Harry Potter genetics

[kelleyaynn]

No: HPFGUIDX 145404


> > Jenny:
> > But where and how would the "magic" gene originate?  In 
> > anything?  I suppose it's a little like the evolution of sight 
> > question - how can you see without a fully formed eye?  How 
> > can you use magic without a fully formed magical ability 
> > (regardless of how weak it might be *cough*Neville*cough*.)  
> > 

Kelleyaynn:
There are varying degrees of complexity when it comes to eyes. The 
most primitive can only detect light versus dark. As you get more 
complex you can add some movement detection. There are even so-
called "eyespots" in Euglena, which is neither an animal or a plant, 
but a protist. These eyespots detect light, since Euglena 
photosynthesize. So there really is no such thing as a fully formed 
eye, just different types with different complexities. And we are 
not necessarily the ones with the most complext eyes. Many insects 
can see ultraviolet light, which we cannot. So I could see magic 
working like that in an evolutionary sense: some magical ability 
arises, which over time evolves into what it is like in the Harry 
Potter books. Remember, some spells are very simple, other are 
very "complex" magic.


> >Jenny:
> > 
> > Perhaps the magic genes are slightly toxic or cancerous, and the 
> > unstable genes lead to the evolution of the many human-variant 
> > creatures, like gnomes, leprechauns, banshees, giants, hags, 
> > etc.  I'd love to know what others think of evolution in the 
> > context of the magical Harry Potter world.

Kelleyaynn:
Though this is simplifying things, there really aren't "stable" 
or "unstable" genes. Evolution occurs because random mistakes are 
made when copying the DNA during cell division. Therefore the only 
mutations that contribute to evolution are the ones that occur in 
the cells that give rise to eggs and sperm (in animals). Genes 
cannot be described as "toxic" either, since they are only the 
instructions that the cell uses to manufacture proteins. If a 
protein composition is changed due to a mutation and it doesn't work 
properly, things go awry. But it isn't toxic in the poisonous sense. 
A structure won't be formed correctly, or perhaps a chemical 
reaction won't work because the protein enzyme needed is now non-
functional. Likewise, genes themselves cannot be cancerous. Cancer 
arises from a series of mutations that occur over a long period of 
time in the genes that control cell division. When an individual has 
a gene that predisposes them to cancer, it means that they already 
inherited a gene with one or more mutations in those critical 
control genes. When a cell has undergone enough mutations over 
many "generations" of the cell (which it then passes onto the cell's 
progeny) that cell division is completely unregulated, then it is 
classified as cancerous. This also explains why tumors and such can 
be called precancerous; there is still some regulation occuring in 
cell division, and more mutations need to occur before that happens. 

I've often thought about how the evolution of magic could occur if 
it really did exist. The problem is that genes only code for 
proteins, so any magic gene or genes would code for a protein that 
somehow makes the individual able to do magic. It's hard to imagine 
a way a protein could do that. About the only way I've been able to 
come up with is for a protein that somehow makes the cell (perhaps 
the cell membrane) sensitive to the force of magic that already 
exists. Figuring out the Mendelian genetics of magic wouldn't be so 
difficult, but figuring out the molecular mechanism for how magic 
works is the hard part. 

Finally, as for creatures such as house elves, goblins, etc. That is 
likely the result of just regular, plain old natural selection, not 
having anything to do with the magic gene. They would, however, had 
to have evolved after humans acquired the ability to do magic. 

I could get into the whole molecular genetics of it, but I don't 
think anyone really wants me to go there.

Kelleyaynn