#chromosome defect

[oh-dear-so-queer]

The pathologizing of "gender-atypical" behavior is taken to its extreme in the discussion of transgendered animals. Early descriptions of intersexual animals often labeled them "monstrosities". More recently, hermaphroditism, chromosomal and other forms of gender mixing, and physical and behavioral transvestism are invariably considered diseased states, birth defects, physiological abnormalities, or otherwise dysfunctional. Yet researchers have usually been as unsuccessful in determining the physical "causes" for transgender as they have for homosexuality.

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

[gay-jesus-probably]

If you know anything about chromosomes, you should know that sex chromosomes are barely relevant to a person. There's a reason it's the only form of monosomy that presents in humans - you just need one X chromosome to set up some hormone systems and whatnot, and there you go, you're viable for life. I mean, Monosomy 23 isn't great for a person, they'll probably be sterile, their bone structure turns out a bit fragile, and they'll definitely need hormone therapy to properly hit puberty, but it's a life. Which is a hell of a lot better than any other form of monosomy in humans, which comes with lethal structural flaws ensuring you don't make it to birth.

Anyways, the far more common issue with sex chromosomes in Trisomy 23, and I say 'issue' in the loosest sense of the word, because honestly it's not even a problem - we have no idea how common Trisomy 23 really is, because there's basically no symptoms, and every form of it presents about the same. As in, the first case of XXY trisomy was discovered accidentally - the man who had it was getting a karyotype test done for completely unrelated reasons, and was shocked to discover he had a trisomy.

Sex chromosomes are neat like that; since they're literally designed for everyone to have an X no matter what, the way it works is that you just need to have one X chromosome, and there you go, you've got the structural information you need, you're viable for life. The other sex chromosome (or chromosomes) is just a modifier for what configuration the reproductive organs should be in. So the Y chromosome carries very little information, since it's only relevant half the time, and the X chromosome is meant to be able to work through a redundant copy, which leads to the end result where Trisomy 23 does basically nothing. Unless you've had a karyotype test done, you have no idea what's actually going on with your sex chromosomes, and neither does anyone else.

Like... come on people, they're so meaningless. Chromosome pairs are numbered from most to least important, you know; there's a reason the sex chromosomes are all the way at the end, and that's because they're barely relevant. Humans just don't have a lot of sexual dimorphism; we're a very androgynous species.

And all that stuff about Trisomy 23 stands in very sharp contrast to the other survivable forms of trisomy in humans, which is... arguably one and a half kinds. Trisomy 21 (aka Downs Syndrome) is the best known, as it's the only other form that's really viable, since it fortunately just presents as some mild structural issues - the brain's a little scrambled, and the heart has some fundamental flaws that cut about twenty years off the average lifespan. For a trisomy patient, that's incredible. If you've got Downs, you technically lost the genetic lottery, given that you had the bad luck to get either a sperm or ova cell that'd suffered a nondisjunction during the meiosis process, but I'd argue you also won the genetic lottery, because my god your existence is a miracle, we're so lucky that the 21st chromosome pair just happens to not cover anything too vital. And you're absurdly lucky that the defective sex cell that started it all just so happened to have that specific form of nondisjunction, because if any chromosome pair apart from 21 or 23 is affected by nondisjunction during meiosis, it's extremely not good.

...Then there's also Trisomy 18, which is... hard to describe. I mean, it's amazing that Trisomy 18 cases can survive until birth, but... the structural flaws are considerably more severe, so most don't last long after that. Most Trisomy 18 patients die within a week of being born. The lucky ones get a few months or years. With constant, intensive medical care and a hell of a lot of luck, a tiny handful of patients have even survived to their twentieth birthdays... but never for long after that. There's a reason why treatments for Trisomy 18 include grief counciling for the parents. It's just... it's not good. There's a reason I said Trisomy 21 is a miracle; other forms of trisomy in humans are so, so much worse.

Except for Trisomy 23, which again, barely counts, because there are no symptoms, and so we have no idea how common it really is. Are you slightly taller than average? Congratulations, you might have Trisomy 23. Or you might not, who the fuck knows. Certainly not you!

