#speculative genetics

[living-dead-guyy]

Genetics for my merfolk. This is a simplified version. I had a lot of ideas I wanted to include, but knew I wouldn’t finish it if I made it too complicated right off the bat. I’ll probably make a more detailed version sometime. Lmk what you think!

As always, asks are always open, whether it be about this or something else! :)

Things I wanted to include but haven’t yet: white spotting, roan, merfolk names for markings

[lizardsaurus-art]

A little something something with my punnett cubes

This is one of the “heads” of my recent alien design, they have antler-like projections that I decided to test out the three possible allele types. The classic is dominant A, recessive a, and my addition, alpha as the third option. It’s not perfect for I’d most likely have to rework the whole genetic system cause dominant vs recessive is a pretty binary mechanism and it’s hard to imagine how would a third option affect the organism’s phenotype. Here I’ve decided to test it out on the percentage of the antler that gets covered by flattened out surfaces, with both the dominant and the alpha allele increasing its surface area, the difference being that the dominant allele creates fewer large disks, while the alpha allele creates many smaller disks that branch out like cactus leaves.

Enjoy my crappy notes again:

[oneeyecatnamedkay]

LETS GOOOOO

Things yet to cover: Mixed bases, White spotting, Shine

[myologie]

About resonants: the sex types are SUPER cool, but your description of them as 7 chromosome variants that typically appear only in adjacent pairs + where the males are located causes a problem: for example, Matriarchs produce only invalid combos, except for pairing with an FG, which CAN output an AG offspring! So the genetic basis has GOTTA be something else, probably on 2+ chromosomes. (I'd suggest a 'silent' 8th sex that's either prenatally lethal OR has a phenotype range confined to existing male sexes)

Thank you for pointing this out, actually! I thought about talking about the explanation for this in the original guide, but it seemed a bit complicated for that guide. The concepts there are meant to be more high school level, while I’d consider this like college level Resonant genetics.

As it turns out, from a genetic standpoint, there are 49 Resonant sexes. While there are only 7 apparent phenotypes, these hidden chromosomes greatly affect reproduction.

So here’s how sex inheritance works for them:

Resonant sex chromosomes of what are called “presenting” and “cryptic” chromosomes.

As you’d expect, “presenting” chromosomes determine the anatomical class and secondary sex characteristics, while “cryptic” chromosomes do not. Cryptic chromosomes aren’t useless, though; they allow for wider compatibility for reproduction and allow for a reduced chance of developing cancer and other conditions caused by damage to the DNA. Almost all chromosomes in Resonants have what are essentially back-up DNA, part of an adaptation to defend against the higher levels of radiation on their home planet.

For reproduction, gametes pull from one of the presenting chromosomes, and one of the cryptic chromosomes.

Unlike in humans, where fertilization is a matter of speed, in Resonants, it is a matter of compatibility. Fusals (G-type gametes) develop ligands related to the chromosomes they carry, and if they successfully bind to the cell surface receptors on the egg (R-type gamete), fertilization can successfully occur.

This system can lead to some curious results. Some couples are only capable of producing offspring of one sex, some produce multiple, and some couplings results only in children of different sexes than the parents.

Example: An Atlas and a Mask pairing are capable of producing Diver, Mask, and Oracle offspring.

The most frustrating thing can come when a couple cannot produce anything at all. One Matriarch and Crimsonite coupling may produce many children, but another may be unable to conceive. Cryptic chromosomes can be the determiner of compatibility, but without genetic testing, cannot be known. But Resonants are clever, and quickly found a workaround.

See, a number of genes regulation the immune system are found on the sex chromosomes in Resonants—hence why intersex individuals commonly develop disorders of the immune system. Blood types are determined by both the presenting and cryptic sex chromosomes, and so can be used as a rough approximation for compatibility. The pair will both have a small sample of blood taken and mixed together. Higher levels of agglutination (signaling a smaller chromosomal overlap) are believed to have greater fertility.

Another technique is a bit more trial-and-error, and involves strategically pairing up individuals and observing how many and of what sex offspring they produce to deduce their chromosomal typings. This is a highly prized art in Matriarchal cultures, where it is common practice for Matriarchs to arrange who reproduces with who. This job may be given to young Matriarchs trying to prove themselves as a good heir to the reigning Matriarch, or to Oracles. In many cultures, the presenting chromosomes are thought to represent a physical aspect of compatibility, while the cryptic chromosomes represent a more spiritual aspect, hence why it is sometimes the provenance of the more mystical sex.

I will admit that the chart is wrong, though. I was thinking of both the simple and the more complex system when I made it, so it doesn’t make much sense under further scrutiny. The real chart looks something more like this:

But this one’s a bit harder to read.

