Ok so while playing blood money they said that class 2 clones died within 18 months of reaching maturity.
Let's talk about the potential reasons why
(Disclaimer: I am not a professional geneticist so please correct me if I'm wrong)
Let's start with the basics: class 1 clones are the original "firstborn" clones (ie Meyers original boys). Class 2 are those who are almost exact carbon copies of a class 1 clone (think the 48's)
So if the class 2's are exact or near copies of class 1's why did they die? Well, there's a few possible answers to that question, all of which relate to their genes.
1. Genetic abnormalities:
You might be saying, "but tuna, they are near-exact copies. There can't be failures..." well let me explain. The keyword in this potential is NEAR
They are NEARLY carbon copies, but their genes were mixed and improved through splicing and manipulation, which is a very risky and dumb move on the scientists part when this has literally been done before in the real world with very little success. And we have the proof in dogs.
Dog eugenics has occurred for many many years, trying to splice genes manually by selective breeding with other species to create better ones. That's why we have species like bulldogs, dachshunds and pugs. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM HAVE GENETIC ABNORMALITIES (ie: bulldogs and pugs have breathing difficulties that shorten life span and dachshunds have a predisposition to spinal problems). Even the stronger, more successful breeds have predispositions to cancers, heart problems and the likes, all because of mixed breeding.
So what has this got to do with the class 2 clones? Well, obviously breeding clones is not happening, but the replicating and splicing of genes is. If you take the original class 1 DNA and modify it, the likelihood is yes they will get the desired effect, but other parts of the proteins will bond to create an unpredictable effect (because we simply haven't learned the full extent of the human genetic code). This would cause predispositions or weaknesses in the organism created and matured because of recessive traits, which could easily kill them off quickly.
2. Genetic mutation:
We have found in the real world that genes are highly unpredictable, even with our modern technology. And here we're asking about outdated mid-1900s logic. The mutation of just 1 protein would change the genetic code of the entire batch if undetected. And the human body has thousands upon thousands of them. This would potentially cause a debilitating gene to be carried across the batch (concluding that the batch shares one altered gene code due to complete identicality between all the 48s) which would kill them off within the time period.
3. They lack a vital protein:
Due to genetic disposition, genetic mutation or other gene-related issues they could lack a vital protein important for human development.
The most likely circumstance would be a deficiency or a complete lack of the protein PRC1, which allows your cells to mitose. Without it, mitosis could not occur and over a relatively short period of time, the body's cells would deteriorate and die in a more drastic form of mito (Mitochondrial disease); the speed of which varying from each one for an average of an 18-month viability time.
4. Their immune systems were underprepared:
This one, although only partially relating to genetic code, involves their environment as a key factor; more specifically how they were matured.
Class 2 clones, because they are replicas, were not brought up as such, just forced to grow over a rather short time period in a chamber completely isolated from the outside environment. In this time, they develop all the functions of an adult man (relative to the class 1) except one. The immune system.
The immune system, although very much controlled by genes, is built up over time, starting from childhood and strengthening with pathogenic encounters, including bacteria, viruses, fungi and even dust. But these clones did not have those encounters meaning their immune systems were vastly underpowered for the environment, and as a result, they would all die very quickly of something most humans on earth can deal with. They would essentially be entirely immunocompromised, meaning the only way they would survive more than a few months would be to remain in an entirely sterile environment; which simply could not be achieved.
These are just some of the possible culprits I can think of, but let me know if I missed anything. Like I said, I'm no geneticist of any sort but I am an avid fan of genetic research stuff.