Basically my point is, chromosomes are absolutely fascinating, but the sex chromosomes are only really interesting in the context of how irrelevant they are compared to all the other chromosome pairs. They're just not doing all that much, so there's a massive amount of room for error with no real signs. All anyone knows for sure is that they have at least one X chromosome (as that's where the important information is; no X means no life), and beyond that if you haven't had a karyotype test done, it's just wild guessing. So if you're ranting about sex chromosomes being A Big Deal... congratulations, you've exposed yourself as a fucking moron that knows nothing about chromosomes. Anyone that's studied biology beyond a high school level could tell you otherwise. Rip to all you bioessentialists but I'm cooler than you.

Context.

[biology-geology-beaches-india]

The Research Journals of Satyendra Sunkavally, page 40.

[ducksoup17]

hey now that it’s disability pride month can you please remember to include people with Down syndrome and other chromosomal defects into your activism. they’re so often left behind. I literally never see anyone spreading Down syndrome awareness that isn’t close family of someone with Down syndrome. They exist and they’re living breathing humans who deserve just as much activism as every other disabled person

[kharmii]

XXY is a male who was born with an extra X chromosome. There are only two genders, but sometimes people are born with chromosomal defects or other factors that cause them to be born with ambiguous genitals that don't line up with their biological sex. That doesn't mean that there are more than two genders. It means that birth defects exist that affect the reproductive system. Alternate genders aren't based on biological reality, rather, they are suddenly being influenced by the current political culture.

I believe that Imane Khelif is more likely to suffer from a birth defect than be influenced by the Western world gender brainwashing due to his nationality.

Source: existennialmemes

[rainbow-banana-slug]

eye strain warning

gummy 🌈🐬

[plain text: gummy 🌈rainbow emoji🐬dolphin emoji]

(^ shark emoji not blue enough)

[id: dark skinned black person with williams syndrome in decora kei fashion walk with posterior walker. person have pink hair with rainbow bangs n all sorts hair clips in hair & stickers on cheek. have many rainbow necklace include one with double yoke egg. wear blue sweater with white cloud where one sleeve is yellow horse with pink leash thing. there many pins on sweater include gummies (gummy shark, peach ring, gummy worm, gummy bear) & green crayons & others. she wear cross body green dino plushie (bag?). rainbow vertical stripe pants with rainbow n star chain. one shoe red one shoe blue. posterior walker made of different color crayons. there text around character describe her which be functionally described below. end id]

🌈🐬.

girl (complicated gender) with williams syndrome n love decora kei fashion & bright colors (she call them happy colors/excited colors)!! she has lotssss of bows n head pieces n hair clips n necklaces n bracelets n other decoration & big wardrobe with bright colored clothing! she love wear different outfits but it consistently decora kei.

she love gummy candy & named herself after them >:) blue/red gummy worm & blue gummy shark her favorites (blue gummy shark also my favorite. to look at.)

williams syndrome (also known as williams-beuren syndrome) is genetic developmental disorder micro-deletion of some of chromosome 7. for gummy, WS lead her have moderate intellectual disability (ID) & global developmental delay, level 2 autism, ADHD-c; congenital heart defects (CHD); hypotonia (low muscle tone), & loose joints.

like many people with WS, gummy very friendly & social! she love hugs & talking to people & talk lot & very physical in show affection! but also often struggle tell when other people not want be social / be social with her, be called “a lot” & “too much,” which lead her have trouble make n keep friends n make her sad—even tho WS make her extra outgoing, she also still get sad n mad n not hide it. she also struggle with danger awareness & often treat strangers like would with friend, n it been something that her support team very focused on work with her entire life because this lead her be very easily taken advantage of n be put in danger.

also like many ppl with williams syndrome, language & verbal abilities her strong suit—tho it’s relative to her moderate ID, so one shouldn’t expect she write speak communicate like average person without struggle. her words more simple, n still need many help for communication, including various form of AAC & aide person.

she has aides that pretty much 24/7 present because WS & moderate ID but working on skills so can be more independent! it something she been work very hard on entire life n she quite proud of progress.

she has many classic facial features associate with williams syndrome, like epicanthal folds at eye, upturned nose, wide mouth & small teeth, small jaw, full cheeks (badly drawn), n large ears.

