
0
votes
0
answers
63
views
What's the minimum amount of people required to create a growing population? [duplicate]
I'd like to know how many people it would take to begin a genetically stable civilization. I don't need/don't care about the infrastructure aspect, only the genetics.
Scenario-wise let's assume there ...
- 123
0
votes
3
answers
189
views
How large of an initial population would it take for these new traits to average out into the standard population of the world?
Let's say, many years ago, hybrids between humans and other mammalians were created and introduced into the world for various purposes. They have the same cognitive abilities as the other humans, and ...
- 3
3
votes
3
answers
434
views
How fast could a single person introduce gene to human gene pool?
Okay so, in my superhero setting, the way humanity gets superpowers is due to a single mutation. People rarely had superpowers before due to the Dragon gene, but it was always a recessive trait and ...
- 184
2
votes
3
answers
332
views
Would a genetically-inserted “memory” be present in all neurons? Or just specific neurons?
So a hypothetical concept I’ve been playing with lately involves the “RNA memory transfer/storage” hypothesis, recently notably demonstrated in slugs a few years back which made a few headlines. The ...
- 923
3
votes
5
answers
678
views
Could a species with multiple types of genetic material, like a “universal donor”, reasonably naturally exist?
As of late I’ve been developing a concept for a species able to transmit traits through genetic information, basically putting that information into a “host” organism to enact some sort of epigenetic ...
- 923
2
votes
3
answers
197
views
Can migration be planted into an animal's instincts by humans
So animals will migrate for many different reasons and I wondered if humans could take a species (example:rabbits) that doesn't migrate, and somehow make it develop a yearly migration pattern without ...
- 309
1
vote
3
answers
129
views
How can I determine gene expression in cases of multiple co-dominant genes? [closed]
On a planet far, far away, there exists a human species with many appearances and abilities. There is a form of energy that flows through air, water, earth and plants (but not humans or animals) which ...
- 65
2
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Could gene therapy become the new plastic surgery?
In an EXTREMELY near future (the story is set in June 2028 of the Gregorian calendar), there are some people that use the gene therapy because they want to change their physical appearance.
For ...
- 5,484
4
votes
2
answers
648
views
Transgenic Peach DNA Splicing
It is possible to put a tiny amount of Human DNA in a plant:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-story-of-how-an-artist-created-a-genetic-hybrid-of-himself-and-a-petunia-25148544/
https:/...
5
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Genetics of a human-animal hybrid
It’s the age of genetic engineering, and Scientists, in league with shady corporations, have created a group of human-animal hybrids, hereafter referred to as Metamorphs.
Metamorphs are designed as ...
- 8,883
18
votes
14
answers
3k
views
Are artificial genes discernible from natural ones?
In a sci-fi project, bioengineering is now a fashionable and profitable industry. A couple of bioengineers decide to play silly buggers with the exobiologists downstairs by cobbling together an ...
- 8,883
8
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Would a brain transplant suffer immunorejection if the new body was cloned from the original?
So, having rejected mind uploading in their quest for immortality, the people of my worldbuilding project now seek to develop brain transplanting.
The main problem is immunorejection; if you simply ...
- 8,883
2
votes
3
answers
622
views
What would the technical problems be of mass genetic editing? Keidran Animal-Human Hybrids
The Setting
I hear you, I'll make this brief. It's been almost 30 years since the Aurea slow cargo ship arrived at Ilus. When they launched the Aurea, almost a century ago, they had the technology to ...
- 2,004
-4
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Is complete melanism possible in humans?
One of my characters has a genetic disease called "Complete Melanism". Her eyes, her skin, her hair, and her internal organs are all black. Like a famous Indonesian breed of chicken.
The ...
- 5,484
1
vote
2
answers
351
views
Does it make biological sense for primates to come in every possible hair, skin, and eye color? [closed]
There are a lot of Japanese shows and games where people have many different hair colors and eye colors. There are even cartoons and games where people come in every skin color in the rainbow and ...
- 6,209