[beelze-bruh]

Martian Humans were discovered on the planet Mars, contacted in the year 3990. These creatures are the genetically modified descendants of Humans, who found that it was impossible to gestate healthy offspring under the natural gravity of the planet. Without planetary gravity manipulation technology, their best bet for creating somewhat healthy descendants on the planet was through genetic engineering, selecting for genes that would give them denser muscle and bone tissue to keep them durable enough to perform hard labor, larger hearts to more effectively pump blood throughout their bodies, and shorter stature to curtail risk of malnutrition and allow them to function more efficiently in the small enclosed spaces of spaceships and Martian habitat bases. This full scale colonization of the desolate planet occurred in response to a “white identity crisis” experienced by many pale-skinned humans as a reaction to growing ethnic diversity across earth. After a disastrous “race war” movement manifested across the globe, white purity elites formed political groups focused on establishing a white homeland on Martian soil, mounting expeditions to the red planet where they waged war on and enslaved the prisoner population of preexisting Martian penal colonies, creating a caste system to enforce the institution. This produced the all white generation of genetically modified Martian offspring that took control of the planet, breeding in great numbers and using their inherited institution of slavery to great effect, expanding mining and plantation operations wider than ever before seen on the planet. Using the massive quantities of uranium formed in the planet’s crust from millennia of radiation bombardment, Martians built the largest nuclear stockpile ever seen in human history. The Martian ethnostate recognized itself as a more “highly evolved” form of “Terran” humanity, considering themselves “Homo sapiens martius” despite all scientific evidence pointing to the fact that they are not genetically distinct enough to be considered a subspecies. The severely limited genetic diversity of Martians led to a bottleneck effect, and eventually inbreeding. Assimilation into the Ecosystem did not go smoothly, put in a few words. There was debate whether or not to exterminate the entire Martian population due to the risk they posed of spreading slavery across the universe and the fact that standard Terran Humans had already joined the collective, but it was decided that this was too extreme and would set a dangerous precedent, so the assimilation process went as usual, ending with the Raid phase dissolving all Martian governmental bodies by force. The Martians were infuriated by this swift defeat but recognized the importance of preserving their species' existence on their homeland and didn't push further. Upon introduction to the Ecosystem, they were disgusted by its multicultural assortment of alien life living alongside one another and mostly kept to themselves, still adorned in their traditional military garb and confident in their slogan that “Father Mars Shall Rise Again”. For decades, several slave states established by Martians on Ecosystem worlds have been broken up, routinely putting the continued preservation of these people's core society into question.

[living-dead-guyy]

Hii!! ❤

I've been interested in genetics for a long time, but I can't seem to find a way to learn more intensive genetics! I love your worldbuilding, and have always wanted to do genetics for my species- (and I have! Just veeeryy basic genetics,) would you be able to suggest any sites or books I could study to learn more?? ❤❤❤

Yes absolutely!!!

To start, most mammals share a similar genetic foundation. An example is the MC1R gene, which acts as a master switch for pigment. This gene specifically regulates the production of black and ginger tones. Because mammalian biology is centered around these specific pigments, browns, blacks, greys, and gingers are most common across the animal kingdom. Mammals lack the genetic instructions to produce vibrant colors like blue or green in their fur or skin.

For a fictional, non-mammalian species, this may be different! But my expertise is mostly about mammalian genetics, so that’s what I’ll cover the most in this post 🙂‍↕️

Punnet Squares — this is a video I found very easily by searching “Punnet Squares” in YouTube. It explains the basic information you need to know: alleles, dominance, and how to use punnet squares

Cat Genetics by Little Hungry Warrior — while this video series is specific to cat genetics, I highly recommend you give it a watch, especially the first video! It explains A LOT about the basics that you may have missed!

Messybeast — this is a very detailed hub for cat genetics, but it can be useful as a reference for fictional species, especially since mammals share a lot of the same genetic foundation

Dog Coat Genetics UK — this is another website, and is similar to messybeast, but meant for dogs. I haven’t linked it because it seems to be experiencing technical issues at the moment!

Sparrows Garden — this another cat genetics site. however, this one contains a cat genetics calculator! it’s a lot of fun to play around with

MGI — this is a website focused on mammal genetics, especially rodents. It isn’t very beginner friendly, so I recommend visiting this one last and once you have a good understanding of terminology!

Finn mouse site — another good hub to learn how particular genes function, this is mouse specific

Horse Jennifer Hoffman — this includes information about horse genetics and has a fun little game to play around with

[oneeyecatnamedkay]

what if...

Going WILD

Too simple but fun

I'm trying really hard to not take it all siriously

[oneeyecatnamedkay]

Red base and Black patterns are ready for now yay!

Small silly practice with red base! Pretty common in skywings, i think