70% or more people with WS have some sort cardiovascular problem, n so do gummy. she has supravalvar aortic stenosis (narrowing of aorta) which form of congenital heart defect (CHD). hers not very severe n be closely monitored.

she also have hypotonia & loose joints due to WS & uses posterior walker full time to get around. she really like her posterior walker, it shaped like many crayons :D also wear SMOs but forgot write it so oops

art fight character profile

[reblog welcome but please no repost]

[foropinionssake]

Gender is not fluid. You can’t change it. You are what you were born as. Female or male. Female being xx chromosomes and majority hormone of estrogen with a uterus and accompanied reproductive organs. Males being xy chromosomes and majority hormone of testosterone and testicles with accompanying reproductive organs. Surgery doesn’t change it. Men cannot have babies. Women do not produce sperm. It’s literally a biological fact

Gender roles are fluid and bullshit and THAT is what anyone trans is feeling. Is the fight against gender roles. Not gender…and you will never convince me otherwise.

*intersex people are a mutation or birth defect and are not the norm standard for human development. And in those cases they still typically have characteristics to one gender or the other.*

[cripplecharacters]

hello, i want to write a protag with down syndrome and i was wondering if you have any previous ask/links about how to go about it? i dont know what their mental capacity or function is like, is it similar to the autism spectrum?

Hi asker,

This is mostly a research question. I appreciate your ask, but I want to clarify that we generally don't answer purely research questions.

I will provide you with some links. We also do in fact have a #Down Syndrome representation tag, as well as an #intellectual disability representation tag, which is relevant because pretty much people with DS are also intellectually disabled. (The main exception is likely people with mosaic DS, in which not all their cells have an extra copy of the 21st chromosome.)

There's a pretty big variation on the abilities of people with DS. You could probably meet a bunch of people with it, and some will live on their own and have a job, and some will need 24/7 care, and some need someone to come help them twice a week, and some can only do a very simple job by themselves and not much else. And they still all have the same condition. This will vary based not only on their mental abilities, but on their physical abilities as well. DS is not exclusively a 'mental disability,' it affects the body.

I'm going to broadly answer the "is it similar to the autism spectrum" question.

Down Syndrome is diagnosed and defined by a genetic marker that affects both physical and mental development. Pretty much all people with DS are intellectually disabled. About half have heart defects that need to be corrected, because heart defects can be fatal. Many have hypotonia, and/or hearing loss, and/or visual conditions. I think this is often forgotten about.

Meanwhile autism is diagnosed behaviorally. It's defined by social & communication difficulties and restrictive behavior. About a third of autistic people are also intellectually disabled, which means it's common but not automatic. Autistic people can have some physical health problems that are common, but they are not linked in the same way as DS’s physical disabilities are.

They both are pretty common disabilities, they both can have a pretty wide spectrum of abilities, but they're ultimately not inherently super similar other than they are developmental.

Here's some links:

About Down Syndrome from the National Down Syndrome Society

About Down Syndrome by Down Syndrome International; this page has various links

Facts and FAQs about Down Syndrome by Global Down Syndrome Foundation

Down Syndrome by the US's CDC

Intellectual Disability Overview by the Cleveland Clinic

Intellectual Disability and Health by the University of Hertfordshire.

Hope this helps,

mod sparrow

[misandresther]

i don’t know if your a man but you definitely have the balls to go against lgbtq and defend jkr, especially on tumblr a well known lgbtq popular website

I meant it it really takes courage, after a less pleasant encounter with a trans when I was 15yo it’s a community I actively hide from

I'm a woman, who runs a radical feminist account, and you thought i'd be anything other than a woman?!

I like women, i'm part of the LGB, and i don't support the troons and their crazy delusional community. A woman is a biological woman with a vagina and XX chromosomes. A man is a biological male with a penis and a defective Y chromosome. It is as simple as that.

As it happens, JKR is a wonderful woman and a successful published author, and i agree with her takes. She is the courageous one, stating her opinions so publicly and never wavering, even after receiving daily threats and being compared to fascists and war criminals.

