Comments on: Genetics of fictional characters

Genetics of fictional characters

easternblot — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 07:33:50 -0800

Harry Potter and the Recessive Allele is a short letter to Nature, suggesting using the concept of wizarding heritage in the Harry Potter series to explain genetics to children. It's the latest forwarding fad among biologists. The cartoon in this newspaper version of the story sums it up best... The idea isn't new, however, because a quick Google search finds the same theory in a British newspaper article from 2003.

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 07:39:19 -0800

Oh, two great anti-fundamentalists tastes that taste great together: sorcery and genetics. You got your witchcraft in my science! No, it's you who got your science in my witchcraft! It doesn't matter who started it, you're both going to hell!

By: dreamsign

dreamsign — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 07:40:24 -0800

This is blasphemy. God created wizards so they could be burned at the stake.

By: dreamsign

dreamsign — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 07:40:52 -0800

Blargh. Omie, you got your peanut butter in my chocolate!

By: peacay

peacay — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 07:54:17 -0800

That's a fine looking website you've got there easternblot.

By: state fxn

state fxn — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 07:59:42 -0800

hahaha I finally understand easternblot's username. Thanks peacay for putting it in context. Oh and, this is a good idea.

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 08:04:08 -0800

Indeed a fine website.

By: nkyad

nkyad — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 08:14:22 -0800

Bugmenot has oogle1/oogle for The Age site. The relevant cartoon:

By: allan

allan — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 10:02:56 -0800

Hmm. Wouldn't this mean that every wizard is a "pure-blood", since they are WW, and some would-be muggles count as "mud-bloods" with intermingled wizard and muggle genes as WM. Also, how uncommon are squibs? We've come across enough of them to suspect that it's less a mutation and more likely a genetic-linked disorder.

By: easternblot

easternblot — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 10:15:37 -0800

"Wouldn't this mean that every wizard is a "pure-blood"" Probably not, if "pure-blood" is defined as WW with WW parents, WW grandparents, etc. here would only be very FEW pure-bloods in that case, and this is actually mentioned as a "fact" in one of the books. The squib thing was bothering me too at first. But it makes sense if you accept that lots of different mutations in W could all make it lose its function, and would all lead to being a squib.

By: Mr. Gunn

Mr. Gunn — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 10:25:48 -0800

Nice Link, man. What's your conception of a easternblot, or have you thought about it much? Don't mean to threadjack....

By: dov3

dov3 — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 11:32:17 -0800

Is the M gene a defective or mutated version of the W gene or the other way around?

By: greatgefilte

greatgefilte — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 14:02:42 -0800

Hm, couldn't the W allele be dominant as well? Hermione's wizardy could be a spontaneous mutation, and one wouldn't have to make assumptions about a wizard ancestor somewhere in her lineage. Squibs could be a result of two heterozygous wizards having a homozygously M kid. What a way to get something published in Nature.

By: freebird

freebird — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 14:07:16 -0800

You know what I hated when I was a kid? When crap teachers tried to explain something to us using some half-ass metaphor drawn from what they percieved to be "things kids are into". It was clearly always a stretch, they looked like idiots, and I felt talked down to. Granted, I was a wierd kid.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 07:50:02 -0800

Uh huh. How hard is it to get the concept of a recessive allele? do a couple punnit squares and you pretty much get it.