Hiding from people might work for you, but it is not a solution.

[feminismisstillahatemovement]

To circle back to soemthing from early : The writing of male characters by female writers have repeatedly made me stop reading , especially when I recongized what I like to call the 3 archetypes : The friend , the jerk and the lover , sometimes these mix together but rarely.

The lover : mostly found in YA novels but sometimes adult and potentially pre-teen aimed romances of stories , a guy who seems prefect in description and rarely if ever does anything to hurt or offend the protagonist who is usually a stand in for the writer. the few negative things you can say about him out of the story are treated either as quirks or endearing qualities by the end. Sooner or later the emotional sensitive side is revealed and boom even if they were "The jerk " they're now considered redeemed or potentially redeemed by love. Big example (and the most obvious ) Edward Cullen and Christian Grey are those.

The friend: usually nerdy , kind of fades into the background at a certian point after the protagonist is with the lover, is clearly romantic interest of the protagonist if it's a YA situation , but these feelings are unrequited, they're soundly rebuffed of admitted or it's ultimately a "you have to look into how they're written " to tell. If written at all back in, it's usually to help the protagonist get to the lover & usually ends up with a lover that's either very much like the protagonist , potentially the protagonist's best friend or family member, or someone completely unlike the protagonist. Big example :Jacob from Twilight

The jerk : the bad boy who may be at first seen as an antagonist/working with the antagonist, usually does soemthing notably evil in their first big solo scene. But then that slowly gets walked back especially if they're the lover by the end. Even if they don't end up as the lover they've been given enough pathos that some fans will even say they want the leading protagonist with them or will write oc self inserts trying to help them get better. Possibly may die at the end to help make sure the protagonist lives or ensure the big plan succeeded. Big example : Snape from Harry Potter.

Mind you these aren't solidified hardened absolutes. I'd definitely say, however ,if you look at like 5 or 6 female written stories especially multi book series where it's female character going on an adventure almost all the male leads who are the woman's age who aren't relevaties commonly fall into those 3.

Yes.

Of course, there are a bunch of cliched and awfully-one-dimensional female characters in most male-written fiction too, but for me the biggest difference is there have always been women, in every age, wondering aloud about how a particular male author writes women so well, whereas I really don't think I've ever read any male character in any work by any woman that feels believable and an accurate representation of the internal thoughts, behaviours and motivations of a man that I've been able to connect to. I don't think women are really capable or all that interested in truly understanding the Y chromosome experience, and so their male characters tend to read only like either slow-witted and defective women, cartoonish mustache-twirling villains or alabaster objects of wealth and success. Because of this, the women authors I like I tend to read for what they tell me about their individual female experience, not for what they tell me of the wider world outside of it.

[crow-aeris]

So i’ve been thinking (shocking, really) about the world building for my reverse robins wingfic.

ike, sure, it’s a little fic and ppl prolly won’t notice, but i just cant help but speculate.

in this au, everyone is born with wings unless afflicted with a certain illness, disease, or genetic defect that leaves you with no avian traits (which is the excuse the kents use).

but how would having wings influence the infrastructure? well, i’m glad you asked! cities are more compact because there isn’t really as big a need for transportation unless you’re an aves that’s just not built for long-distance travels like various passeriformes birds.

planes still exist, but they’re utilized by the avians who aren’t able to fly long distances. avians who have wings like albatrosses or terns or other soaring birds would probably require licenses to do their annual migrations and travels- same applies to regualr migritory species like ducks and geese- where the instinct remains despite not needing to migrate.

of course, with the constant migration through countries, i think there would be more mixing of races and ethnicities especially within the migratory bird communities, so there would probably be less overall hostilities.

now, there will still be discriminatory and hateful ideals, and some are shown in my fics. For example, Gotham’s elites are mostly made up of raptors and birds of prey like eagles, kites, kestrels, hawks, falcons, ospreys, owls, etc- birds who actively hunt down mammalian or lizards for prey (in the real world i mean), that is because of displays of powers. Scavengers like condors, vultures, buzzards, are regarded lower on the social ladder but not as low as perching birds and song birds simply because of their ability to have sustained flight.

like i mentioned briefly, songbirds and perching birds (passerines) are regarded lowly in general due to their “weak demeanor” and overall flashiness, which gives them the reputation of being only suitable to work in brothels and such regardless of gender (but especially dudes where the aves species exhibits sexual dimorphism, eg. cardinals, peacocks, golden pheasants, etc.)

there are definitely some exceptions, being corvids. some cultures have corvids as villans, whereas others may portray corvids as intelligent and charming.

now, we arrive to genetics. im still not 100% sure how i want the phenotype of an avian to be passed down. so far, it’s mainly just sons are the same aves as their fathers (like thomas wayne, bruce, and damian are all harpy eagles, but martha wayne was a kingfisher and talia is an imperial eagle), but im not sure abt daughters. genetics is messy, but i think i’ve managed to sertle on a 50/50 chance of being born either the same aves as their mother, or their paternal grandmother. like if damian had been born with xx instead of xy chromosomes, then he’d either have been an imperial eagle like talia, or a kingfisher like martha wayne. intersex people exist too, and i think their wings would be a blend between both their mother and father’s.

now for the the supers and the other metas:

as mentioned previously, the kents claim that their adopted son had a genetic disorder that basically prevented him from growing wings (or just left him in a state similar to humans before they were all “cursed” by a diety to have wings, or whatever. in the dcu, that probably woulnd’t even be too far fetched), so clark lacked a major social component to his childhood. without wings and a tail, others would have a harder time reading his emotions, seeing as these appendages are crucial in nonverbal communication between avians, and that gives clark a leg up in reading other people, but having them not understanding what he’s thinking.

now with jon and kon, they have two VERY different situations. for jon, since his paternal side is wings-free, i just gave him lois’s ave- western kingbird- instead of making him no-winged. kon, on the other hand was a test-tube baby, so it was a toss-up on whether he’d get lex luthor’s purple martin wings, or clark’s no-wings since they’re both guys. I think kon would’ve enjoyed wings, so i gave him the purple martin wings. Plus, they’re pretty much invulnerable, and their wings are no different.

diana and the other ppl from themyscira wouldn’t have wings since they aren’t human, and same applies to the other jl members who aren’t humans.

on a wholly separate note: the lazarus pits. here, not only does it give you white streaks in your hair, it’ll bleach out your feathers. so liek if a peacock was thrown into the pit, not only would they die and come back manic, their feathers would make them look like piebald, or have different markings or white ticking.

anyways, that’s the end of my long post, and i hope yall enjoyed listening to me speculate and talk about birds and my silly little guys!!

[dingodad]

What do you make of page 4463’s description of the X and the Y in Roxy’s name as “chromosomal” when looking at Roxy in a trans lense?

Because I know you’ve defended transmasc Roxy but I feel like the deliberate choice of bringing up chromosomes when first introducing her is important right?? Why would xy chromosomes and the chromosome setup of the Chumhandles be deliberately called to attention if the “XY” and the “TG” weren’t hints pointing to a transfeminine Roxy?

X and Y are the symbols we use to refer to chromosomes. therefore they are "chromosomic symbols". it is not in any way implied these symbols say anything about roxy's own chromosomes, any moreso than dirk's name being "diluvial" implies anything about him beyond his interest in apocalyptic myth.

viewed specifically through a trans lens as you say, yes, this is very compelling evidence for a motivated interpretation! but biological sex is not the only context in which chromosomes are a relevant concept, and in fact I would go as far as to say that, once upon a time, in a far-off 2012 before gender panic overtook popular discourse, this wasn't even the first thing that came to most people's mind when the word "chromosomes" is invoked. this is also the realm of mutation and birth defects, which are explicitly central concepts to roxy's mythology - chromosomal abnormalities are a key cause of miscarriage, which I would say is perhaps most central of all to roxy's arc as it stretches all the way from the beginning of the comic to its conclusion. if you really, really want me to give special weight to the wording on this particular page, I might argue that we connect it to roxy's typing quirk: letters represent genes, and alcohol causes roxy to get letters wrong, therefore suggesting a symbolic link between roxy's alcoholism and her metaphorical string of miscarriages. but my point is that there's no one true text-sanctioned way to approach the wording of the page.

the XX/XY chumhandle pattern has ALWAYS been something that works except when it doesn't. yes, the two trolls with XX trolltags are girls, but these aren't even primary characters; as it stands, the comic's three main troll girls all have XY handles. the cherubs, despite their intimate association with homestuck's various gendered frameworks, don't even TRY to suggest a continuation of this pattern. yes, if you choose to view roxy along the lines of this transgender interpretation, the fact that her chumhandle doesn't match a gendered pattern found among the other humans specifically is a strong argument to have in your pocket! but on its own, it doesn't actually suggest anything. it's a motivated reasoning.

i think sincerely asking the question "did Hussie intend for Roxy Lalonde to be a transgender girl" is such a misguided approach to this whole conversation, but that's the direction you're asking in so i'll address it: if Hussie's authorial intention were seriously our main concern, why do we have to go any further than the definitive answer given in the Epilogues, which were authored in part by Hussie and in part by writers empowered by Hussie? Andrew either wrote a story where Roxy is textually FTM, or sanctioned another author to write that story. i can't understand why it's so much easier to believe that Hussie "intended" Roxy to be MTF and then changed their mind than it is to believe that MTF Roxy was just a really compelling headcanon that Andrew had nothing to do with

[gregoriaofnyssa]

"Did God Make me Wrong?"

I was born with a handful of, on their own, minor defects. But grouped together, and because they were left untreated, I have what amounts to a hormonal intersex disorder-- the main symptom of which is many, many times more testosterone than a healthy woman. I produce slightly more than normal the amount of estrogen and progesterone. My symptoms are somewhat similar to that Algerian boxer, though I (and no other person besides apparently her and her doctors) do not know the details of it.

It was left untreated because I have XX Chromosomes, my periods are regular, and I am not infertile. It is my conviction that no doctor bothered to treat my condition, bothered to treat my hirsutism, acne, and bone deformation, because I was not a very pretty preteen to begin with. The doctors did not consider my appearance something worth saving. It was not good enough to begin with.

So now I am stuck with deformed bones and a hairy face. This one time, I was in a bathroom at a rest stop in West Virginia, and a woman stopped me, and told me she was going to get her state trooper on me, "for being a tranny in the bathroom". No doctor wanted to save me from that kind of fear and humiliation.

I shave constantly, but I know people still notice. They notice the razor burn on my face, certainly. If I waxed, I'd have to let the hair grow out, which I cannot take in public. My friends notice it. My fiancé notices it. I am deformed and I feel it, every single day.

I ask priests, sisters, and better Christians than me, "Why would God allow me to be born like this?" If God Loves beauty, how could he allow such ugliness?

You get the regular, "Oh don't say that :(" "We never notice!" "God doesn't care!" which are horrible lies. But every once and a while, I get, "Your condition is a product of the Fall," which is the only true response.

But how awful is it to have the Fall of Man and the sinfulness of the world written into your bones and growing out of your skin, like a monster.

The only thing I want in the world is to be pretty, and God will not give me it. What is the purpose in this?

[shiut]

Homunculus Research (the kinda scientific edition)

Time for me to do the thing that I do where I think way too much about barely explained fictional science and try my best to apply actual science to it. For fun.

So, here is my biological summary for the homunculi of Rain Code, which will be mostly non-canon speculation.

What is a homunculus? A homunculus is an artificially created, cloned individual using the genetic information of a human for the purpose of developing immortality and regeneration applicable to military use.

What is a homunculus made of and how? A homunculus is created from gram-negative bacteria and human cells through complete recombinant DNA cloning. This technique is achieved through taking the genes of the human donor and incorporating the information into a bacterial chromosomal DNA and plasmid(the secondary circular DNA molecule of bacteria used for gene replication and transfer). Additionally, the incorporation of the enzyme telomerase and protein p53 is applied.

What contributes to a homunculus's regenerative properties and immortality? Homunculi exhibit accelerated initial growth and healing thanks to the bacterial hybridization of their cells. Bacteria have one of the fastest replication rates, and can replicate at a rate of about every 10 minutes compared to the average human cell's replication rate of every 24 hours. Gram-negative bacteria also have a complex layering of membrane that allow them to be more resistant to antibiotics and a more sturdy structure. Bacteria have the ability to go through inactivation, where they go into a state of metabolic dormancy that protect them and allow them to be able to wait out periods of extreme conditions and nutrient scarcity. Telomerase, the 'immortality enzyme', is utilized for its function in restoring the length of telomeres. Telomeres are a protective chromosomal cap that normally erode with each cell division, and it's this shortening that causes DNA damage and aging in humans. Telomerase repairs this erosion and allows cells to divide indefinitely. However, because of telomerase's link to increased rates of cancer, additional copies of the gene responsible for the production of p53 protein is also incorporated. P53 is a tumor suppressor that allows damaged cells to repair themselves before dividing, which prevents the spread of cancerous cells.

Why is homunculus blood pink? Gram-negative bacteria is identifiable for its bright pink color by using the gram staining method. This is because the characteristic cell wall structure of gram-negative bacteria which makes them so resilient also causes the bacteria to display the color of the safranin. Homunculus researchers may apply a gram staining process to the circulatory system of homunculi for the purpose of identification and observation.

Relevance of gram-negative bacteria in gene cloning and military research. The most commonly used strain of bacteria used in gene cloning research is the gram-negative bacteria such as e. coli for its ready availability, ease of growth and manipulation, and simplicity. Gram-negative bacteria such as e. coli has a history in military research, in cases such as a probiotic when an army surgeon isolated a strain found in a soldier who, unlike his comrades, did not develop an illness from an infectious outbreak.

What is the zombified state of imperfect homunculi? It is the result of cell inactivation that, while it is a protective measure for the cells, the slowed or halted metabolic state causes the low-functioning mental and physical faculties that present zombie-like symptoms, and is currently difficult to impossible to reverse in imperfect homunculi due to their varying degrees of cellular instability.

Why do imperfect homunculi require compounds found in human flesh for nutrients? Plasmid stability in DNA cloned cells is often influenced by the original donor's genotype. Imperfect homunculi cells may include defects in the cell division process where the stability of the human DNA contained in the cell plasmid results in incomplete DNA replication, whereas each division causes informational gaps in the gene and interrupt protein synthesis. These gaps can be filled and repaired by taking and incorporating the required information from a healthy human cell through the process of horizontal gene transfer. Human matter must be consumed and broken down in order for the homunculus cells to initiate this process. The lack of these nutrients can cause the homunculus cells to go into a state of inactivation.

Why are imperfect homunculi vulnerable to sunlight? UV has been known to exhibit antimicrobial effects. Many bacteria, especially gram-negative bacteria, are averse to sunlight. Exposure to the UV radiation in sunlight results in the damage or solar induced inactivation of unstable homunculus cells.

Written, hopefully, as simplified and concise as possible for readability. I feel like I'm forgetting more things I wanted to address, but maybe I'll just leave it here and just make more parts if I think of it :P

[mindblowingscience]

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) doesn't sleep as soundly as we once thought. Virologists have known for a while now that HIV can hide DNA copies of its own RNA genome within our chromosomes even while the immune system attempts to rid the body of infection. Two studies have now found tiny fragments of the HIV genome can persist inside immune cells, even when treatment is actively suppressing the virus's ability to replicate. While these viral RNA splinters are not infectious, researchers believe they could be irritating and exhausting the immune system. "Most of the virus that remains in the body is defective or junk virus that cannot really multiply, but we found these defective viruses can still produce virus RNA and sometimes proteins," says Daniel Kaufmann, an immunovirologist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland who co-authored one of the papers.

Continue Reading.

[justkidneying]

Albinism

Albinism is a disease that causes a defect in the normal synthesis or transport of melanin. There are a couple different types, but the main distinction is the difference between oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) and ocular albinism.

Oculocutaneous Albinism

OCA is caused by an autosomal recessive mutation. There are seven different mutations that can cause albinism, though OCA1 to 4 are the common ones (with OCA2 being the most common). All of these different mutations affect the melanin pathway (the chemical reaction steps to turn phenylalanine into melanin).

OCA1 is caused by a mutation in the tyrosinase gene, which causes a lack of an enzyme in the melanin production pathway. There are actually two types of OCA1, with one having no tyrosinase, and the other having reduced tyrosinase. OCA1 is the most extreme form of albinism, which gives a person very pale skin, white hair, and light eyes.

The OCA2 gene (located on chromosome 15) encodes for the P protein, which is a transporter of a melanin precursor. This gene also has a large role in the color of iris a person will have. Those with OCA2 will have light skin, lighter brown or blond hair, and light colored eyes.

So basically, someone with a defect in either one of the transporters or enzymes of the pathway will not be able to have their melanocytes produce normal melanin. This leads to pale skin, white hair, and light-colored eyes (but it is a spectrum depending on the exact type).

Ocular Albinism

Ocular albinism is an X-linked mutation (a portion of the X chromosome is mutated). This means it affects males more than females. It causes loss of pigmentation in the iris. OA1 is the most common, and is associated with uncontrolled eye movements. OA2 is associated with color and night blindness. There is also a third type that is associated with deafness, but sometimes that also happens with OA1.

A fun fact: there is a type of albinism that only affects non-human animals called leucism. This leads to a partial loss of pigmentation that affects the hair, scales, feathers, and skin of the animal, but not the eyes. You can see this in white lions that have normally-colored eyes and noses.

Albinism and Eyesight

Now onto the role melanin plays in eye function. Albino people have poor eyesight as a result of their melanin deficiencies. But why? We're going to have to go into some eye stuff to answer this question.

So your retina has two parts: temporal and nasal (two halves, one closer to your temple and one closer to your nose). The input from each half is processed with the opposite half from the other eye. I have another post that explains this better. So, the optic nerves meet at the optic chiasm, with some fibers staying on the same side, and other fibers crossing over. Mammals with forward-facing eyes have larger temporal retina than mammals with lateral-facing eyes (like a guinea pig). About half of the optic fibers also remain uncrossed at the chiasm because of this.

Most people with albinism have almost all of their fibers cross at the chiasm, which is essentially a misrouting of very important sensory information. The eye structure is also changed with albinism, as most albino people have poorly formed fovea (the depression in the center of the retina where vision is the sharpest). They also have more blood supply than normal to the foveal area (it is supposed to be avascular). The retinal macula is usually poorly developed and there is a reduction in cone density (what allows you to see color).

Stereovision is also impaired, which is the ability to discern three-dimensional information about objects using the difference between the inputs from each eye. Those with albinism are also more likely to have nystagmus (involuntary eye movement) and strabismus (crossed eyes).

Albinism and Hearing

Now, onto the ear. The eye and ear are very intimately connected. The ear lets the eye know where to look for threats. This means that the visual and auditory spaces within the brain interact. Fun fact: when blind people are asked to localize sounds, the visual cortex is more engaged than the auditory cortex. Albino animals have fewer binaural cells, and more difficulty visually locating the source of sounds. A lot of the stuff related to this goes beyond the scope of what I want to explain here, but just understand that melanin is important for the development of both the auditory and visual systems of the brain.

Albinism and Immune Function

Finally, I want to discuss the immune system. Melanocytes are important cells for immune function, and release a lot of immune-promoting factors. For some reason, a lot of people think of those with albinism as having weak immune systems or being sickly. If you'll notice what I said earlier about the cause of albinism, it is a lack of transporters or enzymes in the melanin pathway. Not the lack of melanocytes. People with albinism still have these cells, it is only their ability to produce melanin that is impaired.

However, there are immune conditions that affect melanocytes, such as Chediak-Higashi syndrome. This is an autosomal recessive disorder that affects lysosomal trafficking proteins, and causes lysosomal function to be impaired. People with this disease will have frequent infections, platelet function impairment, as well as albinism. This means that albinism does not cause immune deficiency, but is a symptom of conditions that also affect the immune system.